Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the 35^th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) will be held from 30 September to 30 October. Themed “Melodic Reconnections”, this edition of the MIMF will feature 16 eclectic programmes and 14 outreach activities, gathering maestros and rising stars to present music aficionados an unforgettable musical feast with impressive and refreshing music performances.

Opening performance shows the creativity of opera classic; cross-disciplinary performance reflects the tension of life through a set of piano miniatures

The Festival kicks off with the Opera in Two Acts by Gioachino Rossini The Barber of Seville, an adaptation of the eponymous comedy by French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais which gained popularity among music aficionados. Jointly produced by the Royal Danish Theatre and the rising theatrical director Martin Lyngbo, this production will bring a joyous and vigorous operatic feast under the baton of the Festival’s programme director Lio Kuokman. The Festival will conclude with Echoes Of Life, a cross-disciplinary performance jointly created by the young pianist Alice Sara Ott and the world-renowned architect Hakan Demirel. Featuring an enchanting recital by Ott and distinct video installations devised by Demirel around Chopin’s 24 preludes, the performance will lead the audience on a rich journey of life weaved together with a unique audio-visual experience.     

Maestro Joe Hisaishi joins the Festival for the first time to stage three eclectic programmes of the “Joe Hisaishi 360” series

Revered film score giant Joe Hisaishi joins the Festival for the first time to stage three distinctive programmes of the “Joe Hisaishi 360” series in collaboration with the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra and the Macao Orchestra, namely Joe Hisaishi Presents Music Future, The Legends and Spirited Away. These concerts will introduce the audience to minimal music and give them a comprehensive experience of the maestro’s glamour through his well-known film scores and classical pieces.

Lineup of maestros and maverick musicians

Maverick musician Teodor Currentzis and his musicAeterna will present two extrasensory concerts featuring classical masterpieces by Rimsky- Korsakov, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. Inspired by the only tango opera written by the great Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, María de Buenos Aires is directed and choreographed by the famous choreographer Helen Lai and presented by dancers from the City Contemporary Dance Company. This impressive performance integrates music, opera and contemporary dance. Hailed as “the most powerful figure in China’s classical music scene”, conductor Long Yu will team up with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to present a repertoire of Western music classics.

Beautiful and soul-touching vocals

Naturally 7, the band well-known for the a cappella technique they call “vocal play”, effortlessly transform their voices into actual human instruments and will present the Movies featuring an array of film score at Taipa Houses. The well-known a cappella chamber choir The King’s Singers will present two performances, namely Tom and Will in commemoration of the 400^th anniversary of the death of the great British composers William Byrd and Thomas Weelkes, and Legacies featuring their commissioned works and a collection of soundtracks from the Walt Disney films, traversing through the times with their harmonious and beautiful voices. The renowned fado singer Gisela João will present a selection of songs, allowing the audience to experience the intense and vibrant life. With her captivating and mellow voice, jazz diva Stacey Kent will present a number of original songs and jazz classics, as well as Tango in Macao, a collaboration with her husband Jim Tomlinson and the Nobel Laureate in Literature Kazuo Ishiguro.

Traditional music and Chinese classics

Under the baton of the renowned Chinese conductor Liu Shun, the Macao Chinese Orchestra joins hands with two distinguished musicians to present Night of Macao, a fabulous Chinese musical feast. Revered guqin player Chen Leiji teams up with the Chamber Ensemble of the China NCPA Orchestra for the crossover concert Song of the Ch’in, showcasing the resonance between Chinese and Western string instruments at the Mandarin’s House, a site inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Vitality of local rising stars

Over the years, the Festival has provided a performing platform for local young musicians. Bravo Macao! this year will feature local young pianist Monic Chen, who will perform a repertoire of classical works from the 20^th century and contemporary musical pieces with a musical trio who share the same passion, showcasing the power of rising talent.

