Jazz concert to celebrate 70 years of Japan-Philippines diplomatic relations

The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines. To formally launch this landmark year, The Japan Foundation, Manila will present Harmony of Friendship: A Jazz Prelude to 70 Years of Japan-Philippine Ties, featuring exceptional jazz performers from Japan and the Philippines. This concert serves as the official inauguration of a year-long celebration of enduring diplomatic partnership.

The festivities will commence on January 20, 2026, with an opening reception and jazz concert at the Proscenium Theater, organized in partnership with the Embassy of Japan.

The headline act is the Tokyo-Manila Jazz & Arts Festival Group, an ensemble led by acclaimed Filipino jazz vocalist, Charito, a prominent figure in the Japanese jazz scene.

Charito

They will be joined by the Philippines’ A.M.P. Big Band, an organization of professional session musicians. The big band genre represents the historic foundation of the dance and concert hall experience, making it the perfect medium for this celebration.

A.M.P. Big Band

The theme for this 70th year anniversary is Weaving a Tapestry of Friendships, Threading Bonds of Trust. If one views the seven decades of friendship between Japan and the Philippines as a work of art, the establishment of diplomatic ties provided the fundamental warp and weft of the loom as this partnership remain committed to being part of the thread where a vibrant future is woven, stitch by stitch, for the next generation.

Arimasa Yuki

Following the opening festivities, the concert tour then moves to the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium on January 22, 2026, before concluding with a final performance at the Social Hall of the Cebu Provincial Capitol in partnership with the Consulate-General of Japan in Cebu City on January 23, 2026.

Kusui Satsuki

There will also be a cultural and educational exchange as The Japan Foundation, Manila and the Tokyo-Manila Jazz & Arts Festival Group visit De La Salle University–Dasmariñas for CIFRA International: A Workshop with Tokyo-Manila Jazz & Arts Festival Group. Held in partnership with the Lasallian Pop Band, a student group dedicated to exploring diverse musical genres.

Kitazawa Hiroki

The opening at the Proscenium and Cebu Capitol Social Hall is an invitation-only event. The workshop at De La Salle University-Dasmariñas will be organized by Lasallian Pop Band and participation by RSVP is thru the organization. The concert at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium is free and open to the public.

Here is the schedule of performances

January 20, 2026, 8:00PM

The Proscenium, Rockwell Center, Makati City

January 21, 2026, 1:00PM

De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, Dasmariñas City

January 22, 2026, 7:00PM

Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City

January 23, 2026, 7:00PM

Social Hall, Cebu Provincial Capitol, Cebu City

The cultural weaving of our nations began long before official policy. It can be traced back to the introduction of jazz to the Philippines, where Filipino musicians later played a pivotal role in popularizing the genre in Japan. This history serves as a powerful reminder that our harmony is built on more than just governmental agreements. It is composed of individual melodies coming together to create a richer, unified sound.

A jazzy night with Remi Huppert, Butch Roxas Quintet in Les Jeudis Culturels' comeback

Butch Roxas Quintet

Writer Remi Huppert and the Butch Roxas Quintet filled the return of Les Jeudis Culturels with a lot of jazz as the monthly cultural rendezvous presented by the Embassy of France and Alliance Française de Manille made a successful, swinging comeback.

After swtiching to online performances in 2020, the latest edition billed as Une Soirée, Très Swing saw the return of a live performance with an audience at the Alliance Française de Manille's Multi-Purpose Hall.

Remi Huppert

The evening started with Remi Huppert giving a lecture/presentation on jazz, touching upon its history, influences and how the music genre flourished. He made several references to his written works but they are published in French and have not been translated to English. So it was difficult at times to understand fully what he meant having not read by of his novels.

Butch Roxas Quintet

This was followed by a performance by the Butch Roxas Quintet. Taking cue from Hupert's presentation, the quintet made up of Butch Roxas and Erskine Basilio on guitars, Gerald Flores on bass, Ryan Villamor on piano/keyboard, and Fernando Mendoza on drums/percussion, along with guest artist Uela Basco on vocals performed not just jazz music, but also music closely related to the genre like blues and spirituals.

