MSO's 100th Anniversary Concert: A celebration of Beethoven and Cayabyab

Muyu Liu, Darrell Ang, and the Manila Symphony Orchestra
Photo ©Manila Symphony Orchestra

Back in January 22, 1926, a newly formed symphony orchestra under the leadership of Alexander Lippay gave its first concert at the Manila Grand Opera House This orchestra eventually became known as the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO). And exactly a century later to the date, the MSO celebrated this milestone with the 100th Anniversary Concert held at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater.

Joining the MSO in this concert are pianist Muyu Liu, the Philippine Madrigal Singers, and conductors Darrell Ang and Mark Anthony Carpio.

Prior to the concert, MSO's Executive Director Jeffrey Solares gave a walking tour about the history of the MSO, occasionally stopping by old photographs, souvenir programs, and other documents and artifacts that were on display at the lobby. The Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra also gave a short performance to cap the walking tour.

Muyu Liu opened the concert proper with Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 which is also known as the Emperor Concerto. Beethoven music has been regularly performed at the MSO's early concerts and this concerto was no exception. As if totally embracing her part in this once in a century event, Muyu Liu exuded joy with her take on the Emperor Concerto. With an ever present smile, her rendition was celebratory and triumphant befitting the occasion.

Philippine Madrigal Singers, Mark Anthony Carpio,
and the Manila Symphony Orchestra
Photo ©Manila Symphony Orchetsra

The other Beethoven work programmed, Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b, was a music throwback to the 1926 concert where this work was performed as the finale. It was expected that this overture would open 2026 concert for a full circle moment but it ushered in the second half instead. Seeing how dynamic and exciting Darrell Ang was on the podum, one would quickly realize that it would've been a crime if he was partially obstructed by the piano onstage while conducting this Beethoven showpiece.

The remainder of the program was devoted to sacred music by Ryan Cayabyab, National Artist for Music, with the MSO now joined by the Philippine Madrigal Singers and Mark Anthony Carpio conducting. The performance of Cayabyab's Sanctus and Gloria from Misa 2000 with the Te Deum tucked in between, transported the audience to a virtual cathedral with the double chorus of the 80 member-strong Madz reverberating inside the theater.

Jeffrey Solares and the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra

The MSO's 100th Anniversary Concert looked back at the orchestra's beginnings when Beethoven figured prominently in its early concerts. And it also served as a reminder that in the MSO's century of existence, the orchestra has been shaping Philippine music history and continues to do so by championing Filipino works as evidenced by the Cayabyab music.

A musical journey with Raffi Kasparian

Dr. Raffi Kasparian

A musical odyssey narrating the evolution of western classical music spanning four centuries was presented by American pianist and mathematician Dr. Raffi Kasparian in various cities and campuses in the country recently.

Entitled Tones Through Time: A Musical Odyssey, this lecture/performance tour was presented by the Silaw Foundation as part of its outreach program in the country, led by its founder, Joyce Kasparian, Dr. Kasparian’s wife.

One of the tour's stops was at the Far Eastern University where the FEU community and guests were treated to an afternoon of piano music sprinkled with music history at the equally historic FEU Auditorium.

Tones was like a guided tour through various music eras starting from the Baroque, moving into the Classical, the Romantic, the Impressionistic up to the 20th Century, and more.

Before playing the pieces, Kasparian introduced music elements and concepts that characterized each of the eras. He also played on the piano short phrases to demonstrate how these elements and concepts are applied musically. Hearing bits of the music served as cues that guided the audience, giving them a better appreciation of the music performed in its entirety,

The Baroque pieces performed included Johann Sebastian Bach's Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772 ,François Couperin's Les Barricades Mystérieuses, and Domenico Scarlatti's Sonata in D minor K. 517 with Kasparian emphasizing the concept of polyphony.

Moving on the Classical period, Kasparian tackled homophony and the period's adherence to form and structure that enables the music to tell a story. And a story did Kasparian tell with his playing of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Fantasia in D minor, K.397 that had a clear finale and Ludwig van Beethoven's Rondo a capriccio in G major, Op. 129 'Rage Over a Lost Penny' highlighting its repeated rondo theme.

Dr. Raffi Kasparian

Form and structure took a step back to give way to lush harmonies and emotional expression during the Romantic era with Franz Liszt's Liebestraum No. 3 in A-flat major, S.541/R.211 being a prime example. This period also saw national and folk idioms figure more in music as composers reacted to historic events unfolding at the time. Frédéric Chopin's yearning for his home country Poland led him to compose mazurkas and polonaises, including Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 'Heroic'  during his self-imposed self exile in France.

