The 16th Macao International Music Festival, scheduled for October 4-23, is set to whet the appetites of locals and visitors by offering 14 different concert programs.
"This year's festival will exhibit an even higher artistic standard and an added localized flavor, with a budget of 12 million patacas (US$1.5 million)," President Ho Lai Chun of the Cultural Institute said at a press conference Wednesday.
The program aims to offer an encounter of the Eastern and Western cultures covering opera, symphony works, chamber music and contemporary music, she said.
World-class musical groups including the New York Philharmonic, the Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Borodin String Quartet will be invited to perform.
The policy of promoting tourism through culture will be continued to make the festival more attractive to international guests, Ho said.
In cooperation with the Macao Government Tourist Office and its 13 overseas representative agencies, information and news about the festival will be distributed throughout the world.
(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2002)
