Macau’s integrated resort operator Galaxy Entertainment Group (GICC) presents the Luso-Chinese Music & Arts Festival – Macao 2025 (FLCMAM 2025) at the Galaxy International Convention Centre from today to Sunday in collaboration with Macao Music and Arts Space (MMAS) which will include a variety of concerts and competitions with musicians from Macau, other Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities, and Portugal.
In an email sent to the Post yesterday, MMAS said that “regarding the selection of the venue for the festival, we have considered Galaxy International Convention Centre as GICC is the latest addition to Galaxy Entertainment Group’s ever-expanding integrated resort and will usher in a new era for the MICE industry in Macau. With its convenient location with Galaxy Arena which is considered as one of the most attractive concert venues, for this may help promote the new established Luso-Chinese Music Art Festival (FLCMAM). Galaxy group is also the title sponsor of the festival.”
These activities include a Tuna Macanese* Tournament, the 1st Macao International Orchestral and Chamber Music Competition and the GBA China-Chic Music Tournament. There will be concerts including Tuna Macanese Night, Sonic Alliance Musical Battle, Clash of Cultures along with Strings Exhibition, master classes and Musical Marathon at Lou Kau Mansion to showcase the fusion of Chinese and Portuguese cultures.
The Post sat down with Echo Chan Keng Hong and Anthony Cheong Wai Leong, founders of MMAS, at their music studio in the central district on Tuesday to find out more about the three-day event.
The event kicks off with a concert by Tuna Macanese at Ponte 1915 Art Centre today. Chan said that Tuna Macanese are elderly now and sing in Chinese, English and Portuguese and that the Tuna Macanese Tournament, tomorrow from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., is a singing competition that will be held with 14 teams competing singing Tuna Macanese songs.
Chan said, “We decided to use three words for these events; intersectorial, innovation and integration, with four objectives, celebrate Macau culture, a tribute to celebrate 90 years of Tuna Macanese, to promote Macau’s original music to young people and a string instrument chamber music competition.
The opening concert on Saturday has performances by Escola Poi Tou performing Ode à A-Má, Amor Português de Macau performed by Tuna Macanese and This is Nezha performed by Zhuhai Art College
“The Sonic Alliance Musical Battle – Clash of Cultures at Macau’s Melody Bay, tomorrow, is a new way to introduce Chinese music, a battle of Chinese and Western instruments in a one-to-one battle and a team battle. Zhuhai Art College will be playing the Chinese instruments and the team playing Western instruments will be led by Anthony [Cheong], then the audience will vote on which one they like and the teams will then play the other team’s winning piece and the audience will vote on their favourite”.
Chan added, “The final battle will see a guest from the audience to get up and play anything they choose, Western, pop, or Chinese music and the audience will then vote and the accumulation of all votes on the various pieces will be declared the winner”.
The next is the 1st Macao International Orchestral and Chamber Music Competition, on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Chan said as of Tuesday 80 people had registered to take part. She said, “It has been my dream to host a competition with different instruments, there are so many competitions in Macau but no Macau brand so I want to encourage amateur musicians to take part and make a unique Macau brand and get cities in the GBA to participate and promote Macau as a cultural city.”
On Sunday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. will be GBA China-Chic Music Tournament which Chan said is a new idea as nowadays Macau plays a role in the GBA and is a base for promoting Chinese culture. Chan said that as of Tuesday over 30 people had signed up to take part. She said, “The idea is that it will be a new way to play Chinese music on old or modern Chinese instruments. Macau has a history of playing Chinese music on cellos, so this competition can be individual musicians or teams. The award ceremony will be held right after the competition ends, followed by a concert performed by all the winners over the three days.”
From tomorrow to Sunday there will be a Musical Marathon at Lou Kau Mansion when musicians from the various competitions will play from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. plus all musicians in the audience will be invited to play and/or sing so as to “create a popular stage.” Anyone who wants to take part must register on-site. “Chan said, “They can jam or play individually, nothing is planned. It is quite common around the world but it has never been done in Macau before.”
Other activities that will take place are instrument masterclasses led by violinist Kurt Chan and pianist Zoie Tse Shuk Yi from Hong Kong tomorrow, a string instrument exhibition which will have old violins, which Cheong said, “I want to give students the experience of playing expensive instruments.”
Cheong added, “Andrea Schudtz, an Italian violin maker, has donated some violins for the students to play and Winky Lam will rebuild a damaged violin so it has an environmental element of recycling.”
There will also be the Seven Chakras Series – Love Between Fairy and Devil organised by Anthony Studio Macau VR IMMERSIVE Experience Centre which will have music and a VR IMMERSIVE full-sensory interaction with new essential oil products related to classical music that promote healing and sleeping.
For more information, visit MMAS – Macau Music Art Space Facebook page or the official public account of Macau Music Art Space.
*According to the Global Times website, Tuna Macanese is a band established in 1935 that originally consisted of more 30 Macanese members. It is currently one of the most prominent stars when it comes to efforts to preserve the Macanese culture by adapting the language into popular music.
This photo of the poster showing the rundown of the Luso-Chinese Music & Arts Festival – Macao 2025 was provided by Macao Music and Arts Space (MMAS) yesterday.
