Pianists Carmencita Sipin-Aspiras, Inna Montesclaros join MSO for benefit concert

The music doesn't stop for the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO). Just a few days after the orchestra's 100th Anniversary Concert, the MSO gears up for Legacy on January 25, 2026, 7:30 PM at the Proscenium Theater at Rockwell, Makati.

Presented by the Manila Symphony Orchestra Foundation Inc. and the HSTL Foundation, Legacy features pianists Carmen Sipin-Aspiras and Inna Montesclaros as well as conductor Darrell Ang performing works by Frédéric Chopin and Johannes Brahms.

Carmencita Sipin-Aspiras

Carmencita Sipin-Aspiras gave her first orchestral performance as soloist in Manila at the age of 10, and her subsequent performances earned her a scholarship grant from the Philippine government to study at the prestigious Vienna Musik Hochschule in Austria. She obtained her Concert Artist Diploma and pursued a concertizing career in various countries in Europe, the Philippines, and the United States, where she now resides. Her artistry has received critical acclaim, with the Stuttgart newspaper Rheinische Volksblatt describing her as “a pianist of extraordinary capabilities and refinement of taste.”

Inna Montesclaros

Filipina multi-awarded pianist, Inna Montesclaros, has made waves in the music scene since her premier recital at age 8 at the Molina Hall, and her orchestral debut at age 11, performing Mozart’s D minor Concerto with the Manila Symphony Orchestra. Noted for her warm tones and sincere musicality, the piano prodigy turned Promil Kid has developed her love for her craft into a fulfilling concert career.

Darrell Ang

One of Asia’s most sought-after conductors, Darrell Ang conducted orchestras in over twenty countries across the globe in just one season. He is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of The Sichuan Orchestra of China since December 2016 and is a regular guest conductor at the Mariinsky Theatre by invitation of Maestro Valery Gergiev. Born in Singapore, Darrell has become the youngest Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra to date.

Legacy sees the MSO perform for the very first time at the Proscenium Theater in Makati. The concert's program, a combination of works for solo piano, piano with orchestra, and orchestra, is a perfect vehicle to experience the theater's highly touted natural acoustics designed by Müller-BBM.

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Pieces to be performed include Johannes Brahms' Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80, Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 118 No. 1, Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2, Rhapsody in G minor, Op. 79 No. 2, and Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 as well as Frédéric Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 55 No. 2 and Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60.

MSO's Legacy is for the benefit of the MSO Foundation’s Basilio Manalo Scholarship Program, supporting the next generation of young Filipino musicians.

Spotlight on young piano virtuosos, Fazioli piano in online concert series

The Cultural Center of the Philippines, in cooperation with the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), presents an online concert series featuring five young piano virtuosos performing on the Fazioli piano streaming this February 9-13, 2022 at the CCP's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The series, billed as Special Concert Series: Young Virtuosos Play on the Fazioli Piano will feature pianists Nathan Samuel Gemina, Michael Angelo Valenciano, Aidan Ezra Baracol, Inna Montesclaros, and Ella Gabrielle Gaw each performing classical pieces in a 15-minute recital using the CCP's Fazioli piano.

Aidan Baracol

Baracol won First Prize and Best Interpretation of the Contest Piece at the 2020 NAMCYA Junior Piano category. He is currently a Grade 10 scholar at the Philippine High Scho for the Arts.

Ella Gabrielle Gaw

Gaw, is a multi-awarded nine year old pianist. She was recently featured at the Manila Pianos Artist Series in January 2022.

Inna Montesclaros

The veteran among the virtuosos, Montesclaros is a music degree graduate at the Royal College of Music in London. She has performed in multiple concerts including fund raisers benefitting advocacy projects for women.

Michael Valenciano

A Piano Performance degree holder from the UST Conservatory of Music and a full scholar of the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines (FCCP), Valenciano won Second Prize at the 2018 NAMCYA.

Nathan Gemina

Gemina won Second Prize at the 2019 NAMCYA Senior Piano Category and was a finalist at the 2016 NAMCYA Junior Piano Category. He is currently a piano teacher in ACTS Manila and a member of the Piano Teachers' Guild of the Philippines.

