The Macao Chinese Orchestra, a musical institution under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, has been invited to tour Portugal from 24th July to 2nd August. The last time this orchestra travelled to Portugal as representatives of Macao was in 1998, before the Handover. This activity is part of the 2012: EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue, an important, large-scale initiative for the exchange of arts, culture and the humanities between China and Europe. This agenda this year includes the presentation of a series of top-quality Chinese cultural activities to European audiences in 27 member states of the European Union. The Macao Chinese Orchestra is participating, as musical and cultural ambassadors of the MSAR, in the Grand Event honouring Guimarães, Portugal, as 2012 European Capital of Culture. Their tour, promoting the cultural customs and musical features of Macao, also takes them to the university city of Coimbra and to Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. The three cities on the tour represent the northern, central and mid-southern areas of Portugal. After the first performance in Guimarães on 27th July, the Orchestra will present their East Journey Musical Concert, outdoors, at the 4th Coimbra Arts Festival the following day. The final concert of the tour will take place on the outdoor plaza of Lisbon's 200-year-old São Carlos National Theatre as part of the Festival ao Largo on 29th July. The traveling delegation is led by Ung Vai Meng, President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and Pang Ka Pang, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Chinese Orchestra. Pang will lead the Orchestra in presenting masterpieces of traditional Chinese music, as well as works commissioned by the Cultural Affairs Bureau for the Macao Chinese Orchestra. Some of these commissioned works will be heard in their European premieres. The Orchestra will also collaborate with renowned Portuguese fado singer Carlos do Carmo and other Portuguese artists, providing an unforgettable Sino-European cultural experience. During the tour, the delegation will also participate in exchange with the event organisers, meeting with individuals from the Portuguese cultural sector to enhance the friendship between China and Portugal. EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue The year of 2012 is the EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission. The event organisers are co-operating with the European Commission, and the entirety of Europe, to realise this project in Europe and China simultaneously. The abundant and varied cultural activities will facilitate exchange and collaboration between elements of Chinese and European culture. The Macao Chinese Orchestra's tour of Portugal, as part of the EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue, represents both an iconic bridge for interchange between Chinese and Portuguese music and an ample stage for the future of cultural and artistic communication between these two countries. 2012 European Capital of Culture: Guimarães The ancient Portuguese city of Guimarães has a long history and is known as the birthplace of Portugal, the cradle of the Portuguese nation. In 2009 Guimarães, along with Maribor, Slovenia, were designated the 2012 European Capitals of Culture by the Council of the European Union. After a 14-year hiatus, the Macao Chinese Orchestra once again embarks upon a performance tour in Portugal and will take part in the Grand Event Celebrating Guimarães as a European Capital of Culture. With great charisma and skill, the Orchestra and its unique musical repertoire will promote the distinguished cultural tradition of Macao, further confirming the Region's place in the world as a nexus of integration for Chinese and Western culture.
