The award-winning Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra (MSJO) has once again bagged an award in the international stage as they’d been awarded a Gold Prize plus the Grand Prix for orchestra after getting 99 points at the 13th Bratislava International Youth Music Festival.
In a Facebook post last Thursday, July 4, 2024, the Manila Symphony Orchestra congratulated the group and its conductor Jeffrey Solares. According to the post, this is the first time, MSJO joined the Bratislava International Youth Music Festival held at the Slovakian Radio Symphony Hall.
“The MSO congratulates the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra under the baton of our very own Maestro Jeffrey Solares for winning a Gold Prize plus the Grand Prix for orchestra for getting 99 points at the 13th Bratislava International Youth Music Festival! BRAVO!,” the post wrote. “It is MSJO’s first time to come to Bratislava, Slovakia to participate in this event. Over 500 youth participants from 13 countries attended the three-day festival for youth choirs and orchestras presided by the festival’s artistic director Prof Milan Kolena. Distinguished musicians from Slovakia, USA, Australia and Italy formed the jury.”
The Philippine’s MSJO competed against 17 ensembles. They performed a program of 20 minutes, “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 Taguguan by Ryle Nicole Custodio.”
In the end, two groups received the Grand Prix. The other one was given to choir—the Afrikaans Hoer Meisisskool Pretoria from South Africa, then MSJO for the orchestra. The prestigious award is only given to the group who received 97 points and up.
After this feat, the group will fly to Vienna to participate at the 2024 Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival. They are hoping to once again bag the first prize just like what they did in 2018.