Pasinaya Feature: Art Advances in Tagum City Despite the Calamity

Children, artists, and other participating groups together at an evacuation center
in Barangay San Miguel

True to its theme "Sulong", Pasinaya: The CCP Open House Festival forged ahead and pushed through with its regional edition in Tagum City on February 3 to 6, 2024 despite the heavy rains and floods that hit the Davao region in recent times.

Everyone gathers at the Opening Program of Pasinaya sa Tagum City
held at the Tagum City Historical and Cultural Center

With safety as the top priority, CCP Pasinaya 2024 gathered more than 300 artists, performing groups, production staff, and Kaisa sa Sining (KSS) representatives from Luzon, National Capital Region, Visayas and Mindanao and continued with its four-day festival programming.

Audiences watch a performance at an evacuation center
in the Municipality of Dujali, Davao del Norte

While the three venues, namely, Tagum City Historical & Cultural Center, City Hall Atrium, and Meditation Center, became inaccessible to the public, the production managers and organizers decided to bring the festival and various performances to flood victims at the four evacuation centers in Barangay San Miguel, Bingkungan, Cuambogan and Mangkilam, including the Tagum City Cathedral.

Crowds watch a group perform at an evacuation center in Barangay Bingkungan

Audiences admire the performance of a group at an evacuation center
in Barangay Bingkungan

Although most of the activities and shows did not push through, the warm response and smiles of the evacuees made the CCP Pasinaya in Tagum even more meaningful.

CCP's cultural exchange and outreach continue through its Ugnayan sa Sining Visayas
collab production "Hinablon" in the Municipality of Asuncion, Davao del Norte

The regional performing groups under the CCP Ugnayan sa Sining Visayas and Mindanao presented their original performances of Hinablon: Threads of Visayan Creativity and Bunnal: Breaking New Grounds for Mindanao for Davaoeños in the municipalities of Asuncion and Dujali, Davao de Oro on February 6. The various art forms of dance, music, drama, and visual arts including the KSS collaborative mural paintings under beam posts of the Tagum City flyover served as inspiration and call to the Tagumeños, Davaoeños and the public on the importance of intense conservation of nature and propagation of art and culture.

Audiences watch a performance at an evacuation center
in the Municipality of Asuncion, Davao de Oro

CCP extends its heartfelt gratitude to all the artists and performing groups who participated in the first Mindanao edition of CCP Pasinaya in Tagum City. The Kaisa sa Sining visual artists from Luzon included: Marlin Lopez (Nueva Vizcaya), Brendale A. Tadeo (Zambales), Tristan Bamba (Mauban, Quezon), Carlo Dimaano (Laguna), Johnley Mayorga (Marinduque), Salvador Ching, facilitator (Bulacan), Roen Capule, facilitator (Bulacan), Jonathan Carpio, facilitator (Bulacan).

A Collaborative Mural painting by KSS visual artists on a beam post
under the Tagum City flyover

Kaisa sa Sining visual artists pose with one of the collaborative mural paintings
on a beam post under the Tagum City flyover

Visual artists from Visayas who also joined were Lloyd Develos (Roxas City, Capiz), Brent Naranja (Murcia, Negros Occidental), Engelbert G. Ramirez (Himamaylan City), Efraim Alfaras (Iloilo City). The Mindanao visual artists were Sarsalem Malekysu (General Santos City), Xyla Sumalinog (Tagum City), Ejay Que Doronio (Tagum City), Reymart Ursabia (Tagum City), Ruben Langamen (Tagum City), Lestine Sarillana (Tagum City), Maegz Ordoña (Tagum City), Jamedith Abuan (Tagum City).

Kids and adults watch a performance at an evacuation center
in Barangay San Miguel

The following performing groups from Luzon also participated: Ari Tau Folkloric Society (Nueva Vizcaya), Bataeno Lahing Magigiting Vocal Ensemble (Bataan High School for the Arts), Likhang Sining Dance Company (Batangas City), Pundaquit Virtuosi (Zambales).

A group performs before audiences at an evacuation center
in Barangay Bingkungan

RMMC Sinag-Laya enthralls audiences at an evacuation center
in Barangay Bingkungan

Four groups from the Visayas joined as well, namely the Iloilo National High School (Iloilo City), Leyte Dance Theater (Tacloban City), Kasing Sining (Bohol), Kultura De Artes (Himamaylan City), Mandaue Children & Youth Chorus (Mandaue, Cebu).