Kasparian then explained that during the Impressionistic period, mood prevailed with harmony becoming more ambiguous as exemplified in Alexander Scriabin's Poème in F-sharp major, Op. 32, No. 1 and Claude Debussy's Voiles.

As the music progressed to the 20th century, Kasparian mentioned that harmonies and rhythm during this time had become so complex that even a dissonant chord resolves tension in a musical phrase. To give the audience examples of this and more, he performed Samuel Barber's Nocturne, Op. 33 'Homage to John Field', the Allegretto and Sostenuto from Béla Bartók's Suite, Op. 14, Sz. 62, BB 70, and Alfredo Ginastera's Danza del gaucho matrero from his Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2.

During the early part of the 20th Century, Popular (Pop) music came to the fore. Not as serious compared to the music that came before, pop music is more for entertainment and  Scott Joplin's aptly titled The Entertainer fits the bill. And when ragtime fell out of fashion, Jazz emerged. Kasparian then played some jazz chords to show how harmonies have evolved throughout the centuries. A composer whose work spanned both popular and jazz styles was George Gershwin and Kasparian included Gershwin's Three Preludes in the program.

It was inevitable that western classical music would eventually find its way to Philippine shores and that locals would compose works in a similar vein. One such work is Mayon Fantasy by Francisco Buencamino, Sr. that contained elements from various music eras. Kasparian received an enthusiastic response from the audience that after the Buencamino, he obliged with an encore of Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Gounod's Ave Maria. This was a full circle moment since it was this piece that served as the opener during his last performance at the FEU with the Manila Symphony Orchestra back in 2019.

FEU Center for the Artsstages Walang Sugat sarswela on Feb. 4

In celebration of Far Eastern University’s 98th founding anniversary, the FEU Center for the Arts (FCA) proudly presents Walang Sugat on February 4, 2026, 5:30 PM at the FEU Auditorium.

First performed in 1902, Walang Sugat is a sarswela written by Severino Reyes with music by Fulgencio Tolentino set during the Philippine revolution towards the end of the 19th century.

This special production features arrangements and additional music by Josefino Toledo, an FEU Outstanding Alumnus.

Under the direction of Alegria O. Ferrer from the University of the Philippines College of Music, the production brings to life one of the most beloved works in Philippine theater.

The musical direction will be led by Roijin Suarez, Artistic Director of the FEU Chorale.

The cast is composed of both current students and alumni from the FEU Chorale, FEU Theater Guild, and FEU Guides, highlighting the University’s diverse artistic community.

The production will also feature special performances from the FEU Bamboo Band, FEU Dance Company, FEU Theater Guild, FEU Drum and Bugle Corps, and FEU Drummers.

This landmark staging not only celebrates FEU’s 98th year of excellence in education and culture but also commemorates the anniversary of the shot that started the Filipino American War on February 4, 1898.

Walang Sugat revolves around the love story of Tenyong and Julia during the time of revolution. While Tenyong takes up arms in the fight for the nation’s freedom, Julia is confronted with pressure and opposition from her family and the church because of her love for him. Through their story, the sarswela depicts the sacrifices demanded by the struggle for independence and the deep wounds left by war and colonization.

Admission for Walang Sugat is for free. Register through the QR code or via the link below.

https://forms.office.com/r/TLQwAUQYBF

Asia Butoh Gathering 2026 all set for Feb. 6-8

This February 6-8, 2026, Butoh practitioners across Asia convene in Manila for the Asia Butoh Gathering 2026 (AGB 2026). Attendees from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines will gather for the three-day festival consisting of performances, workshops, film screenings, roundtable conversations, and lecture-presentations.

Butoh is an avant-garde dance from originating in Japan during the postwar era. Founded by Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno, Butoh is characterized by the grotesque, contorted yet precise movements of the dancers usually in white face and body paint. This artform, straddling the line between dance and theater, has taken a foothold on the rest of the world with Sasa Cabalquinto pioneering Butoh in the Philippines. Cabalquinto, the founder of Kapwa Movement, serves as Festival Director and Program Curator of the Asia Butoh Gathering. 

