Tuna Macanese during performance (Photo/Courtesy of Tuna Macanese)
Long history
When Tuna Macanese was founded in 1935, it was a busking group that also performed at festivals. The band's performances had strong Portuguese characteristics, with members playing the mandolin, banjo, Portuguese guitar, accordion and percussion instruments. However, the band ceased to play during World War II, only becoming active again around the early 1970s.
Currently, the group, composed of third generation members, has been widely recognized by local citizens and the regional government and they have been invited to perform in various cities. While their music has become more modern, the band still mainly focuses on Portuguese music. Apart from singing in Patua, they also perform songs in English, Putonghua and Cantonese.
Jorge worked in the police for 22 years, after which he worked as a security operations manager at MGM Grand, a major casino operator in Macao. After retiring, he began to focus more energy on his band.
The other six members of the band still work, some at the local postal department, others at a bank and at the consulate.
They practice at the KEN TIN Association, a non-governmental social organization, in the downtown area of the Macao Peninsula once a week.
According to Jorge, before Macao was handed over from Portugal, they were worried that they would lose a free place for them to practice and some of the band members may leave and so they would have to disband.
They sent a letter to the government and got a reply that they could apply for tax exemptions, which allowed them to stay together.
In 2006, the band's song "I love Macao's sub-islands" won the award for excellence at the International Chinese Music Competition held by Macao's Chinese Musicians' Association. The following year, Tuna Macanese was once again awarded with the Medal of Cultural Merit by the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).
In 2008, Jorge and his band members were honored by then chief executive of the Macao SAR Edmund Ho Hau Wah, who acknowledged their efforts in promoting local culture and art.
