"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 and one of Asia's finest youth orchestras. Comprising orchestras at five different levels, MYO provides professional training and performance opportunities for over 450 passionate young musicians from more than 120 music colleges, universities, secondary and primary schools, as well as kindergartens. Under the leadership of Synthia Ko, artistic director and chief conductor; Chris Cheung, Repertory Orchestra conductor; Jacky Leung, Orchestra-lite conductor; Alan Wong, Beginner Program conductor, and our professional coaches, members build up their repertoire of various styles and periods through weekly rehearsals, sharing the joy of music.
MYO brings excellent classical music performances with the world’s finest musicians and conductors to audiences in Hong Kong and around the world every year. Besides regular performances in Hong Kong, MYO has been invited to perform in some of the world's greatest halls, including Musikverein, Langenwang Art Haus, and Brahms Museum in Austria, Yamaha at Nemunosato in Japan, as well as the Shanghai Concert Hall, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Xinghai Music Conservatory, and Grande Auditorio do Centro Cultural de Macau in China.
Click here to REGISTER ONLINE ▶
MILESTONES
-
During Chinese New Year in 2024, MYO held a series of five flash mob performances across various malls in Hong Kong.
-
In 2023, MYO performed flash mobs at the 25th anniversary of HKIA and the International Financial Leaders Investment Summit.
-
In September 2017, MYO performed in London to promote Hong Kong, invited by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
-
In 2016, the orchestra was invited by the Airport Authority Hong Kong to conduct a series of flash mob performances at the Hong Kong International Airport.
-
In 2015, MYO was invited by the Hong Kong Tourism Board to perform at the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival.
-
Since 2014, MYO has brought orchestral music into the local community through a series of flash mob performances. These events have been praised for their high standards and originality, receiving notable media coverage. Each flash mob features melodies that resonate with the collective memories of the general public. These flash mob videos have gone viral, reaching over 10 million viewers worldwide.
-
In August 2012, MYO gave a highly received performance in Musikverein, Vienna, where the audience was particularly impressed by the two east-meets-west repertoires.
-
In 2011, MYO participated in a unique music learning experience at Brahms Easter School of Music, Mürzzuschlag, Austria.
-
In August 2010, MYO visited Kagoshima, Japan, and performed with MBC Youth Orchestra. Maestro Shinya Ozaki praised MYO for their "energetic and passionate performance."
-
In April 2010, MYO was invited to perform at the Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts and Tianjin Concert Hall, setting a new milestone for the orchestra. MYO also had the honor of performing with well-known choral conductor Professor Yang Hong Nian and the Children and Young Women Chorus of the China National Symphony Orchestra.
-
In August 2009, MYO was invited by Johannes Brahms Music School in Austria, under the patronage of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Nikolaus Harnoncourt, to première in the prestigious Haydn Hall in Esterházy Palace.
-
In January 2009, MYO shared the stage with renowned violin virtuoso Lu Siqing, the first Asian winner of the Paganini Violin Competition, in the Butterfly Lovers violin concerto. The same night, MYO played the Yellow River piano concerto with Korean pianist Michelle Kim, earning high praise for being "compatible with professional orchestras."
-
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, the only youth orchestra in Asia to be invited to both festivals.
-
In July 2007, MYO performed with the Magic Circle Mime from the US at the Shanghai International Children's Theatre Festival, held at the Shanghai Concert Hall, and received the "Excellent Production Award."
-
In 2005, MYO performed with world-renowned cellist Wang Jian in a charity concert. Wang Jian remarked, "I am deeply impressed by the performance of MYO through this collaboration. These young musicians are the new blood of Hong Kong's classical music scene."
-
Since 2003, MYO has collaborated with renowned Hong Kong pianists Nancy Loo, Colleen Lee, Les Six, New Art Strings Quartet, Russian pianist Maria Raszwetaeva, conductor Ernest Smole, Robert Rieder, Mak Ka Lok, Choi Ho Man, Jerome Hoberman, and Yang Li, among others, to present a variety of concerts.
OVERSEAS MUSIC EXCHANGE
MYO actively participates in overseas music exchange tours, offering members valuable opportunities to learn from the world’s finest musicians and educators from institutions such as the 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.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
MYO's mission is to pursue artistic excellence, as encapsulated in the belief "Music Excellence with a Soul," and to serve the community through music. MYO donates concert proceeds to support various social organizations, including The Boys' & Girls Clubs Association of Hong Kong, the China Literacy Foundation for rural children's 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.
Click here to REGISTER ONLINE ▶