The Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra (MSJO) proudly raised the Philippine flag in Europe, achieving major victories in prestigious international music competitions in Slovakia and Austria. By showcasing Filipino talent and winning top honors, MSJO has solidified its reputation as one of the world’s leading youth orchestras.
The ensemble of 40 young Filipino musicians first bagged the Gold Prize and the Grand Prix at the 13th Bratislava International Youth Music Festival held at the Slovakian Radio Symphony Hall on July 4, 2024, in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The MSJO dominated the competition and won the Gold Prize by besting 16 other orchestras from 13 different countries with their 20-minute performance, consisting of Stephan Koncz’ “A New Satiesfaction”, Antonin Dvorak’s “Scherzo” from “Serenade for Strings”, Ernani Cuenco’s “Nahan” arranged by Cyro Cloui Bon Moral, and “Tagu-taguan” by Ryle Nicole Custodio.
By garnering a near-perfect 99 points, the group received the highly coveted Grand Prix award given to ensembles that scored 97 points or higher. MSJO was the only orchestra to receive the major accolade in this year’s edition.
WATCH the MSJO winning performance of “Tagu-taguan” a piece depicting the Philippine version of the children’s game, Hide and Seek:
The MSJO repeated its success three days later, on July 7, at the 2024 Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival in Austria, a duplication of their feat in the same festival six years ago.
Out of all the 38 distinct ensembles from 14 countries this year, the multi-awarded young Filipino orchestra won First Place, sharing the top spot with Taiwan’s Hsing Lung String Orchestra, in the String Orchestra Category during the competition held at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna.
The group proudly shared in their social media post that they performed their award-winning repertoire, a blend of Western classical and Filipino compositions, “entirely from memory.”
Under the leadership of their conductor Jeffrey Solares, concertmaster Sara Maria Gonzales, and principal cellist Arnold Josue, with the support of Standard Insurance Chairman Ernesto Echauz, the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra has been in Europe since June 29 for their European Concert Tour.
After staging concerts in Budapest, Hungary, Salzburg, Austria, and the Czech Republic, MSJO was scheduled to return to the Philippines on July 13.
WATCH MSJO perform National Artist Ernani Cuenco’s “Nahan” at the Slovak Radio Hall here:
The young Filipino music group has been taking home pride and glory to the Philippines.
At the height of the pandemic in 2021, they bested more than 140 orchestras from 33 countries and bagged the gold award in the online edition of the World Orchestra Festival in Vienna, Austria.
In 2018, they won first place at the 12th Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival, also held in Vienna.
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