Away from the gaming tables: Macau to host top events – from Grand Prix racing to Swan Lake ballet
Big names and world-class performances beckon visitors to the city towards the end of 2016, with everything from jazz, K-pop and classical music, to motor sports and cultural attractions
There is plenty to look forward to as Macau ramps up with events towards the year’s end.
It’s time to enjoy all that Macau has to offer with a showcase of cultural attractions. The 30th Macau International Music Festival offers an excellent place to get started. It runs across October and delivers a diverse line-up that embraces a wide range of musical styles.
Hot on the list is the Berlin Philharmonic String Quintet, playing on October 3 at Dom Pedro V Theatre. With an unusual formation, the quintet comprises two violins, a viola, a cello and a double bass, and will take the audience from classical (Mozart), to romantic (Dvorák and Tchaikovsky) all the way to modern music (Respighi and Piazzolla).
Excitement is also growing with other acts generating buzz. From Central Asia, the Mongolian State Morin Khuur Ensemble is bringing “Voice from the Mongolian Steppe”, presenting the unique sound of the country’s urtiin duu (long song), morin khuur (horsehead fiddle), and khoomei (throat singing). Held on October 8 (Saturday) at Mount Fortress, it will certainly be one not to miss.
From classical and folk music, the festival’s other highlights include top-notch jazz. US legend Roy Hargrove has been hailed as a major jazz trumpeter of the modern era, blending in elements of hard bop, blues, hip hop, and R&B into his diverse repertoire. The icon has won Grammy Awards for Best Latin Jazz Album and for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and it will be hard to justify missing him if you are a jazz fan. Go check him out on October 21 at Mount Fortress.
Other attractions are a performance of percussive “Minimalism” by the Colin Currie Group on October 7 at the Macao Cultural Centre and a “Bravo Macao! II” showcase of young Macanese talent on September 30 at the Dom Pedro V Theatre.