Since Une Soirée is basically a double feature, the whole event lasted around twice as long compared to previous editions prior to the pandemic. This only showed how much Les Jeudis Culturels was missed by Francophiles, jazz music enthusiasts, and culture vultures.

International lineup jazzes up French Embassy's Les Jeudis culturels

In line with the International Day of Jazz, the latest edition of Les Jeudis culturels/Cultural Thursdays gets jazzed up as the Embassy of France to the Philippines and the Alliance française de Manille, in cooperation with the Philippine International Jazz Festival, present Jeudi Jazz, an online concert streaming on April 29, 2021, 8:00 PM via the Facebook page of the Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia.

Leading the international roster of performers is French jazz pianist, composer, and musical arranger David Starck. Joining him in this concert are Claude Diallo from Switzerland, Francesco Maccianti from Italy, and Adrian Oropeza from Mexico.

International Jazz Day is commemorated every 30th of April to celebrate the values associated with jazz, such as the freedom of expression, innovation, and understanding between peoples. This year, this occasion also highlights the power of jazz to bring people together, especially at this time in which people remain confined to their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jazzing up the mazurka with Artur Dutkiewicz

Jazz pianist Artur Dutkiewicz

Polish jazz pianist Artur Dutkiewicz brought his own brand of jazz to the Philippine shores through a series of performances and an improvisation workshop during a recent visit in the country.

The highlight of his trip was a solo piano concert held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. At the concert, billed as Impromazurka, Dutkiewicz, known as the "Ambassador of Polish Jazz", was at his element jazzing up not just classical music but the Polish folk dance mazurka.

Artur Dutkiewicz and
Embassy of Poland's Chargé d'affaires
Jaroslaw Szczepankiewicz

Dutkiewicz gave new life to the popular second movement theme of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 and Ignacy Jan Paderewski's Nocturne in B flat major, Op. 16 No. 4 and Minuet in G, Op. 14, No. 1. After the opening measures that established these pieces, he then jazzed up the chords and developed these themes through jazz improvisations taking the audience to a ride of different moods and vibes before settling back to the piece's familiar arrangements.

Artur Dutkiewicz

This was the same when he performed his own compositions of mazurkas, a Polish folk dance in triple meter with the accent uncharacteristically falling on the second or third beat, fused with rhythms from various places that he has traveled to.

Jaroslaw Szczepankiewicz and Artur Dutkiewicz

Speaking of travels, the concert also marked the Philippine premiere of Alexander Tansman's Les Iles Philippines, the sixth piece of Le Tour du Monde en Miniature. It was written in 1933 by Tansman after a concert world tour that included the Philippines in the early 1930s. The piece characterized by idyllic folk themes recalled Tansman's impression of the country while he was here. Dutkiewicz's performance of this piece at the concert had him expanding the work with his signature jazz improv touches. 

With a program that was made up of mostly Dutkiewicz's work and improvisations, it was not easy to figure out the character of the pieces especially when he segued from one to another further blurring the lines. By the second half, I decided just to get myself lost to the music and allowed myself to be brought to whatever place his music took me.

Dutkiewicz's concert and subsequent workshop not only brought the Polish jazz to the Philippine shores but also reintroduced Poland to the country through the Embassy of Poland headed by Jarosław Szczepankiewicz.

Polish jazz pianist, composer Artur Dutkiewicz to hold concert, workshop at the CCP

The Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland present Polish jazz pianist and composer Artur Dutkiewicz in a solo concert on November 12, 2019 at 7:30 PM at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

The concert, billed as Impromazurka, will feature music by Antonín Dvořák, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Alexandre Tansman, and Dutkiewicz own improvisations on the mazurka.

The morning after, on November 13, 2019, 10:00 AM, Dutkiewicz will conduct a piano improvisation workshop to be held also at the CCP's Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino.

Ticket prices for the concert are at P1000 and P800 with 50% discount for students and 20% discount for senior citizens. There will be an admission fee of P100 for observers at the workshop.

Artur Dutkiewicz,called as the Ambassador of Polish Jazz, studied composition and arrangement where he graduated from the Jazz Department at the Academy of Music in Katowice (Poland), receiving a diploma with distinction. He was a finalist of the Thelonious Monk Competition in Washington, USA.

