The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym), under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, held the opening ceremony of its 2018-19 Concert Season on 1 September, at the lobby of the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, followed by the season opening concert “Sergei Rachmaninoff by Barry Douglas”. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Acting Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Wang Dong; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Mok Ian Ian; the Assistant of the Deputy Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao S.A.R., Shao Bin; the Chairman of the China Symphony Development Foundation, Chen Guangxian; members of Macao Orchestra Advisory Committee, Dai Ding Cheng, Kevin Thompson, Johnny M Poon and Cao Yiji; the Head of the Department of Performing Arts Development of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Iu Wai Man; the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Orchestra, Lu Jia, and the General Manager of the Macao Orchestra, Rebecca Chou.

In celebration of OM’s 35^th anniversary, this year’s Concert Season is themed “Music Gala 35: Music Fills the City”, creating more rich and innovative experiences in music to celebrate with music aficionados. Under the baton of OM’s Music Director Lu Jia, pianist Barry Douglas, winner of the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in 1986, was invited to perform in this opening concert following his last performance with the Macao Orchestra in which he played Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, very well-received by the audience. In this concert, Barry Douglas performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The programme of the concert also featured Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, offering music aficionados a Russian-style musical feast. In addition, OM organised the “Piano Master Class with Barry Douglas” before the concert, in which Barry Douglas coached and exchanged views with the participants. A pre-concert talk led by Lu Jia was also held, allowing the audience to understand the programmed musical pieces better.

OM’s 2018-19 Concert Season booklet can be obtained free of charge at all Macau Ticketing Network outlets. The electronic version may also be downloaded at OM’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/om. For more information and enquiries about the programme, please call OM through tel. no. 2853 0782 during office hours. 24-hour ticketing hotline: 2855 5555; online ticket reservation is available at www.macauticket.com.