Music | Macau Orchestra participates in event to mark Nanjing Massacre

Jiangsu Center for Performing Arts

The Macao Orchestra (OM) was invited by the Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts to participate in the rehearsals and performance of the Grand Original Opera – The Diaries of John Rabe, in Nanjing from November 27 to December 16, in order to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. Eighteen OM musicians, including Section Principals, will join hands with members of famous arts groups from Jiangsu Province, offering local citizens an artistic performance of great significance.

The Grand Original Opera – The Diaries of John Rabe comprises a group of elite artists, including Chinese composer Tang Jianping, young writer Zhou Ke, opera director Elijah Moshinsky, OM’s musical director and Principal Conductor, Lu Jia, several artists from China, the United Kingdom, the USA, Germany and Australia, as well as many stage design, props and lighting professionals from internationally renowned leading companies.

In addition, art troupes involved in the opera include the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group (JPAG) Symphony Orchestra, the Opera and Dance Drama Theatre of the JPAG, the Student Choir Group of the School of Music of the Nanjing Normal University and the Macao Orchestra. The opera has a strong cast and it will undoubtedly be a high-quality, large-scale event.

The opera is based on John Rabe’s eponymous book, a collection of the author’s personal experiences during the Nanjing Massacre, which has great historical and literary value and is also an important source for historians. This extraordinary performance will debut on the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre on December 13 at the Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts.

Categories Macau