Dutkiewicz has taken part in dozens of renowned jazz and music festivals around the world including the Hague’s Northsea Jazz Festival, Warsaw’s  Jamboree, Hamburg’s Campnagel Theater, Bern’s Festival Kleiner Bunchen, Nuremberg’s Jazz Ost West, Cannes’ MIDEM, Milan’s Music Oggi, Paris’ Festival D`Europe Centrale, Budapest’s Sziget Festival, Havana’s Jazz Plaza Festival, Tel Aviv Jazz Festival, Glasgow Jazz Festival, Duesseldorf’s Jazz Rally, Berlin’s World Culture Festival, Milan’s  Notturni in Palestro Festival, Beijing’s BJ Ninegates Jazz Festival, Helsinki’s Kontu Festival, and Melbourne’s International Jazz Festival.

He has released several albums as a solo artist, (Mazurki) and as the leader of the Artur Dutkiewicz Trio (Prana, Traveller). For the readers' listening pleasure, here is Prana, a recent Artur Dutkiewicz Trio release with Dutkiewicz alongside bassist Michał Barański bass and drummer Łukasz Żyta.

An intimate night with Swiss jazz pianist Claude Diallo

Jazz pianist Claude Diallo

Swiss jazz pianist Claude Diallo is no stranger to the Philippine jazz scene. He has made it a point to drop by country and have a concert or two whenever he happens to be in the Asia Pacific region that I've already stopped counting how many times I've seen him perform in here.

Claude's latest stop included an intimate concert presented by the Embassy of Switzerland and the Alliance Francaise de Manille. This evening was among the last events hosted by outgoing Ambassador Andrea Reichlin before she finished her tour of duty here in the Philippines.

The hour long showcase had Claude on the piano performing jazz arrangements of familiar tunes like Overjoyed with a delightful 7/4 time signature, as well as his own compositions that he has dedicated to key people in his life, like Cameroonian jazz bassist Richard Bona, and his son Leo Matthieu.

The evening was capped by a cocktail reception wherein guests were able to meet and get to know Claude over drinks. It was a great pleasure knowing that a huge chunk of the audience have not seen Claude perform before until that night.

Here is a sample of Claude Diallo's discography to enjoy until the next time he drops by the country.

X-Factor Israel winner Rose Fostanes' concert reaffirms Philippines Israeli friendship

Rose Fostanes

During the annual Philippine International Jazz Festival, the Embassy of Israel usually brings to the country music acts from Israel enabling Filipinos hear their own brand of jazz music. But for this year, a truly special music act was brought instead: X Factor Israel winner Rose Fostanes, the former caregiver who emerged triumphant in the televised reality talent competition.

RoseFostanes headlining the concert is even made more significant as the Embassy of Israel, in line with the 70^th anniversary of the liberation of Manila, is embarking on a Thank You, Philippines campaign to express gratitude to the Philippines in opening her doors to Jewish refugees during the time of President Quezon and also to the country’s vote in UN Resolution 181 that established the State of Israel. So what better way to celebrate a great friendship between the two nations than a concert featuring a Filipina who made it big in Israel?

Opening the show with her X-Factor Israel audition piece, This is My Life, Rose belted out You and I, Purple Rain, The Best, Beautiful, Valerie, I (Who Have Nothing), and Born this Way, that captured the hearts of the competition judges and the Israeli public paving the way for her to advance to the show’s succeeding rounds. Backed up by the Sesame Band, Fostanes also performed If I Ain’t Got You, the Freddie Aguilar classic Anak, and Schma Israel which she sang in Hebrew.

Special guest Arthur Manuntag joined Rose in a duet of Endless Love before singing a medley of standards. Pinoy Dream Academy 2 winner Laarni Lozada breezed through a Whitney Houston medley as the concert’s opening act.

Israeli Ambassador Effie Ben Matityau and Rose Fostanes

In between songs, Rose recalled and shared moments of her life to the audience. She confessed that she was bullied as a child, came from a broken family, and had to work at an early age. And through it all, she found solace in singing. She then narrated her stint as a caregiver in Egypt and Lebanon before ending up in Israel. It was in Israel where she resumed her singing and this eventually led her to join that country's X Factor. And the rest as we all know is history.

