Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra wins first prize at an International Music Festival in Vienna

Under the baton of Jeffrey Solares, executive director of The Manila Symphony, the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra (MSJO) won first prize in the String Orchestra competition category of the 12th Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival held at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.

The Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra. Photo courtesy of MSJO

The MSJO played their entire 25-minute program, which consisted of music by Mozart, Dvorak, Alcala, Florante and Castillion, from memory.

A member of the jury, Christoph Ehrenfellner from Austria remarked on the warmth of their sound, and their movements on stage which evoked the waves of the sea, something that he and his fellow Austrians envy about the Philippines.

This year's MSJO delegation had 84 participants including 47 young musicians (10-23 years old), 3 teachers (conductor Jeffrey Solares, violin and viola teacher Sara Maria Gonzales and cello teacher Arnold Josue) as well as 34 chaperones led by their main patron, Standard Insurance Group Chairman Ernesto Echauz, who had been supporting the group since 2017.

Other winners in the string category include the Israel’s Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna String Orchestra (joint First Place with MSJO); Montreal Suzuki String Orchestra (Third Place) from Canada; The Nanyang Girls’ High School String Orchestra from Singapore (Fourth Place); and the UWCSEA String Orchestra (Fifth place) also from Singapore. No second place was awarded.

The 12th Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival is Austria’s most prestigious music festival with over 30 participating ensembles from 14 different countries. It is supported by the Austrian government and by UNESCO. — LA, GMA News