Cellist Damodar Das Castillo, conductor Alexander Vikulov headline MSO's Tchaikovsky overload concert

A concert filled to the brim with Tchaikovsky music goodness is set to wrap up September as the Manila Symphony Orchestra presents Dancing with Tchaikovsky happening on September 27, 2025, 7:30 PM at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City.

Presented by the MSO Foundation Inc. and Standard Insurance, in partnership with EastWest Bank, this concert will feature Russian Romanticism at its core with timeless tunes composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky namely the Festival Coronation March in D major, Variations on a Rococo Theme, and the Sleeping Beauty Dance Suite.

Damodar Das Castillo

Performing the cello solo for the Rococo Variations is Damodar Das Castillo. He is a top prizewinner of five international competitions including The Young Musician (Tallinn, 2019), the International Anton Rubinstein Competition (Düsseldorf, 2020), The Young Ludwig Competition (Berlin, 2020), the Vienna International Music Competition (2020), and Musica Goritiensis (Italy, 2021), Damodar Das Castillo is one of the most promising young cellists today. He studied at the Pre-College of Mozarteum University Salzburg under Prof. Barbara Lübke-Herzl and, as a scholar of the MSJO–Standard Insurance International Scholarship Program, he performs on a George Gerl cello

Alexander Vikulov

Frequent Manila visitor and Manila Symphony Orchestra collaborator Alexander Vikulov takes to the podium as guest conductor Born in Saint Petersburg to renowned ballet dancers Sergey Vikulov and Tatiana Udalenkova, Vikulov has built an international career that bridges opera, ballet, and symphonic music. Since his 2002 Mariinsky Theater debut with Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, he has conducted at the Vienna State Opera, Finnish National Opera, Seoul Arts Center, Teatro Regio di Torino, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Currently permanent guest conductor of the Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra “Klassika” and musical director at Manila’s Star and Aliw Theaters, Vikulov continues to unite cultures through the universal language of music. Damodar Das Castillo, cello

The Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO), founded in 1926 by Alexander Lippay, is one of Asia’s oldest orchestras and the Philippines’ longest surviving artistic institution. A symbol of resistance during World War II, the MSO has since collaborated with legends under the batons of Andre Kostelanetz, Arthur Fiedler, Mendi Rodan, Robert Feist, Gareth Nair, Helen Quach, and Eduard Strauss II. Antonio Molina, Antonino Buenaventura, Lucio San Pedro, Ernani Cuenco, Levi Celerio, and Ryan Cayabyab have also graced its stage.

Now nearing its 100th year in 2026, the MSO remains one of the country’s most active artistic institutions, presenting world-class performances and nurturing young Filipino talent under Marlon Chen (Music Director) and Jeffrey Solares (Associate Conductor).

Cellist Damodar Das Castillo excites in Strings of Gold series opener

Mariel Ilusorio and Damodar Das Castillo

With a remarkable combination of youthful vigor and artistic maturity, cellist Damodar Das Castillo continues to excite as he and the ever reliable pianist Mariel Ilusorio officially christened the MiraNila Heritage House and Library as Metro Manila's newest classical music performance venue.

The concert also served as the unveiling of the newly restored Steinway 1904 grand piano.  With its dark brown finish and various ornate accents like the rococo-styled feet, the rare piano is a welcome change to the dominant stark black concert grand pianos that have dominated the scene for decades. 

But the audience had to wait a bit to hear the piano as the program began with a solo by Damodar performing the Prelude from Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Right off the bat, Damodar, exuded a level of confidence and security that is beyond his 17 years.

And when joined by the seasoned Ilusorio in Frédéric Chopin's Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65, he held is own and the two played as equals as if longtime collaborators. The meaty Chopin sonata could've served as the concert finale piece but this just wrapped up the first half.

The second half was a mixed selection of pieces starting with Faye Miravite's Transcendence that uniquely incorporates Damodar's meditative chants. This was followed by Nicanor Abelardo's Cavatina, Henry Mancini's Moon River, and Richard Rodgers' Edelweiss, a trio of pleasant tunes. The familiarity of the latter two pieces unfortunately prompted some audience members to hum along with a few doing so severely off key.

To close out the program, Damodar performed the first movement of Antonín Dvořák's Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191. With such aplomb, Ilusorio showcased the newly restored Steinway's brilliance effectively, laying aside whatever misgiving an audience member who longed for an actual orchestra might've had. The longing would've been for the complete concerto being performed instead.

Post performance Q&A

The MiraNila audience couldn't get enough of the duo and they were rewarded with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Pezzo capriccioso, Op. 62 and Ennio Morricone's Gabriel's Oboe from The Mission as encores that kept the mix of standard classical repertoire with the more recent, crowd-pleasing music presented in the concert.