Tickets for the 35^th Macao International Music Festival are on sale simultaneously through the Macau Ticketing Network outlets, telephone and online booking from 10am on 3 September (Sunday). On the first day of ticket sales, ticket purchases are limited to a maximum of 10 tickets per performance per person. In order to allow more members of the public to enjoy the programmes of the “Joe Hisaishi 360” series, tickets will be open for sale through registration and random draw. Seating for the programmes will be allocated randomly by computer ballot; interested parties must register through the system of the Macau Ticketing Network (www.macauticket.com/JoeHisaishi360) from 3pm on 3 September to 8pm on 6 September, and each person can register for a maximum of two tickets per programme. If the number of registrants exceeds the limit, tickets will be allocated in the sequence of the random draw results, including the first-round successful applicants and the waitlisted applicants. Each person has a chance to draw for one programme only. All registrants have an equal chance of being selected, so there is no need to rush to register. If tickets are still available after the ticketing periods for the first-round successful applicants and waitlisted applicants, ticket purchase for the remaining tickets will be available simultaneously through the Macau Ticketing Network outlets, telephone and online booking from 10am on 7 October 2023. A 20% discount will be offered on ticket purchases for the programmes of the “Joe Hisaishi 360” series, subject to certain criteria.

Various discounts are available for this year’s MIMF. An early bird discount of 30%, subject to certain criteria, is available from 3 to 10 September, and a 20% discount will be offered from 11 September onwards, except for the programmes of the “Joe Hisaishi 360” series. Members of CCM Friends, OM Friends, Friends of the Macao Chinese Orchestra and Friends of the Macao Museum of Art will receive a 20% discount on ticket purchases between 3 September and 10 September. Members of the public who purchase their tickets with BOC Credit Card or BOC Card will receive a 30% discount on tickets for the opening show Opera in Two Acts by Gioachino Rossini The Barber of Seville and the show Tango Opera by Astor Piazzolla Maria de Buenos Aires, as well as a 20% discount on tickets for other shows. A 20% discount will be offered to holders of MasterCard, Visa or UnionPay card from ICBC (Macau), BNU, Luso International Banking Ltd., BCM Bank, Tai Fung Bank or OCBC Bank Macau. Air Macau customers can enjoy a 20% discount on ticket purchases at the Macau Ticketing Network outlets by presenting their respective boarding pass (flight code NX) within 7 days upon their arrival in Macao. Holders of Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card can enjoy a 50% discount on ticket purchases. Customers who purchase tickets for the programmes over MOP500 (net price after discounts) are entitled to receive a “buy-1-get-1-free” voucher for the exhibition “Visiting the Ruins of St. Paul’s in Space and Time – Exhibition of Virtual Reality at the Ruins of St. Paul’s” and a “Taste & Music” 15% discount voucher for dining at the selected F&B outlets of Sands Resorts Macao. Customers who purchase tickets for the programmes over MOP1,000 (net price after discounts) are entitled to receive a “buy-1-get-1-free” voucher for Cotai Water Jet ferry tickets. Buy more, get more! Vouchers are limited and subject to availability.

This edition of the MIMF counts with the support of the Macao Government Tourism Office, TDM – Teledifusão de Macao, Air Macau and Sands Resorts Macao. For more information about the programmes and offers, please visit the Festival’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm or the respective page on Facebook (“Macao International Music Festival”). For enquiries, please contact IC through tel. no. 8399 6699 during office hours. 24-hour ticketing hotlines: 2855 5555 (Macao), 2380 5083 (Hong Kong) and 139 2691 1111 (Mainland China). Ticketing website: www.macauticket.com.

The presentation of the programmes of the 35^th MIMF was held on 28 August at The Londoner Macao, and was broadcast live online by a number of media from the Greater Bay Area, with the presence of the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man; the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; the Chairman of the Executive Committee of TDM - Teledifusão de Macau, S.A., Lo Song Man; the Vice President of Air Macau Company Limited, Zhang Yun; the Senior Vice President of Special Projects, Product Strategy and Development of Sands China Ltd., Julian Chow; the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Cheang Kai Meng; the Programme Director of the Macao International Music Festival, Lio Kuokman; and representatives of the participating art groups.