The 2023 Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area (YMCG) Opens February 13

Highlights include Shanghai Quartet in concert, chamber performances, outreach events, and dialogues with celebrated Maestros Daniel Harding and Long Yu

The internationally acclaimed Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area (YMCG) is thrilled to share details regarding their 2023 events. YMCG, presented under the auspices of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province and organized by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Xinghai Concert Hall with renowned Maestro Long Yu heading its Artistic Committee, has successfully been held for six consecutive years (2017–2022). In order to accommodate new developments and elevate the event’s format and scale, YMCG – formerly known as Youth Music Culture Guangdong – is now renamed Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area. The original acronym YMCG, representing the event’s core constituents and values, fostered international promotion and name recognition. Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area will continue using the same acronym, extending beyond Guangdong into the Greater Bay Area (officially identified as GBA).

Apart from the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Xinghai Concert Hall as YMCG co-organizers, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and Macao Orchestra join hands as supporting organizations in 2023. YMCG also welcomes internationally renowned artists and heads of leading orchestras in the Greater Bay Area joining its Organizing and Artistic Committees. On both programming and personnel fronts, 2023 YMCG strengthens and emphasizes connections and interactions with the four major cities in the Greater Bay Area—Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. 2023 YMCG helps music and the arts take root in the region and the organization continues to extend its influence throughout Asia and the world, becoming a musical event of global renown.

2023 YMCG is scheduled to take place between February 13 and 21 in Guangzhou. During that time, the internationally distinguished Shanghai Quartet, as well as musicians from professional ensembles and orchestral principals from Beijing, Shanghai, and cities in the Greater Bay Area—Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macao—will serve as faculty and take part in performances. At the same time, young musicians from the The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), along with those from the Central, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Sichuan conservatories of music, will sit side by side with professional musicians to rehearse, perform, and engage in cultural exchange.

Highlights of the 2023 YMCG program include opening and closing concerts, an online dialogue with internationally celebrated Maestro Daniel Harding, in-person dialogue between Maestro Long Yu and young musicians, several chamber concerts, many masterclasses, and outreach events beyond Guangzhou. The final concert of 2023 YMCG will take place at “the world’s highest concert hall” — Sky Concert Hall — the youngest cultural and artistic hub of Shenzhen that was inaugurated in 2019.

Despite the challenges of the COVID pandemic between 2020 and 2022, the annual program forged ahead and successfully maintained everyone’s safety. As the iconic highest-level of event for international youth culture and artistic direction within the Greater Bay Area, YMCG has amassed global resources, bringing to the region new ideas and concepts touching on music and life, culture and society, heritage and development, and fusion and innovation, bringing to the world the beauty and allure of China today and the vitality and energy of the Greater Bay Area. YMCG has already garnered much international influence.

Please visit the official website at ymcgchina.com for more information. Daniel Harding’s online dialogue will be available to view across the world on YMCG’s Facebook channel.

2023 YMCG CONCERT DETAILS
Repertoire is subject to change. All dates and times are in GMT 8

Opening Concert
Monday, February 13; 20:00
Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall
Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra

Jing Huan, conductor

Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence in D minor, Op.70
Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

Chamber Concert 1
Saturday, February 18; 14:30
Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall
The Artisan Quartet of China Philharmonic and SSO Principals Wind Quintet

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op.18, No.4
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings, Op.11
Carl Nielsen: Wind Quintet, Op.43 I. Allegro ben moderato
Malcolm Arnold: Three Shanties for Wind Quintet, Op.4 
György Ligeti: Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet 

Chamber Concert 2
Saturday, February 18; 16:30
Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall
Magnolia Quartet and GSO Brilliant Brass Quintet

Pavel Haas: String Quartet No.2 “From the Monkey Mountains”, Op.7
Tylman Susato (arr. John Lveson): Renaissance Dances
Giacomo Puccini (arr. Fred Mills): “Musetta's Waltz” from La Bohème
Isaac Albéniz (arr. David Marlatt): Leyenda
Paul Nagle: Jive for Five  
Hayato Hirose: Cotswolds Pictures

Chamber Concert 3
Saturday, February 18; 20:00
Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall
The Greater Bay Area Special

George Frideric Handel (arr. Johan Halvorsen): Passacaglia
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento in E-flat Major K.563- I.& VI. Allegro
Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D.810 ("Death and the Maiden") I. Allegro
Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115 I. Allegro
Dmitri Shostakovich: Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano
Olli Mustonen: Nonet for Strings No. 2

Closing Concert
Sunday, February 19; 20:00
Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall
YMCG Orchestra

Jing Huan, conductor
Lu Yiwen, Jinghu

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Benjamin Britten: Simple Symphony, Op.4
Beijing Opera (arr. Zou Ye): Deep Night arranged for Jinghu, Strings and Percussion
György Ligeti: Concert Românesc 

Shenzhen Concert
Monday, February 20; 19:30
Sky Concert Hall
YMCG Orchestra

Jing Huan, conductor
Lu Yiwen, Jinghu

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Benjamin Britten: Simple Symphony, Op.4
Beijing Opera (arr. Zou Ye): Deep Night arranged for Jinghu, Strings and Percussion
György Ligeti: Concert Românesc 

2023 YMCG MUSIC DIALOGUE AND OUTREACH DETAILS

Music Dialogue 1
A Musician’s Multiple Identities 
Tuesday, February 14; 20:00 
Music Space, Xinghai Concert Hall 

Moderator: Jing Huan 
Speakers: Angelo Xiang Yu, Liu Ming, Liu Rui, Peng Ke

Music Dialogue 2
How to Sustain a Long Musical Career 
Wednesday, February 15; 20:00 
Music Space, Xinghai Concert Hall 

Moderator: Zhai Jia 
Speakers: Long Yu, Weigang Li

Outreach
Thursday, February 16; 9:00-12:00
Yuexiu Park

Music Dialogue 3
We’re from the Greater Bay Area
Thursday, February 16; 20:00 
Music Space, Xinghai Concert Hall 

Moderator: Long Yu 
Speakers: Guests from the Greater Bay Area

Music Dialogue Special Event
The Leaders Speak Time TBC 
Music Space, Xinghai Concert Hall

Speakers: Long Yu, Chen Qing (President, GSO), Wang Dongyun (Director, Xinghai Concert Hall)

Music Dialogue 5 
Online Program
Friday, February 17
Recording venue: GSO Rehearsal Hall 

Moderator: Zhai Jia 
Speakers: Long Yu, Daniel Harding