Youth Mozart champs, Macao Orchestra to perform

A symphony of Western and Chinese classical music will be performed by the Macao Orchestra for Sept 12's opening of the 2nd Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians. Tickets for the 12-day-long musical bouts at the Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Grand Theater went on sale July 20.

The Macao Orchestra is one of the best of its kind in Asia, and its music director and principal conductor, Lu Jia, will lead the performance. In addition, He Ziyu and Mao Fujita, last session's winning violinist and pianist in Group B (ages 13 to 16), will perform a Mozart Piano Concerto and Macao Bride, a suite produced by Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang.

The only classical music contest tailored for children, teens, and adults younger than 23, the event has been widely recognized as a shortcut to fame for musical geniuses. 

1st Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians [Photo courtesy gd.sina.com.cn]

Since enrollment opened last November, the competition has received applications from young artists of 39 countries and regions -- all from prestigious schools and institutes -- to vie for the musical honors.

Approved by the Ministry of Culture, the event is sponsored by the Zhuhai municipal government and University Mozarteum Salzburg in Austria, and organized by Huafa Group.

It is designed to discover young people with musical talent, and deliver frontier music concepts to boost public appreciation of the arts.

As a cultural event with international influence, the contest has been supported from the beginning by the Chinese Musicians Association, and Embassy of Austria in China. It has become a member of the Alink-Argerich Foundation, an independent worldwide information and service center for musicians and competitions.

Ticket prices have been lowered this year to make it more affordable, in line with benefiting a broader public. More than this, concerts, performances, and lectures will be given in schools and communities, promoting classical music and attracting greater engagement in the Mozart Competition, according to the organizing committee.

The tickets are available at ticket agencies commissioned by the grand theatre, as well as at the official website www.zhgt.org and official WeChat account (ID: zhhcgtpw).