After what seemed like forever, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra finally announces the lineup for its 42nd Concert Season happening this September 2026 up to April 2027.
With PPO principal conductor/music director Grzegorz Nowak at the helm, the upcoming season, billed as Modulatio, will feature highlights such as a rare harp concerto performance, more envelope pushing Jeffrey Ching works, the rescheduled all-Shostakovich program, and the highly anticipated return to the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater stage.
“Our 42nd season is a celebration of Filipino talent, global artistry, and the power of music to connect us. Through the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, we bring the world to Manila and Filipino artistry to the forefront of the international stage,” said Kaye C. Tinga, the president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
The season begins with Da Capo on September 25, 2026, 7:30 PM at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. The concert promises something new with the World Premiere performance of Jeffrey Ching's What Happens in Every Classical Piece Explained in 15 Minutes (Sinfoniettina on G-C for Mozart Orchestra) and the Asian Premiere performance of Carl Czerny's Symphony No. 6 in G minor. The evening will also have a sprinkling of the familar courtesy of Spanish pianist Martín García García tackling the ever popular Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 aka the Emperor Concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven.
From the top (da capo) up until the end (al fine), here is the PPO's 42nd Concert Season, Modulatio, in detail.
Concert I: Da Capo
September 25, 2026, 7:30 PM
Samsung Performing Arts Theater
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| Martín García García Photo ©Fadil Berisha - NYC Photoshooting |
Martín García García, piano
Grzergoz Nowak, conductor
Jeffrey Ching What Happens in Every Classical Piece Explained in 15 Minutes (Sinfoniettina on G-C for Mozart Orchestra) (World Premiere)
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor'
Carl Czerny Symphony No. 6 in G minor (Asian Premiere)
Concert II: Elegance
October 16, 2026, 7:30 PM
Metropolitan Theater
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| Vien Ignacio |
Vien Ignacio, harp
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Redentor Romero Philippine Portraits
Georg Friedrich Händel Harp Concerto in B flat major, Op. 4 No. 6
Zygmunt Noskowski Step (the Steppe), Op. 66
Concert III: Boléro
November 6, 2026, 7:30 PM
Samsung Performing Arts Theater
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| Kaycee galano |
Kaycee Galano, violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Claude Debussy Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun)
Camille Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No.3 in B minor, Op. 61
Maurice Ravel
Alborada del gracioso (Morning Song of the Jester)
Boléro
Concert IV: Destiny
December 4, 2026, 7:30 PM
Samsung Performing Arts Theater
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| Mario Galeani |
Mario Galeani, piano
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Ludwig van Beethoven
Overture from Egmont, Op. 84
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Symphony No.3 in E flat major, Op. 55, 'Eroica'
Concert V: Genesis
January 15, 2027, 7:30 PM
Samsung Performing Arts Theater
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| Natasha Paremski |
Natasha Paremski, piano
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Jeffrey Ching Journey to the Alps and Victor’s Meditation from the Opera, Frankenstein (World Premiere, revised version)
Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
Jerry Dadap Symphony No. 5 The Wrath of Prakrti (nature) & Ragatmika-Bhakti (devotion) (World Premiere)
Concert VI: Resilience
February 12, 2027, 7:30 PM
Metropolitan Theater
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| Diomedes Saraza, Jr. |
Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Dmitri Shostakovich
Festive Overture, Op. 96
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (99)
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
Concert VII: Visions
March 12, 2027, 7:30 PM
Metropolitan Theater
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| Ju-Young Baek |
Ju-Young Baek, violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Robert Schumann Overture from Manfred, Op. 115
Karol Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 35
César Franck Symphony in D minor
Concert VIII: Da Capo
April 16, 2027, 7:30 PM
Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)
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| Dmytro Udovychenko |
Dmytro Udovychenko, violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Jeffrey Ching Lacrimosa, Sanctus, Benedictus, Osanna fragments from Mozart’s unfinished Requiem, K626 (World Premiere)
Edward Elgar Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61
Hector Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14