Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra wins first place anew at Summa Cum Laude Int'l Youth Music Festival

The Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra (MSJO) won first place again at the prestigious Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in Vienna, Austria, on July 7. The competition was held at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein.

The MSJO bagged "First Place with Outstanding Success" under the string category, sharing the award with Taiwan's Hsing Lung String Orchestra.

The Hong Kong Youth Strings and the Taipei Municipal Zhongzheng Junior High School tied for Second Place with Outstanding Success, followed by Singapore's National Junior College String Orchestra in Third Place with Outstanding Success.

The MSJO also won first place at the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival back in 2018, where it shared the award with Israel's Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna String Orchestra.

The delegation performed a program comprising Puccini's "Crisantemi," Antonin Dvorak's Scherzo from "Serenade for Strings," Stephan Koncz's "A New Satiesfaction," Ernani Cuenca's "Nahan" arranged by Cyro Cloui Bon Moral, and "Tagu-taguan" by Ryle Nicole Custodio.

The MSJO is fresh from its huge win at the 13th Bratislava International Music Festival in Slovakia last week, where it bagged the Gold Prize and the Grand Prix for orchestra under the baton of conductor Jeffrey Solares.

The MSJO began its European Concert Tour on June 29, kicking off with shows in Budapest and Salzburg, followed by the competitions in Bratislava and Vienna. The tour is sponsored by Standard Insurance led by Group Chairman Ernesto "Judes" Echauz, who is joining the MSJO for their whole tour.

The Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival is known as one of the most prestigious music festivals for youth musicians. This 2024, more than 2,000 participants from 14 countries attended the fest, which was led by Artistic Director Prof. Saul Saks and Managing Director Christian Bender.

The MSJO is a training program of the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) Foundation for advanced students. Other projects under the foundation include the MSO and the MSO Music Academy.

— CDC, GMA Integrated News