The high ceiling of MiraNila house provided natural amplification and reverb, but making it very unforgiving even with the slightest intonation error. Thankfully, Damodar was very secure with his cello, showing no signs of hesitation. The only hesitation he had was during the post-performance Q&A section wherein he responded with just brief words compared to the more Ilusorio who gave eloquent answers as well as annotations throughout the evening.

The MiraNila Heritage House's inaugural Strings of Gold concert once again proved that Damodar Das Castillo is one of the country's most exciting young artists who has the potential to be a headliner on the international stage. And that Mariel Ilusorio remains one of the most reliable pianists who let her collaborators be at ease and truly shine on stage as well.

Cello prodigy Damodar Das Castillo to perform at MiraNila Heritage House

Cello prodigy Damodar Das Castillo has been making waves since he burst into the scene at age seven and has since become one of the most exciting musicians of his generation. As he soars to greater heights, Damodar performs at a send-off concert presented by the MiraNila House and Library happening on September 19, 2024, 6:00 PM at the Main Hall of the MiraNila Heritage House in Quezon City.

The concert, billed as Strings of Gold: Send-off Concert of Cellist Damodar Das Castillo, will also feature pianist Mariel Ilusorio accompanying him on MiraNila's newly restored Steinway 1904 grand piano. This grand piano, restored by Danilo Lumabi, features an unusual rococo-style feet and is considered rare in the Steinway & Sons catalog.

The duo will perform music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Frederic Chopin, Antonín Dvořák, Nicanor Abelardo, Henry Mancini, Richard Rogers, and Faye Miravite.

Damodar Das Castillo

Damodar established his reputation at age seven. Guided and inspired by his cellist father, he joined the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra as its youngest member in 2015, rising to become its most frequently featured soloist.

Among his notable performances in 2017 was one before heads of state at the ASEAN Summit and as a featured solo artist making his debut with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

A two-time Ani ng Dangal Awardee in Music, Damodar went on to garner top prizes in prestigious international competitions, including The Young Musician in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2019; the International Anton Rubinstein Competition Cello Junior in Dusseldorf in March 2020; the Young Ludwig Youth Music Competition Age Group 2 in Berlin in September 2020; and the Musica Goritiensis International Music Competition Category C in Gorizia, Italy, in July 2021.

Damodar is currently enrolled in pre-college at the Mozarteum University Salzburg under Prof. Barbara Lübke-Herzl. He was recently offered a scholarship to further his studies under Prof. Valentin Radutiu at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in Dresden.

Beyond this prodigy’s classical studies is a teenager who dabbles in basketball, football, and table tennis. He enjoys playing death metal music on his electric cello and jamming with a jazz band. He seeks out universal truths while making his mark in classical music.

The cellist father, Alvin, said that his stewardship mainly lies in filling up competition applications and finalizing hotel bookings. "I just remind him about the competition date and I leave it to him to practice or not. I am not really that concerned if he wins or not. I am only concerned about how he will handle results of his preparations" (ABS-CBN News.)

Standard Insurance Company, under its Chairman Ernesto T. Echauz, has been Damodar’s constant supporter, gifting him with a cello handcrafted by Master Luthier George Gerl, a winner of the 2012 German Musical Instrument Prize.

Mariel Ilusorio

Mariel Ilusorio is a virtuoso concert pianist and a seasoned music educator. She studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, and the State Academy of Music and Theater in Hannover. Top prizes came her way in piano competitions under the tutelage of Stella Brimo, followed by studies and performances in the United States, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Indonesia. After twenty-six years, Ilusorio returned to the Philippines, tantalizing audiences with her virtuoso piano playing. She concurrently serves as an organizer of concerts and recitals and is in the faculty of the UST Conservatory of Music, St. Scholastica's College of Music, Philippine High School for the Arts, and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Manila.

Steinway 1904 Grand Piano

Only a limited number of seats, each priced at P1,500 can be availed through Robeen Manalo at 0927-2776335.

Pre-concert snacks & post-concert dinners are available at Bizu MiraNila with a 5% discount for ticket holders on the day of the concert, contact Jenn or Kim 0927-3015129 to reserve seats.

Guests are requested to kindly wear soft-soled shoes to be mindful to the heritage house's old floors.

MiraNila Heritage House and Library

MiraNila Heritage House & Library is located at 26 Mariposa Street, Brgy. Bagong Lipunan, Crame, QC (find us on Facebook: MiraNila Heritage House and Library).

Strings of Gold is presented by the Benitez-Tirona MiraNila Foundation in partnership with Leon Gallery, Erehwon Center for the Arts and Gallery of The Blue Leaf with support from the Bizu Groupe.