This winter, a group of Tianjin Juilliard’s faculty members and Graduate Studies students participated in two concerts with the Macao Symphony Orchestra at the Macao Cultural Centre and the Sai Van Lake Plaza, playing an eclectic program of orchestral repertoire. Three Instrumental and Orchestra Studies students Kun Yan (MM ’23, violin), Chaeyeong Lee (MM ’23, percussion) and Jiyoung Kim (MM ’23, percussion) kept a collective diary of their shared experiences and adventures in Macao.
December 27 and 28
Kun: Macao received us with a very nice weather the day we arrived. After we checked into our hotel, our resident conductor Ken Lam took us to a Thai restaurant near the hotel, where we enjoyed the first of many amazing meals during our time in the city. The next day, we had our first rehearsal at the Macau Cultural Centre with the Macao Orchestra. There were some pieces in the program, like Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings and Sejourne’s Marimba Concerto that I had performed with the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra before, which made me feel more confident during rehearsals.
December 29
Chaeyeong: The program consisted of pieces only for strings and percussion, so today was my first day rehearsing with the Macao Orchestra. The orchestra manager was very friendly and helped me to set up the percussion instruments I needed. During the rehearsals I met a violist from Korea, who shared with me about his time living in Macao and recommended some nice places to visit. To me, it was such a warm welcome from the members of the orchestra.
The first piece we rehearsed with the Macao Orchestra was “Danzon No. 2” by Arturo Marquez, arranged for strings and percussion. The arrangement was special since there aren’t many pieces in the orchestral repertoire where only these instruments perform together. Jiyoung and I had to play five different percussion instruments during the piece, and we had so much fun making music together!
December 30
Chaeyeong: I was very excited to come to the third rehearsal with the Macao Orchestra and hear professor Tarn and Jiyoung rehearse their solo pieces (Sejourne’s Marimba Concerto and Vivaldi’s Winter from Four Seasons). With inspiration from Maestro Lam, the rehearsal went very smoothly, and he gave the orchestra amazing ideas on how to better approach the music.
After rehearsal, we all went for lunch. We discovered one of our favourite Japanese restaurants just a few steps away from the rehearsal hall and went there twice because we loved it so much! I really enjoyed this trip to Macao, where faculty and students got to spend more time together, and make stronger connections with one another!
December 31
Jiyoung: Today is our first concert! We woke up early in the morning, had breakfast and prepared for the dress rehearsal at the Macao Cultural Center. Before getting on stage to perform the Marimba concerto by Sejourne, the conductor introduced me in Cantonese and I can say that, instead of being nervous, I was really happy and grateful for the opportunity to play with the Macao Orchestra.
After the performance, we went to celebrate the concert and New Year’s Eve at a restaurant recommended by one of the members of the orchestra. The soup with chicken was so good! To me, it was a very meaningful way to end the year and to kick off the start of 2023..
January 1
Kun: On the first day of 2023, we had our second concert at the open-air stage near the Macau Tower. The outdoor venue at Sai Van Lake Plaza created challenges for musicians in the orchestra to hear each other and play together. Despite the challenges, it was quite fun to perform among the crowds. I could hear the cars on the streets and sometimes even spotted people bungee jumping from the top of the Macau Tower. One thing that was particularly exciting about the outdoor concert, was that we noticed more and more people being drawn to the concert as we were playing. After the concert, the violist from Macau Orchestra, Mr. Kim took us to a Chongqing hot pot restaurant, and we had such a good time chatting and eating together.
January 2 and 3
Chaeyeong: January 2 is a very memorable day for me over this trip because we finally had free time to explore the city of Macao.
Me, Jiyoung, Kun and Maestro Lam got to explore Macao. First, we went to the famous Ruins of St. Paul’s, which is one of the must-see spots in Macao. On the way, we found a restaurant where they served Portuguese food. It was an exciting and unforgettable day. I really miss our time there and look forward to performing again with the Macao Orchestra!
Jiyoung: Before taking our flight back to Tianjin, we had brunch at a revolving restaurant on the top floor of the Macau Tower. As the restaurant rotates 360 degrees, we could enjoy the food and the amazing view of the city at the same time. Now that I am back in Tianjin, I feel very grateful to all the people who warmly welcomed us and created such an unforgettable experience with the Macao Symphony Orchestra.