The 22nd Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), to be unveiled in October, will feature a trio of operas produced by Opera de Nice in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's birth, the Cultural Institution of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) said on Thursday.

The event of this year, lasting from Oct. 5 till Nov. 2, embraces opera, symphonic choral and chamber music, as well as contemporary, folk, pop and jazz music, according to the Institution, which is also the organizer of the event.

As the period of the festival coincides with the 150th birth anniversary of Puccini, the legendary Italian composer, his masterpiece trilogy Il Trittico, which was produced by Opera de Nice from France, will be staged in Macao for three consecutive nights, the Institution said in its press release.

Aside from the dedication to Puccini, more international artists will travel to the SAR this year, presenting an MIMF edition rich in diversity. Seventeen programs of different musicalart forms from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Portugal, the United States, Canada, Australia and the Chinese Mainland willbathe Macao's stages in both ancient and experimental sonic colors.

Being one of the organizer's efforts to stage a world-class music festival, the renowned British orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), will headline and open the program of the Festival of this year.

In addition, chorus will be the highlight of this year's programs, as the CulturalInstitution had "invited many chorus fromdifferent nations, who will stage their performances in Macao's churches during the festival," said Ho Lai Chun, president of the Institution.

These choruses include the distinguished Hungarian Ars Nova Vocal Ensemble, the St. Florian Boys' Choir and the Hannover Girls' Choir. The Ars Nova Vocal Ensemble will join with Macao Orchestra to stage an all-Mozart program in the city's St. DominicChurch.

The Macao Orchestra just introduced their new conductor Lv Jia, who is "a reputable Chinese conductor, and we feel so honored to have him conduct our orchestra," said Ho.

To match the festival's theme of "dynamic encounter between East and West", the festival will also feature Chinese folk music.

In addition, workshops and conferences will be provided by the organizer to accompany the annual event with the aim of stimulating public interest in the arts, and as in previous editions of the festival, some of the performing groups' rehearsals will be open to the public, according to the Institution.

(CRI July 18, 2008)