"Passionate and vibrant, a very refined youth orchestra"
Lu Siqing, first Asian winner of the Paganini violin competition
Founded in 2003, Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Hong Kong (MYO) is a registered charity in Hong Kong and is one of the finest youth orchestras in Asia. Consists of 8 orchestras in 4 different levels, MYO strives to provide professional training and performance opportunities for our young members. Under the leadership of Synthia Ko, artistic director and chief conductor; Chris Cheung, Orchestra-lite and Repertory Orchestra conductor, and our professional coaches, more than 350 passionate young musicians from over 120 music colleges, universities, secondary and primary schools, as well as kindergartens, build up their repertoire of various styles and periods through the weekly rehearsals, in order to share the joy of music.
In August 2008, MYO was invited to perform in the finale concert of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival and the opening performance of the British Youth Orchestra Festival and was the only youth orchestra in Asia being invited to both Festivals. In July 2007, MYO was invited to the Shanghai International Children's Theatre Festival to perform with the Magic Circle Mime from the US in the Shanghai Concert Hall and was given the "Excellent Production Award". In 2005, MYO performed with world-renowned cellist Wang Jian in a charity concert and was commented "I am deeply impressed by the performance of MYO through this cooperation, MYO's young musicians are the new blood of the classical music scene of Hong Kong".
MYO has collaborated with renowned Hong Kong pianist Nancy Loo, Colleen Lee, Les Six, New Art Strings Quartet and renowned Russian pianist Maria Raszwetaeva, conductor Ernest Smole, Robert Rieder, Mak Ka Lok, Choi Ho Man, Jerome Hoberman and Yang Li among others since 2003 to present a variety of concerts. Besides regular performances in Hong Kong, MYO was invited to perform in many of the world's greatest halls, the Langenwang Art Haus in Austria, Brahms Museum of Austria, Yamaha at Nemunosato in Japan, the Shanghai Concert Hall, Xinghai Music Conservatory in Guangzhou and the Grande Auditorio do Centro Cultural de Macau.
MYO actively participates in overseas music exchange tours. In these tours, members have valuable opportunities to learn from the world’s finest musicians and educators from Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Music Conservatory, Brahms Music School, Moscow Music Conservatory, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Indiana University, Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
MYO brings excellent classical music performances with the world’s finest musicians and conductors every year to audiences in Hong Kong and all over the world. In August 2012, MYO has given a highly received performance in Musikverein, Golden Hall, in which the audience in Vienna are particularly impressed by the two east-meets-west repertoires from the orchestra. In 2011 summer, MYO has an unique music learning experience in Brahms Easter School of Music, at Murzzuschlag, Austria.
In August 2010, MYO visited Kagoshima Japan and performed with MBC Youth Orchestra. Maestro Shinya Ozaki highly praised MYO “Energetic and passionate performance”. In April 2010, MYO was invited to give performance in Beijing National Centre of the Performing Arts and Tiainjin Concert Hall, which also set a new milestone for MYO. MYO is honored to perform with well-known choral conductor Professor Yang Hong Nian, and The Children and Young Women Chorus of the China National Symphony Orchestra, the prestige choir under his leadership.
In August 2009, MYO was proud to be invited by Johannes Brahms Music School in Austria, in patronage of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Nikolaus Harnoncourt of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to première in the prestigious Haydn Hall in the Esterházy Palace. In January 2009, MYO was proud to share the stage with renowned violin virtuoso Lu Siqing, the first Asian winner of the Paganini Violin Competition, in the Butterfly Lovers violin concerto. All members were highly inspired by his mastery. At the same night, MYO played the Yellow River piano concerto with Korean pianist Michelle Kim and the orchestra was highly praised as "compatible with professional orchestras".
MYO's mission is to pursue artistic excellence, for MYO believes “Music Excellence with a Soul”, as well as to serve the community through music. MYO donates concert proceeds to support various social organizations such as, The Boys' & Girls Clubs Association of Hong Kong, the China Literacy Foundation for rural children education in China, Po Leung Kuk, Little Life Warrior Society of Lady Pao Children’s Cancer Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Watoto Child Care Ministries among others.
Since 2014, the orchestra has put up a series of flash mob performance in the city, bringing orchestral music into our local community. Being praised for its high standard and originality, the MYO flash mob performance was broadly reported. In each flash mob performance, the orchestra intended to incorporate melodies that recall collective memories shared by the general public. In 2015, the orchestra is invited by Hong Kong Tourism Board to performance at the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival. In 2016, MYO was invited by the Airport Authority Hong Kong to conduct a series of flash mob performance at the Hong Kong International Airport. In 2017 September, MYO gave a performance at London to promote Hong Kong under the invitation of Hong Kong Tourism Board and Hong Kong Trade Development Council. As of today, the flash mob videos on the internet has gone viral and reached over millions of people worldwide.