Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra gets rousing applause in Lisbon

Over 2,000 people gave a rousing applause to the Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra upon its presentation on Tuesday, in the closing concert of the Lisbon Music Festival, in the Portuguese capital.
In a perfect rendition of works by composers Joly Braga Santos, Cesar Franck and Johannes Brahms as well as Chinese composers Abing and (Macau-born) Doming Lam, the orchestra conducted by maestro Osvaldo Veiga Jardim reportedly pleased the audience that filled the open air stage occupying the square and nearby streets in front of the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, in Lisbon.
The young musicians currently on a digression in Europe will now depart from the Portuguese capital to Italy, to participate on August 2 in The Riva Festival 2010, held in Riva del Garda, near Venice.
Next presentations are scheduled for Germany, (Berlin, on August 7) and Prague, Czechoslovakia, where the Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra will perform along with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra on August 11, at the Smetana Hall of the Czech capital.
Around 80 young musicians play with the Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra. They are all from Macau and aged between 12 and 25. Since its foundation in 1997, the orchestra has developed a broad repertoire ranging from Baroque and classical works to pieces written by contemporary Chinese composers.
The ensemble works closely together with tutors at the conservatory in nearby Hong Kong. The orchestra carried out a concert tour of Europe in the year 2008 (appearances included a performance with the Vienna Boys’ Choir at the 8th World Choral Festival). In 2009, musicians conducted an extended tour of China, including performances in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Guangzhou.