Rose wrapped up the concert with her winning song My Way. This song may be notorious as the cause of brawls (even deaths) during drunken videoke sessions but for Rose, this song sealed her victory instead. She admitted that since winning the competition, she hasn’t done anything major yet in the country until this concert at the Music Museum.

After the concert, Israeli Ambassador Effie Ben Matityau presented Rose with a certificate naming her as an Ambassador of Goodwill.

Swiss jazz pianist Claude Diallo returns to Manila for 2015 Philippine International Jazz Festival

Swiss jazz pianist and composer Claude Diallo returns to the Philippines for a series of performances in line with the 2015 Philippine International Jazz Festival. For this year, he will perform both solo and with his trio, Claude Diallo Situation.

Claude kicks off his solo performance with a free solo piano concert at the Rizal Park Open Auditorium on February 21, 2015, 6:30 PM. The show will also feature Raoul and the Wild Tortillas as the opening number. He will be among the performers at the Pianofest on February 25, 2015, 7:00 PM at Manila Pianos in Makati.

Jazz pianist and composer Claude Diallo

The Claude Diallo Situation hops over to Bacolod City first with a performance on February 20, 2015, 6:00 PM at the L Fisher Hotel. Then it’s off to performances in Metro Manila on February 24, 2015, 6:00 PM 12 Monkeys Music Hall & Pub in Makati, February 27, 2015, 6:00 PM at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall, and finally on February 28, 2015, 7:00 PM at the Solaire Eclipse, Solaire Resorts & Casino.

Claude Diallo, who is born of a Swiss mother and a French father, was destined to become a musician, as both parents played violin in the symphony orchestra. Inspired by Oscar Peterson’s fiery music, the young pianist was turned on to his true love-Jazz. Claude Diallo`s many accolades include: finalist in 2009 at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition and the 2008 and 2011 recipient of the Cultural Achievement Award from his hometown of St. Gallen.

Claude Diallo Situation
Pianist Claude Diallo, drummer Massimo Buonanno, and bassist Laurent Salzard

Claude Diallo Situation is composed of pianist Claude Diallo, bassist Laurent Salzard, and drummer Massimo Buonanno. They’ve released their first CD Traveling with Music back in 2008 and since then have produced four more records and a DVD. The trio has toured successfully in Switzerland and throughout Europe, as well as in Asian countries like Japan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Claude Diallo during his jazz workshop with the FEU Drum and Bugle Corps

I’ve had the opportunity to meet Claude during his trip here for the 2014 Philippine International Jazz Festival when he conducted a jazz workshop for the members of the FEU Drum and Bugle Corps. He was able to provide the kids who took part in it a good starting point, which is the blues, to the world of jazz. The FEU DBC’s repertoire consists of traditional marches and arrangements of popular/film music and with a lone exception, none of them have tried improvising with their instruments before. The students may never have the opportunity to play jazz while on the field, but they were able to expand their music horizons with their workshop with Claude.

Too bad, my schedule back then didn’t permit me to watch any of Claude’s performances. Thankfully, he is back in the country this year (along with his group this time) and there are more chances for me to catch his performances.

Claude Diallo and the FEU DBC

Schedule of Claude Diallo's solo performances:

February 21, 2015, 6:30 PM Labs Kita, Sabado!

Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium

Manila

February 25, 2015, 7:00 PM Pianofest

Manila Pianos 

2/F CW Wine Depot 

Chino Roces Ave 

Schedule of Claude Diallo Situation performances:

February 20, 2015, 6:00 PM Bacolod Jazz Festival

La Proa Ballroom, L Fisher Hotel

Bacolod

February 24, 2015, 11:00 PM Cultural Night 

12 Monkeys Music Hall & Pub

Kalayaan Avenue, Makati

February 27, 2015, 6:00 PM International Jazz Gala 

Shangri-la Plaza Mall 

Mandaluyong City

February 28, 2015, 7:00 PM Latin Fiesta Night 

Solaire Eclipse 

Solaire Resorts & Casino

X Factor Israel winner Rose Fostanes in Philippine-Israel friendship thanksgiving concert

