2022 Youth Music Culture Guangdong Concludes

The sixth annual Youth Music Culture Guangdong (YMCG) concluded eight days of music celebration - including six symphonic and chamber music concerts, three masterclasses, and additional community performances - in Guangzhou and across the globe this past Sunday with a closing concert featuring YMCG Artistic Director and celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma via livestream. The week of online and in-person events - presented by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province together with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO) and Xinghai Concert Hall ­- provided a cultural unification of musicians during the pandemic and showcased YMCG's vitality and innovation.

In his final year as YMCG's Artistic Director, Yo-Yo Ma left a powerful message for participants that music and culture helps us envision and create a better future. Conducted by GSO Principal Conductor Jing Huan, the opening and closing concerts focused on empowering natural imagination. The closing concert combined prior YMCG participants and three groups of young string quartets from the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra to form the YMCG Symphony Orchestra. Yo-Yo Ma joined from Boston in performance and poignant speech.

On January 17, 18 and 19, the Shanghai Quartet led virtual chamber music masterclasses, which were free and open to the public. Despite the quartet being unable to travel due to Covid prevention measures, YMCG quickly adapted the format and successfully presented the masterclasses and performances online with the three young string quartets who performed works by Beethoven.

Additionally, on January 21, Yo-Yo Ma in Boston; GSO Music Director and Chairman of the YMCG Artistic Committee Long Yu in Shanghai; celebrated conductor Michael Stern in Kansas City; and members of the YMCG Orchestra, GSO President Chen Qing, conductor Jing Huan, and others at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou joined for a virtual panel called "Music Without Boundaries: Musicians and Music for the Present and the Future."

2022 YMCG continued the tradition once again of community outreach by drawing inspiration from the cultural roots of Guangzhou and giving back. GSO ensembles visited locations throughout the city, bringing children and adults music filled with passion and love.

The opening and closing concerts, Shanghai Quartet performances, and other excerpts will be available to view across the world on YMCG's Facebook channel. The next edition of YMCG is scheduled to take place in January 2023.