MACAO -- The 35th Macao International Music Festival formally opened here on Friday with the opera staged in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, The Barber of Seville, an adaptation of the eponymous comedy by French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais.

Themed "Melodic Reconnections," this year's music festival features dozens of eclectic programs and outreach activities, gathering maestros and rising stars to present fans a musical feast.

Since tickets went on sale from the beginning of September, the festival has received an enthusiastic response from the public, particularly for the much-anticipated programs of Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi, according to the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region government, organizer of the event.

The festival also features tango opera by Astor Piazzolla, Maria de Buenos Aires, directed and choreographed by choreographer Helen Lai and presented by dancers from the City Contemporary Dance Company of Hong Kong.

Hailed as "the most powerful figure in China's classical music scene," conductor Yu Long is scheduled to team up with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to present a repertoire of Western music classics.

The festival will last until Oct 30.