February 26, 2015, 7:30 PM

Music Museum

Greenhills Shopping Center

San Juan

Rose Fostanes, winner of the first X Factor Israel headlines a concert highlighting this friendship between the Philippines and Israel happening on February 26, 2015, 7:30 PM at the Music Museum. This concert, billed as Thank You, Philippines Friendship Concert, is presented by the Embassy of Israel and is also a part of the 2015 Philippine International Jazz Festival. The concert also includes special guests Arthur Manuntag and Laarni Lozada

Fostanes rose to fame when she belted her way into bagging X Factor Israel title in 2014. A former caregiver in Israel, her win in the competition has paved way to a singing career and her receiving the Bagong Bayani award for Culture and the Arts.

The 2015 edition of the Philippine International Jazz Festival coincides with the commemoration of the 70^th year of the end of World War II and the liberation of Manila, highlighting the role of the Philippines in the rescue of 1,300 Jewish people from the Holocaust.

Rose Fostanes

Referring to the unique story of Rose Fostanes, Ambassador Effie Ben Matityau commented that Rose stands as a bridge between Israel and the Philippines whose friendship dates back to the noble deed of former President Manuel Quezon, and the Philippines' support to the establishment of the state of Israel. 

“Rose Fostanes works as singer in Israel. She has a very special story – a caregiver who from a very humble position became a superstar. She is a phenomenon and an ambassador of goodwill,” he said.

The concert is for free with prior reservation for tickets. Reservations to limited seats can be made by calling the Embassy of Israel at 883-9500 or e-mailing events.israelembassy@gmail.com no later than February 23, 2015.

Ticket price:

Free admission with prior reservation

For inquiries:

Israel Embassy 883-9500, events.israelembassy@gmail.com

Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra kicks off with free concert at the Shang

February 22, 2015, 6:00 PM

East Atrium, Shangri-La Plaza

Mandaluyong City

Featuring:
Osamu Matsumoto, composer/arranger/trombone
Mayuko Katakura, composer/arranger/piano
Mariko Maeda, trombone
Yuri Kishimoto, saxophone/flute
Nohara Okamoto, bass
Fumihiro Ibuki, drums

The Japan Foundation Asia Center, Philippine International Jazz Festival Foundation and the Shangri-La Plaza cordially invite the public to the one-night-only concert of the Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra (AYJO) Band on February 22, 2015, 6:00 PM at the East Atrium of Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong.

Six talented musicians from Japan namely composer/arranger/trombone player Osamu Matsumoto, composer/arranger/pianist Mayuko Katakura, trombone player Mariko Maeda, saxophonist/flutist Yuri Kishimoto, bassist Nohara Okamoto, and drummer Fumihiro Ibuki will serenade the crowd in a free concert. More importantly, the jazz concert will serve as AYJO’s introductory event in Manila. Part of the Philippine International Jazz Festival, the concert will also feature Raoul and the Wild Tortillas.

AYJO is a long-term project of the Japan Foundation Asia Center, with planning and production by Planet Arts Co. Its primary aim is to organize a new jazz orchestra consisting of young musicians in Asia whom they would train through international exchange and collaboration. Members will be screened and chosen through auditions in participating countries.

Fumihiro Ibuki, Osamu Matsumoto, Nohara Okamoto, Mayuko Katakura, 

Mariko Maeda, and Yuri Kishimoto

In Manila, auditions will be held on February 21, 2015 at the University of Santo Tomas and on February 23, 2015 at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Music students as well as young musicians who responded through the open-call to audition will be given the chance to showcase their talents in playing Latin percussion, trombone, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet and flute. Successful applicants will get to join the rehearsal camps in Tokyo and perform throughout Asia from August to December 2015.

Jazz was chosen for its improvisational nature. With inspiration and spontaneity, which come from the musicians’ free thoughts and feelings, jazz creates a world of sounds through balance of interactions. Thus, jazz meets the purpose of creating new sounds through the interaction of young musicians. 

Ticket prices:

Free admission with prior reservation.

For inquiries:

The Japan Foundation, Manila 811-6155 to 58, email@jfmo.org.ph