Manila Symphony Orchestra to take “Music Everywhere” in 2015-2016 Season

Arturo Molina conducting the Manila Symphony Orchestra

As one of the oldest orchestras in Asia, the Manila Symphony Orchestra has encountered a fair number of setbacks throughout the decades, most notable of them being the Second World War. Being able to survive a world war tucked under their belt, the orchestra remains steadfast to turn into opportunity the challenge they’re now facing when they lost their base of operations in the middle of 2014. As the orchestra searches for a new home, an idea was born that has eventually become their mission for the MSO's 89^th year: to take their Music Everywhere.

The MSO recently launched their Music Everywhere 2015-2016 Season at the Ayala Museum with a press conference that was followed shortly by a concert conducted by principal conductor and music director Arturo Molina and annotated by Executive Director Jeffrey Solares. During the press conference, Solares along with Ana de Villa-Singson, MSO Secretary and new Marketing Manager Carlos Garchitorena, told members of the press, events organizers, and other guests, the current situation of the orchestra and announced their plans for the upcoming season.

What could be more everywhere than the internet? The MSO intends to take advantage of the internet's power by being the only orchestra in the country to have professionally recorded videos of entire concerts (not just short clips) uploaded in their YouTube channel. They will also utilize the online music portal Spinnr that enables anyone to listen to the orchestra's performances. Of course, they remain present in other social media sites such as Facebook which is to be their main channel and also Twitter.

Music Everywhere also means taking the music beyond the concert halls and into any place imaginable like schools, the mountainside, jeepney terminals, orphanages and even in prisons.

Music Everywhere will also reflect the type of music that the orchestra will play. As well as continuing to play music from the standard orchestra repertoire, the MSO aims to continue collaborating with artists from other genres like the recent Life Rocks! show at the Resorts World Manila that had them collaborating with various rock music acts. Garchitorena also hinted at a possible collaboration with Up Dharma Down.

Aside from playing music, the MSO also has an educational arm through their newly formed MSO Music Academy which they hope to expand to other cities like Quezon City and Makati. They have also started inviting students and young kids to watch a free matinee concert before the evening season concerts for their Music for Young Minds program.

Not forgetting the core of the MSO which is performing symphonic works, Solares then gave a teaser on the orchestra's performances later this year. The Rush Hour Concerts in partnership with the Ayala Museum will continue, giving monthly performances at the museum lobby beginning on March. 

There will also be a concert commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the end of World War II. This event will feature exactly the same music that the MSO played during their first post-war concert. Also returning this year is violinist/conductor Thanos Adamopoulos, a frequent guest artist, with a concert featuring music inspired by Romeo and Juliet. And there is also a possible collaboration with the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra in the works that they plan to happen this June. The season concert lineup for 2015-2016 is yet to be announced.