The University of Mindanao Chorale performs at the Tagum City Cathedral

There were a number of performing groups from Mindanao - AORNHS Rondalla (Maco, Davao de Oro), Kathara Dance Theater Collective (Davao City), Kaliwat Performing Arts Collective (Davao City), University of Mindanao Chorale (Davao City), RMMC Sinag Laya (General Santos City), RMMC Teatro Ambahanon (General Santos City), Mindanao Hiphop Collective (General Santos City), MSU Tambuli Cultural Dance Troupe (Tawi Tawi), MSU Sining Kambayoka Ensemble (Marawi City), MSU Sining Kandidilimudan Ensemble (Maguindanao), Mandayanayaw (Tagum City).

Kids interact with members of a performing group at an evacuation center
in Barangay Cuambogan

The CCP Cultural Exchange Department (CED), in collaboration with the Tagum City local government, the Tourism and Cultural Office, the Musikahan sa Tagum Foundation, and the Tagum City Council of Women Foundation, managed all the activities for the KSS general assembly and CCP Pasinaya in Tagum City and neighboring communities. The CCP sends its appreciation to all volunteers and production-technical staff from Tagum, Ozamiz, Iligan, General Santos, and Agusan del Sur.

Nihongo Fiesta Feature: Japan Foundation Manila’s Nihongo Fiesta 2024 Culminates with a Celebration of Language, Culture, and Creativity

Standing from left: Jessie Batohanon and Nyra Gray (Speakers); Yuko Fujimitsu,
Shigeru Shimoda, Renei Val Perez, Shigehiro Matsuda (Judges);
Marilene Angelina Perez, Kenichiro Kurusu (Guest Speakers)
Seated from left: Anfeerne Tizon (3rd Place); Jacob Fuentebella (Grand Champion);
Ben Suzuki (Chairman of the Board of Judges and JFM Director);
Erina Sotoya (2nd Place) and Nino Mesajon (Special Jury Prize)

The highly-anticipated Nihongo Fiesta 2024 by the Japan Foundation, Manila, which took place last February 24, Saturday, at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong concluded with a series of events centered on a celebration of language, culture, and creativity.

The Nihongo Fiesta stands as a cherished tradition serving not only as an event but as a celebration that fosters deeper connections between Japan and the Philippines. It provides a fertile ground for the flourishing community of Nihongo speakers and enthusiasts, welcoming individuals from all walks of life, from eager language learners to seasoned professionals, to take part in an immersive arts and cultural experience unlike any other.

Ryukyu Buyo performance

One of the highlights of the Nihongo Fiesta 2024 is the 51st Nihongo Speech Contest, wherein nine finalists from all over the Philippines showcased their talents and skills in communicating their thoughts in Japanese. This year's Grand Champion is Jacob Fuentebella (Bulacan), a UP Diliman graduate who is currently working as a Korean Account Associate. His speech titled 外国語の勉強を通しての人と人との繋がり(People-to-People Connections Through Foreign Language Studies) talked about his language learning journey, starting from Korean, and now venturing into Japanese, aiming to inspire others. The second place award went to Erina Sotoya (Cebu), with her piece called 掛け替えのない人 (Irreplaceable Person), sharing how her memories with her father shaped her deep appreciation for present connections. Third place went to Anferee Tizon (Taguig), a 4th year BA Communications student at Adamson University, with his speech titled 全てのコーヒーが苦いわけではありません (Not All Coffee Tastes Bitter), which reflected his personal journey on friendships and how the lessons he learned shaped his current perspective and attitude towards people, similar to how his taste for coffee has changed. Lastly, the Special Jury Award was given to Niño Raphael Mesajon (Davao), a Grade 12 student from Philippine Nikkeijin Kai International School, for his speech 君には何が見えているのか (Truth Beyond First Sight), which talked about how his perspective changed during a visit to a Lumad community, leading him to question the true meaning of living a good life.

