The Cultural Center of the Philippines has unveiled the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's 41st Concert Season slated for September 2025 up to April 2026.
The upcoming season, billed as Versatile, will be PPO's music director/principal conductor Grzegorz Nowak's third, following the 39th (Switch) and 40th (Forte) seasons. Under the leadership of Nowak, the PPO embarked on a successful UK tour in May 2025.
Season highlights include guest artists namely pianists Andre Gugnin, Szymon Nehring, and Junhee Kim, violinist Bartek Nizioł, cellist Tomasz Strahl, and soprano Katerina Mina. This season also sees pianist Mark Bebbington and soprano Andion Fernandez make return engagements with the PPO.
PPO Concertmaster Diomedes Saraza Jr. will also take to the stage for his much anticipated performance of the Shostakovich violin concerto. Lastly, world premiere performances or works by composers Jeffrey Ching and Jerry Dadap are included the season program.
Below is the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's 41st Concert Season Versatile in detail.
Concert I: Ouverture
September 12, 2025
Metropolitan Theater
Andrey Gugnin, piano
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Antonín Dvořák Carnival Op. 92, B. 169
Sergei Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
Concert II: Le Retour
September 19, 2025
Samsung Performing Arts Theater
Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Waltz from Swan Lake Suite
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Concert III: Concerto
October 17, 2025
Metropolitan Theater
Tomasz Strahl, cello
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Jeffrey Ching Creation Fugue and Arctic Chase from Frankenstein (World Premiere)
Robert Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
Witold Lutosławski Concerto for Orchestra
Concert IV: Virtuoso
November 14, 2025
Samsung Performing Arts Theater
Mark Bebbington, piano
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Overture from Don Giovanni
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 ‘Emperor’
Modest Mussorgsky (arr. Sergei Gorchakov) Pictures at an Exhibition
Concert V: Preludi
January 16, 2026
Venue: TBA
Andion Fernandez, soprano
Szymon Nehring, piano
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Jeffrey Ching Fenghuang Singing
Frédéric Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
Franz Liszt Les Préludes S.97
Concert VI: Romanza
February 13, 2026
Venue: TBA
Bartek Nizioł, violin
Junhee Kim, piano
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart/Jeffrey Ching Concerto for Violin and Piano in D major, K.Anh.56/315f (World Premiere of Mozart’s unfinished concerto completed by Jeffrey Ching)
Henryk Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22
Maurice Ravel Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2
Concert VII: Opera
March 13, 2026
Metropolitan Theater
Katerina Mina, soprano
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Giuseppe Verdi
La forza del destino
Overture
Pace, pace mio Dio
Umberto Giordano La Mamma Morta from Andrea Chénier
Giacomo Puccini
Adagietto in F major
Vissi d'arte from Tosca
Stephan Hodel Angel of Fire
Jerry Dadap Symphony No. 5 The Wrath of Prakṛti (nature) & Ragatmika-Bhakti (devotion) (World Premiere)
Concert VIII: Coda
April 17, 2026
Metropolitan Theater
Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Dmitri Shostakovich
Festive Overture Op. 96
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
Tickets for each concert are priced at P3,000, P2,500, P2,000, P1,500, P800, and P500. Subscription packages (regular and junior) are also available.
In addition to the subscription concert series, the PPO will also have a couple of special concerts as listed below.
The Pianist's Pianist: Cecile Licad in Concert
September 24, 2025
Metropolitan Theater
Ceciile Licad, pianist
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Gioachino Rossini Overture from L’Italiana in Algeri
Frédéric Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Overture from Die Zauberflöte
Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
Joyuex Noël
December 5, 2025
Samsung Performing Arts Theater
Katarzyna Dondalska, soprano
Choir, TBA
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Johann Strauss II
Die Fledermaus
Overture
Mein Herr Marquis
Annen-Polka, Op. 117
Carl Millöcker Ach, wir armen Primadonnen from Der arme Jonathan
Johann Strauss II Overture from Der Zigeunerbaron
Jacques Offenbach Les oiseaux dans la charmille from Les contes d’Hoffmann
Johann Strauss II Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, Op. 214
Arthur Sullivan Poor Wandering One from The Pirates of Penzance
Johann Strauss II Unter Donner und Blitz Polka, Op. 324
Krzesimir Dębski Song of Helena from With Fire and Swod
George Frideric Händel
Messiah
For unto us a child is born
Hallelujah
Johann Strauss II An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314
Carl Orff
Carmina Burana
Dulcissime
Final Chorus
More information and updates on PPO’s 41st concert season Versatile can be found at the CCP’s official website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.