The Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra (GSYO) is an affiliate of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 2011, it is the first-ever youth orchestra in China organised and administered by a professional orchestra.

The GSYO has represented the municipality of Guangzhou on numerous friendship tours and cultural exchange programmes around the world, visiting numerous countries and garnering critical and popular acclaim.

In 2023, the GSYO returned to Europe celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sino-Spanish diplomatic relations and performed in Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona. After these three concerts, the orchestra traveled to Switzerland to perform at the Verbier Festival as the first Chinese orchestra to appear on the Verbier stage. Apart from being streamed live on medici.tv, the concert was also broadcasted within China with more than 210,000 views.

The GSYO has been shouldering the mantle of international cultural exchange and representing Guangzhou’s own culture by displaying the energetic spirit and artistic achievements of China’s youth to the world.

Established in 1978, the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra (HKYSO) is one of the flagship music groups managed by the Music Office. Many of its former members have pursued a career in music and become eminent performers or music educators.

The HKYSO has played the role of music ambassador of Hong Kong and completed successful concert tours to France, Israel, Cyprus, the UK, Australia, the USA, Singapore, Russia and the Mainland. In 2015, the HKYSO participated in the International Music Festival EURASIA in Yekaterinburg, Russia, attended training sessions at the Urals Mussorgsky State Conservatoire and jointly performed with the Ural Youth Symphonic Orchestra. In 2019, the Orchestra participated in the 30th Australian International Music Festival held in Sydney, took home the Gold Award in the Instrumental Category and was named “Command Ensemble” by the adjudication panel, which enabled the Orchestra to perform at the Festival Closing Concert.

Established in 1997, Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) has become Macao’s local cultural brand, with the aims of “People-oriented, Nurturing Talents, Making friends with Music, Promoting Macao”.

The MYSO has already organised over 14 tours at home and abroad, and has visited over 20 cities in Europe, the USA, Asia and along the Pacific Ocean, and appeared in major European music festivals like the Young Euro Classic, stepped on the stages of the Musikverein Wien, the Kennedy Center, Berlin Philharmonie and the National Centre for the Performing Arts, presenting Macao’s music culture and the artistic talent of youngsters to the international stage. In 2024, the MYSO visited Europe and participated in mainstream music festivals in Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.

By performing in signature concert series in Macao, the MYSO has nurtured many members to pursue their professional paths to become the first-generation local musicians and invaluable foundation for Macao’s musical culture.

Jing Huan, the permanent conductor of the Chinese Symphony Orchestra, currently also serves as Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra (GSYO) Music Director and the board of the China Musicians Association, had previously served on the board of Jeunesses Musicales International. In 2022, she was invited to participate in the “National Outstanding Young Artist Showcase” where she was selected as one of “China’s Top Ten Young Conductors.”

A graduate of Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music who received her training with Professor Xu Xin, she obtained her Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting in 2009 at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Mark Gibson, where she was awarded a full scholarship to continue her doctoral studies. She has worked as Conductor Assistant of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), including the CSO’s May Festival. During the same period, she was also Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Artaria Chamber Orchestra.

In 2012, Jing participated in the Campos do Jordão International Festival in São Paulo, where her outstanding performance led to an invitation by Maestra Marin Alsop to serve as Assistant Conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony’s 2013 music season. That same year, Jing and her work with the CSO attracted the attention of Maestro Long Yu, which led to her appointment at the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra initially as Resident Conductor, then Principal Conductor. Her achievements over the years have received significant recognition within the industry, and in December 2023, she was appointed as the permanent conductor of the Chinese Symphony Orchestra.

In 2014, Jing was appointed as Music Director of the GSYO. Under her leadership, the orchestra charted remarkable progress and toured extensively to many countries including Germany (2015), Australia (2017), Indonesia (2017), Singapore (2017), France (2018), Czech Republic (2018), Italy (2018), Japan (2019), Spain (2023) and Switzerland (2023); In 2021 and 2022, Jing led the GSYO on two national tours to visit many cities in the Mainland.

Lee Sing-wan earned a Master’s degree of Education (Music) and a Master’s degree of Music in Conducting (Wind Conducting) respectively from the Education University of Hong Kong and the Messiah University of the USA. He joined the Music Office in 2006.

Lee has extensive coaching and performing experience in lower brass instruments and symphonic wind ensembles. Many of his instrumental students received superior ratings at various music festivals and competitions. He has also led Music Office’s outbound tours of music groups to the Mainland, Macao, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the USA, and gave critically acclaimed performances in major events such as the “Hong Kong Week” of Shanghai Expo, Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival, Qingdao International Horticultural Exposition, Asia and Pacific Band Directors’ Association Conference and World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Conference, to name a few.

Lee is currently Senior Music Officer of the Wind Section of the Music Office, and conductor of Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Youth Symphonic Band, the Music Office Instructors’ Symphonic Band and instructor of lower brass instrumental classes in the Music Office.

Lam Lik-hin, Stephen is currently the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Ponte Orchestra and Singers, conductor of the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra, lecturer of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and Music Director of St. Paul’s College. In 2024, he was awarded 1st Star of Art and Culture in Greater Bay Area. He was recently selected by Riccardo Muti to participate in an opera production of his Italian Opera Academy. Described as “undoubtedly a man of passion who lives for the music...” (Adam Rozlach, Polish Radio), Lam was highly commended by Zubin Mehta and Christoph Eschenbach who had attended his live performances.

He studied conducting at the prestigious University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he was one of the last students of Uros Lajovic, Ordner Edwin, and Konrad Leitner. Lam was also one of the few selected to conduct the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna at the Musikverein. Lam also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a Master of Arts in Literary and Comparative Literature from the University of Hong Kong.

Lam has worked with orchestras around the world, including the Vienna Radio Orchestra (Austria), St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic (Russia), King’s Philharmonic (the UK), Ravenna Opera House (Italy), Chamber Ensemble of Orchestra Cadaques (Spain) and Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra (Poland). He has also received critical acclaim as an operatic conductor, with his full-staged performances of Carmen, Die lustige Witwe, Cosi fan tutti, Le nozze di Figaro, La Boheme and Falstaff.

Lam is also a dedicated educator and ardent advocate of community outreach programmes. He is currently a conducting lecturer of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and guest professor-conductor in Sichuan Music Conservatory in China. He has been a member of the jury at the significant festivals in Europe.

In recent years, Lam is regularly invited to conduct Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra, which includes the 2017 Germany Tour and the 2024 Romania, Bulgaria and Greece Tour.