Filipino greetings at the Ryukyu Buyo performance

The recipient of the Grand Champion Award will join the Study Tour hosted by the Japan Overseas Enterprises Association, with airfare sponsored by the Japanese Association, Manila, Inc. and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Inc. The contestants were judged according to the following criteria: Content (originality, organization and impact), Delivery (voice and manner) and Language (appropriateness and correctness).

Musicians accompanying the Ryukyu Buyo performance

The event also featured the Minna no Nihongo Fiesta, a captivating display of photos submitted by educational institutions across the Philippines, giving the audience a unique glimpse into the diverse facets of Japanese cultural appreciation in the Philippines. Meanwhile, attendees were treated to a spirited performance by the UP Philippines-Japan Friendship Club (UP Tomo-Kai), showcasing the rich tapestry of Japanese culture.

Ryukyu Buyo performance

Capping off the event was a captivating performance of the Ryukyu Buyo, an Okinawan traditional dance performance that mesmerized and delighted the audience.

For more information about the Nihongo Fiesta 2024 and the Japan Foundation, Manila, visit their website and social media page at www.jfmo.org.ph and www.facebook.com/JFManila.

Contemporary operas highlight CCP's The Met: Live in HD Season 9

The Cultural Center of the Philippines' The Met: Live in HD series returns for its 9th season with seven Metropolitan Opera productions screening one per month this March-September 2024 at Greenbelt 3 Cinemas.

Presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Filipinas Opera Society Foundation Inc., and Ayala Cinemas, The Met: Live in HD Season 9 features seven Metropolitan Opera performances in High Definition video and Dolby Surround Sound. And two of this season's offerings are contemporary works never before seen (in any production) in the Philippines.

Kicking off the season is Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier screening on March 5, 2024, 5:30 PM.

A dream cast assembles for Strauss’s grand Viennese comedy. Soprano Lise Davidsen is the aging Marschallin, opposite mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey as her lover Octavian and soprano Erin Morley as Sophie, the beautiful younger woman who steals his heart. Bass Günther Groissböck returns as the churlish Baron Ochs, and Brian Mulligan is Sophie’s wealthy father, Faninal. Maestro Simone Young takes the Met podium to oversee Robert Carsen’s fin-de-siècle staging.

Here is the rest of CCP's The Met: Live in HD Season 9 lineup.

Nabucco

Giuseppe Verdi

April 2, 2024, 5:30 PM

Ancient Babylon comes to life in this classic Met staging of biblical proportions. Baritone George Gagnidze stars as the imperious king Nabucco, alongside soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, reprising her thrilling turn as his vengeful daughter Abigaille. Mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova and tenor SeokJong Baek are Fenena and Ismaele, whose love transcends politics, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy repeats his celebrated portrayal of the high priest Zaccaria. Daniele Callegari conducts Verdi’s exhilarating early masterpiece, which features the ultimate showcase for the great Met Chorus, the moving Va, pensiero.

Carmen

Georges Bizet

May 7, 2024, 5:30 PM

Acclaimed English director Carrie Cracknell brings a vital new production of one of opera’s most enduringly powerful works, reinvigorating the classic story with a staging that moves the action to the modern day and finds at the heart of the drama issues that could not be more relevant today: gendered violence, abusive labor structures, and the desire to break through societal boundaries. Dazzling young mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina leads a powerhouse quartet of stars in the complex and volatile title role, alongside tenor Piotr Beczała as Carmen’s troubled lover Don José, soprano Angel Blue as the loyal Micaëla, and bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen as the swaggering Escamillo. Daniele Rustioni conducts Bizet’s heart-pounding score.

X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X

Anthony Davis | Libretto by Thulani Davis

June 4, 2024, 5:30 PM

Anthony Davis’s groundbreaking and influential opera, which premiered in 1986, arrives at the Met at long last. Theater luminary and Tony-nominated director of Slave Play Robert O’Hara oversees a potent new staging that imagines Malcolm as an Everyman whose story transcends time and space. An exceptional cast of breakout artists and young Met stars enliven the operatic retelling of the civil rights leader’s life. Baritone Will Liverman, who triumphed in the Met premiere of Fire Shut Up in My Bones, is Malcolm, alongside soprano Leah Hawkins as his mother, Louise; mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis as his sister Ella; bass-baritone Michael Sumuel as his brother Reginald; and tenor Victor Ryan Robertson as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. Kazem Abdullah conducts the newly revised score, which provides a layered, jazz-inflected setting for the esteemed writer Thulani Davis’s libretto.