CCP Fazioli Piano
Photo by Orly Daquipil

The concert series will be hosted by Raul Sunico. The CCP Fazioli made its public performance debut back in 2016. Described as perfectly balanced, the Faziolis are highly regarded for their rich tone and feather-like touch.

Sunshine Classics presents 2021 online concert series

To keep spirits up amidst the ongoing pandemic, Sunshine Classics brings forth healthy ray of sunshine online through music with its latest offering, a series of online concerts starting on February 15, 2021 to be streamed at the Sunshine Place Senior Recreation Center’s YouTube channel.

The 2021 Series, billed as Sunshine Online, is made up of five concerts with each available for viewing for one month.

The series premieres on February 15, 2021 with the Angono National Symphonic Band. The band performs compositions and arrangements by one of Angono’s pride, National Artist for Music Lucio San Pedro, a timely affair with his 108th birthday on February 11. The concert will be available for viewing up to March 15, 2021.

The second concert will feature the tandem of soprano Stefanie Quintin-Avila, tenor Ivan Nery, and pianist Mariel Ilusorio. Billed as Singing in Sunshine, the concert premieres on April 15, 2021 and will remain viewable until May 15, 2021.

Available from July 15, 2021 up to August 15, 2021, the third concert features the Manila Symphony Junior String Quartet. Composed of violinists Jeanne Marquez and EJ Villarin, violist Lance Tulagan, and cellist Justin Talusan, the quartet will perform a selection of popular movie themes.

Nostalgia, a solo piano performance by Inna Montesclaros is the fourth concert available to view online from September 15, 2021 up to October 15, 2021.

The series wraps up with a performance by the Manila Piano Trio composed of violinist Denise Santos-Huang, cellist Anjo Inacay, cellist, and pianist Dr. Abelardo Galang II. Available from November 15, 2021 up to December 15, 2021, the trio will present a program ranging from the classics to cinema favorites.

Tickets for each concert are priced at P350 with seniors enjoying a discounted price of P250.

Subscription packages are also available for P1,400 (regular) and the discounted price of P1,000 for seniors for all five concerts.

A selection of four concerts costs P1,250 (regular) and P850 (senior) while a selection of three are priced at P100 (regular) and P700 (senior).

For tickets and reservations, contact Mariel Ilusorio via mobile (0917) 709-2255 or e-mail marielilusorio@hotmail.com.

Pianist Inna Montesclaros performs solo recital for a cause

London-based Filipina pianist, Inna Montesclaros will give a solo piano concert for a cause this July 28, 2019, 4:00 PM at the Francisco Santiago Hall, BDO Corporate Center, in Makati. The concert, billed as Classics for a Cause, is presented by the Lamdag Foundation for Women’s Project, Inc. in cooperation with BDO. 

Inna is a leading concert pianist of the country who is hailed for her expressive ability to communicate her passion for music through warm, articulate musical tone. She finished her Bachelor’s of Music in Piano Performance at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London, with Ian Jones as her mentor. She pursued her Master of Arts degree in piano at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London and Advanced Diploma in Piano, graduating with a First (Distinction) under the tutelage of Ian Fountain.

In Manila her teachers were Prof. Cecile Basilio-Roxas and Prof. Dr. Raul Sunico. The latter was her mentor at the UST Conservatory of Music where she spent two years of study, enjoying the Sto. Domingo Scholarship before going to London on a scholarship grant. 

She garnered major awards in Manila and international piano competitions in Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, and Germany. She performed in London, Chile, Italy, Netherlands and the US, apart from giving regular concerts in Manila.

Her program for this evening will include Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109, George Enescu's Piano Suite No. 2 in D major, Op. 10, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Dumka in C minor, Op. 59, and Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

Sally C. Monteiro, President of the Davao Development Board Manila Chapter of the Lamdag Foundation, said the concert is a fund drive earmarked for the construction of its Dayao Center in Davao City. It will house the foundation’s activities for the total development of female students, young women professionals, housewives, and women helpers (kasambahay)—not only in Davao but in the nearby Southern Mindanao provinces as well.

For tickets and other inquiries, contact Elsie at (0917)523-6646 and Ditas at (0917)862-7100. Tickets will also be available at the gate prior to the performance.