Sasa Cabalquinto

Rooted in cultural exchange and dialogue, the Asia Butoh Gathering honors the powerful legacy of Japanese Butoh while opening space for regional voices shaped by distinct social, political, and ecological contexts. The festival creates an environment where artists meet across borders to share embodied practices, engage in critical conversations, and explore how Butoh continues to transform across Asia today.

Through performances exploring themes of ecology, ancestry, land, and gender; roundtable discussions on ethics, lineage, and decoloniality; and lecture-presentations tracing Butoh’s historical and contemporary intersections, ABG 2026 holds space for both critical discourse and embodied practice, inviting artists and audiences alike into processes of reflection, exchange, and movement.

The 2026 edition of the Asia Butoh Gathering coincides with the 70th anniversary of Japan–Philippines diplomatic relations, marking a significant moment for cultural collaboration. The festival honors historical ties while fostering new solidarities across Asia, embodying the spirit of kapwa—the shared self and interconnectedness—as an ethical ground for creating, remembering, and imagining together.

Moving Roots, Moving Cultures

Under the banner Moving Roots, Moving Cultures, the festival recognizes Butoh not only as a form born in Japan but as a living, evolving ecology of practices across Asia. Bound by different lands and cultural histories, participating artists reflect on lineage, transmission, and transformation, honoring Butoh’s origins while celebrating how it has rooted, grown, and continues to move through diverse communities.

Curatorial Frame: Butoh in the Time of Ecological Crisis

ABG 2026 unfolds within the curatorial frame Butoh in the Time of Ecological Crisis, responding to a world shaped by environmental collapse and renewal. At the center of the festival is the performance program Falling Earth, Moving Sky, a reflection on the earth as home—undergoing cycles of descent and regeneration.

The program begins with Falling Earth, evoking gestures of extinction, grief, and collapse, and culminates in Moving Sky, where bodies search for new forms of flight, kinship, and repair. Suspended at the heart of the stage is the image of a floating, uprooted tree—both wounded and alive—serving as a shared symbolic space that holds the tension between loss and persistence, decay and resilience.

Butoh practitioners participating at the Asia Butoh Gathering include Tenko Ima, Yuko Kawamoto, Kae Ishimoto from Japan, Sineenadh Ketprapai from Thailand, Vinci Mok from Hong Kong, Xue from Singapore, Lee Swee Keong from Malaysia, Ramoo Hong from South Korea, Hu Chia from Taiwan, Ari Rudenko and Sofyan Joyo Utomo from Indonesia, and Sasa Cabalquinto from the Philippines.

Festival Highlights

February 6, 2026

Opening Program: Moving Roots, Moving Cultures

1:00–5:00 PM Roundtable Conversations on Butoh in Asia

WhyNot Manila, 4th Floor Karrivin Studios, Chino Roces Ave Extension, Makati | Hybrid | FREE

Speakers from Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines

Moderator: Katrina Stuart Santiago

Opening Keynote: Anton Juan

7:00–9:30 PM Butoh Workshop by Yuko Kawamoto

WhyNot Manila, 4th Floor Karrivin Studios, Chino Roces Ave Extension, Makati | On-site | FREE (limited slots)

February 7, 2026

Film Screening and Documenting Archives: Japanese Butoh to Asia

1:00-2:30 PM The Utter Darkness Version of Princess Kaguya

3:00- 3:40 PM History of Butoh in Japan and Tatsumi Hijikata Archives

3:45-4:25 PM Lecture Presentation: Byakko Sha's Southeast Asian Tour

4:30-5:00 PM Asia Butoh Tree Project

WhyNot Manila, 4th Floor Karrivin Studios, Chino Roces Ave Extension, Makati | On-site | FREE

Lecture-presentations by Kae Ishimoto, Tenko Ima, and Yuko Kawamoto

Moderator: Rina Corpus

7:00–9:00 PM Butoh Fu Online Lecture by Kae Ishimoto

WhyNot Manila, 4th Floor Karrivin Studios, Chino Roces Ave Extension, Makati Hybrid | FREE

February 8, 2026

6:00–10:00 PM Closing Program: Falling Earth, Moving Sky

Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC | On-site | Ticketed

Moderator: Jaya Jacobo

Ticketing Information

Early Bird (until Jan 31, 2026): ₱800

General Admission: ₱1,000

Student / PWD: ₱800

Student / PWD: ₱600 (with Early Bird)

Register and purchase tickets here: https://forms.gle/maRWpuuWsfk9ZvRs5

Asia Butoh Gathering 2026 is presented by Kapwa Movement and the Japan Foundation, Manila.