La Forza del Destino

Giuseppe Verdi

July 2, 2024, 5:30 PM

Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Verdi’s grand tale of ill-fated love, deadly vendettas, and family strife, with stellar soprano Lise Davidsen as the noble Leonora, one of the repertory’s most tormented—and thrilling—heroines. Director Mariusz Treliński delivers the company’s first new Forza in nearly 30 years, setting the scene in a contemporary world and making extensive use of the Met’s turntable to represent the unstoppable advance of destiny that drives the opera’s chain of calamitous events. The distinguished cast also features tenor Brian Jagde as Leonora’s forbidden beloved, Don Alvaro; baritone Igor Golovatenko as her vengeful brother, Don Carlo; mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi as the fortune teller Preziosilla; bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi as Fra Melitone; and bass Soloman Howard as both Leonora’s father and Padre Guardiano.

La Rondine

Giacomo Puccini

August 13, 2024, 5:30 PM

Puccini’s bittersweet love story returns to cinemas, with soprano Angel Blue starring as the French courtesan Magda, opposite tenor Jonathan Tetelman as Ruggero, an idealistic young man who offers her an alternative to her life of excess. Maestro Speranza Scappucci conducts Nicolas Joël’s Art Deco–inspired staging, which transports audiences from the heart of Parisian nightlife to a dreamy vision of the French Riviera. Soprano Emily Pogorelc and tenor Bekhzod Davronov complete the sterling cast as Lisette and Prunier.

Dead Man Walking

Jake Heggie | Libretto by Terrence McNally

September 3, 2024, 5:30 PM

American composer Jake Heggie’s compelling masterpiece, the most widely performed new opera of the last 20 years, arrives in cinemas in a haunting new production by Ivo van Hove. Based on Sister Helen Prejean’s memoir about her fight for the soul of a condemned murderer, Dead Man Walking matches the high drama of its subject with Heggie’s beautiful and poignant music and a brilliant libretto by Tony and Emmy Award–winner Terrence McNally. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium, with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato starring as Sister Helen. The outstanding cast also features bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as the death-row inmate Joseph De Rocher, soprano Latonia Moore as Sister Rose, and legendary mezzo-soprano Susan Graham—who sang Helen Prejean in the opera’s 2000 premiere—as De Rocher’s mother.

Content Advisory: Dead Man Walking contains a depiction of a rape and murder, as well as other adult themes and strong language.

The CCP's The Met: Live in HD is a special program of the CCP Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division (CCP FBNMD), under the Production and Exhibition Department, in partnership with The Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., and Ayala Malls Cinemas. The series showcases The Metropolitan Theater’s operatic productions through High-Definition (HD) digital video technology and Dolby Sound, recreating the experience of watching an opera production at the Met “live”.

French Film Festival flies to Cebu

After its run in Manila back in November/December last year, the French Film Festival makes its way to Cebu, screening a handful of gems of French cinema this February 29-March 3, 2024 at the SM City Cebu.

Presented by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, the Alliance française de Cebu, in cooperation with SM Supermalls, the festival brings a selection of seven films catering to every taste.

Leading the lineup is Les Choses qu'on dit, les choses qu'on fait, a romantic comedy that shows how relationships can be complicated sometimes.

Supremes, a dance film, offers a glimpse of the French urban/hiphop dance scene.

Le dernier métro and Les parapluies de Cherbourg can satisfy the cravings of cinephiles yearning for classic films.

Meanwhile, Goliath is a drama that tackles serious environmental issues.

Lastly, Les deux Alfred, can tickle the funny bones with comedic situations at a tech start up.

French Ambassador Her Excellency Marie Fontanel believes that the young vibrant population of the Philippines should be exposed to the diversity of cultures, and "through cinema, the Filipino youth can have the chance to see a different perspective in life beyond the regular programming of theaters."

In the words of French President Emmanuel Macron: "The French spirit continues to astonish, fascinate and change the world."

French cinema entertains the audience with the unexpected twists and turns, and delivers messages that can help build a better world. The French Film Festival in Cebu is making it iconic.

Here is the screening schedule of the French Film Festival in Cebu.