The Macao Orchestra Company announced its Macao Orchestra (OM) 2023-24 concert season with local musician Lio Kuokman as music director and principal conductor, a spokeswoman for the company said during a press conference yesterday at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM).
Before the press conference, Lio, also a pianist, and OM cello principal Lu Jia played a duet of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff at the foyer of the Macau Cultural Centre, highlighting the upcoming theme of the concert season: “150th Anniversary of Rachmaninoff’s Birth”. The event was atteded by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U, Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man, who heads the board of directors of the Macao Orchestra Company, as well as representatives of Macau’s six current gaming operators.
The Macau Post Daily published an exclusive interview with Lio last December, when he was the principal guest conductor. During the press conference yesterday, Ao Ieong presented an appointment letter to Lio as principal conductor, who thanked the local government and music fans for their steady support.
According to a statement released during the press conference, Lio is widely regarded as one of the most prominent Chinese conductors on the international music scene. Currently serving as the programme director of the Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) and resident conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Lio has been highly praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “an exceptional conducting talent”. He was the first Chinese assistant conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra and has collaborated with leading orchestras worldwide.
During the press conference, Lio revealed that the first symphonic concert he ever attended was a performance of Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 by the Macao Orchestra. Now as an accomplished musician, he feels deeply honoured to once again be a part of the orchestra and contribute to the development of music in Macau.
In his role as music director of Macao Orchestra, Lio announced the upcoming music programmes for the season. Among the highlights is a collaboration with two pianists, Yekwon Sunwoo from South Korea and Nobuyuki Tsujii from Japan, who are both winners of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in the US. They will be performing Rachmaninoff’s most iconic works, “Piano Concerto No. 2” and “Piano Concerto No. 3, in the opening and closing concerts of the new season, respectively.
Leong told reporters on the sidelines of the press conference that the Macao Orchestra is aiming to obtain more funds through different commercial performances and cooperation with the gaming sector so as to decrease government’s financial support. Leong added that the orchestra also planned to make use of more venues such as libraries and schools to promote the orchestra and its music.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U (right) presents an official appointment letter to local musician Lio Kuokman as principal conductor of the Macao Orchestra (OM). – Photo: William Chan
