GLOBAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Global Symphony Orchestra

The Global Symphony Orchestra (GSO), founded in 2015 by Music Director Maestro Gustav Ka Lok Mak, stands as a non-profit charitable organization under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (IRO). GSO dedicated to artistic excellence and cultural dialogue. Born from a vision to unite professional musical talents after Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997, GSO composes mainly of distinguished Hong Kong and mainland Chinese music graduates trained both locally and abroad.

Under Maestro Mak’s leadership, GSO has earned international acclaim, most notably receiving the prestigious “Austrian Music Theatre Prize” in 2018—an world-class honor celebrated with a performance at the awards ceremony in Vienna.

Each year, GSO presents its signature “World Symphony Concert” at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, collaborating with an illustrious array of local and international artists. Past collaborators include tenors John Nuzzo, Warren Mok, and Jiang Jing; sopranos Nancy Yuen, Samantha Chong, and Soo Yeon Kim; pianists Aliena Wong and Annacecile Nayun Kim; violinists Elena Tanski and Bonjiu Koo; violist Karel Untermueller; pop stars Miriam Yeung, Elisa Chan, Alfred Hui, and Rowena Cortes; Chinese instrumentalists Wong On Yuen and Tam Po Shek; and ensembles such as Opera Hong Kong, the Opera Society of Hong Kong, and the Allegro Singers.

The orchestra has also achieved remarkable milestones, including a Guinness World Record for the “Concert of Ten Thousand” at Hong Kong Coliseum in 2014. In its mission to promote Chinese culture worldwide, Maestro Mak composed the celebrated opera “The Legend of Confucius,” which was staged in Hong Kong for the 25th Anniversary of the HKSAR in 2022, streamed nationwide by CCPA Theatres in 2021, and recognized in 2023 as an “Outstanding Theatrical Piece” by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism following its performance at the 5th China Opera Festival.

GSO has performed alongside world renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli in Macau and appeared in prestigious venues such as Vienna’s Charles Church and the Grand Theatre in Wenzhou. The orchestra participanted in major festivals including the China Arts Festival, China Opera Festival, the Chopin Music Festival in China, and Hong Kong’s ISCM "Musicarama" Festival. Additionally, GSO joined the Guangzhou and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestras for CCTV’s 2020 Greater Bay Area New Year Concert and was featured on CCTV Channel 15’s globally broadcast program “Music Traveler” in 2025.

Through dynamic performances and meaningful cross-cultural collaboration, the Global Symphony Orchestra continues to serve as a vibrant musical bridge, fostering artistic exchange between China and the West.