The Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra (MSJO) once again clinched an award in Europe, securing First Place with Outstanding Success in the String Orchestra Category at the 16th Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival in Vienna, Austria, held on July 7, 2024, at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. This year’s festival, directed by Prof. Saul Saks and Managing Director Christian Bender, is renowned as one of the most prestigious for young musicians, drawing over 2000 participants from 14 countries and 38 ensembles.
The competition also awarded first place to the Hsing Lung String Orchestra from Taiwan, with the Hong Kong Youth Strings and the Taipei Municipal Zhongzheng Junior High School taking second place, and the Singapore National Youth String Orchestra securing third place.
It can be recalled this is not the first time MJOS bagged an award from this competition. Back in 2018, the group took home the first prize award. For this year, they are led by Maestro Jeffrey Solares and their trainers Sara Maria Gonzales and Arnold Josue. The 40-member MSJO embarked on their European Concert Tour on June 29.
Their tour included performances in Budapest and Salzburg, followed by competitions in Bratislava and Vienna. They will continue their tour with concerts at the MuTh Theater in Vienna and perform at the Winner's Concert at the Vienna Konzerthaus. They will conclude their tour with a final performance at the Smetana Hall in Prague on July 11, 2024, before returning to the Philippines on July 13.
The MSJO’s repertoire featured Puccini’s “Crisantemi”, Dvorak’s “Scherzo” from “Serenade for Strings”, Stephan Koncz’s “A New Satiesfaction”, Ernani Cuenca’s “Naha”n arranged by Cyro Cloud Bon Moral, and Ryle Nicole Claudio’s “Tagu-taguan” by Ryle, performed entirely from memory.
Prior to the 16th Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival, on July 4, 2024 the MSJO also won the Gold and the Grand Prix at the 6th Bratislava International Music Festival in Slovakia. The 2024 European Tour of the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra is sponsored by Standard Insurance.