EU holds choral festival with the UST to celebrate 60 Years of EU-Philippines Diplomatic Relations

The Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines collaborates with the University of Santo Tomas to host “Sounds of Celebration: Sixty Years of EU-Philippines Relations”, a choral festival, to mark the 60 years of bilateral relations between the European Union and the Philippines.

The event will take place at the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes OP Building (BGPOP), University of Santo Tomas, on 26 April 2024, featuring exceptional choral groups from all over the Philippines in a showcase of talent, musical diversity, and cultural exchange. The festival also coincides with the University of Santo Tomas’ 413th founding anniversary.

The theme of this event, “Sounds of Celebration”, is a recognition of how music can transcend borders and go beyond the barrier of language. Music is a worldwide language, and for this choral festival, music will be utilised to celebrate the 60 years of friendship and cooperation between the European Union and the Philippines.

The choral festival will feature performances by various choral groups, along with special recognitions. The “EU-Philippines Cultural Award” will recognize a choir’s outstanding performance, which highlights the diverse cultures of the European Union and the Philippines, fostering unity and cooperation in the realm of arts. “The Ambassador's Choice Award” will be awarded to the choir whose performance best embodies cultural diplomacy.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the upcoming choral festival with the University of Santo Tomas, our partner since 2017,” said H. E. Luc Véron, European Union Ambassador to the Philippines. “As we honour the 60 years of EU-Philippines diplomatic relations, we hope that this festival will create lasting memories and an avenue for people to experience our unity in diversity between the EU and the Philippines.”

Stay tuned for more updates about the upcoming choral festival, Sounds of Celebration: Sixty Years of EU-PH Relations. Visit @soundsofcelebrationeuph on Facebook and Instagram.

Background:

This choral festival is one of many partnership projects between the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas. In 2017 and 2019, the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines hosted a series of cultural activities on campus called “Hemispheres: A European Cultural Symposium”, showcasing the art, literature, and music of the European Union in a series of talks, performances, and exhibitions. This served as an outlet for cultural exchange in which Thomasians, and the wider public, experienced and learnt about the diverse art traditions of the EU.

The University of Sto Tomas also hosted “EU Whiz”, an inter-collegiate competition between local universities to test students’ knowledge about the EU and bilateral EU-Philippines relations. The EU Whiz will be organised again in commemoration of the 60 Years of EU-Philippines diplomatic relations, during the second half of this year.

The Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines also hosted with the University of Santo Tomas an online poetry festival entitled “Bersong EuroPinoy” in 2022, featuring poetry readings on topics such as worldwide unity, sustainability, and diversity.

Peru-Philippines Friendship Drawing Contest: Celebrating 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations

In honor of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the enduring bond between Peru and the Philippines, the Peruvian Embassy in Thailand and the Honorary Consulate General of Peru in Manila are thrilled to announce the Peru-Philippines Friendship Drawing Contest.’

Contest Details:

Categories: Divided by age - 6 to 8 years old (Category 1) and 9 to 11 years old (Category 2).

Technique: Free technique with participants encouraged to use any preferred method.

Materials: Participants may use any materials of their choice on A3 size surfaces.

Submission: Artworks can be sent by mail or delivered in person to the Honorary Consulate General of Peru in Manila (CLMC Building, 259 EDSA Greenhills, Mandaluyong City; Landmark: Landbank EDSA – Greenhills). Specific information on submission and presentation may be found on the attached poster.

Dates: Contest runs until May 20, 2024.

Awards and Recognition:

• A jury will select one winning artwork from each category.

• Winners will be honored at an awarding ceremony and receive certificates of recognition.

• All participants will be acknowledged for their contributions.

Contest Rules:

• Participants must be 6 to 11 years old and reside in the Philippines.

• One original artwork per participant reflecting the Peru-Philippines friendship theme.
• Parental consent is required for participation.

Contact Information:

For inquiries, email tourism@peruthai.or.th and copy furnish peruvianconsulate@yahoo.com, with the subject "DRAWING CONTEST: PERU-PHILIPPINES FRIENDSHIP."

Join us in celebrating half a century of friendship through art and creativity!

Violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr. joins PPO's 39th season finale concert

Violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr. joins Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra for a festive finish to the orchestra's Switch season happening this April 19, 2024, 7:30 PM at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati.

With Maestro Grzergorz Nowak conducting, this season closing concert sees Sarasa do double duty as the featured soloist in Lucrecia Kasilag's Violin Concerto No. 1 and Camille Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28. The concert, billed as Fête Française, wraps up with Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D. 485.

Diomedes Saraza Jr.

PPO's 39th concert season Switch saw the Cultural Center of the Philippines' resident orchestra welcome Maestro Grzergorz Nowak as its new music director and principal conductor. It also marked the move to Samsung Performing Arts Theater while the CCP Main Building undergoes a several years long major rehabilitation.

Reprinted below is the press release for the PPO's 39th concert season closing performance.

Last 'Switch' for PPO's 39th concert season

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the country’s primary orchestra, will take its last ‘Switch’ for its 39th concert season on April 19, 7:30pm, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.

For its finale concert, the resident orchestra of the Cultural Center of the Philippines will feature violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr. as its guest soloist.

Saraza Jr. is an active concert violinist, chamber musician, and avid educator. The former Manila Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster, Saraza is a well-established musical artist that has taken part in many international solo performances with different orchestras such as the Mannes Orchestra, New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble, the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra to name a few. His extensive solo and chamber performances include prestigious venues that span from Philippines’ Cultural Center of the Philippines, New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, to Russia’s Tchaikovsky’s Concert Hall among others.

For its final concert, PPO music director and principal conductor Maestro Grzegorz Nowak will take the baton, leading the national orchestra in a night of Fete Francaise. The concert program includes: National Artist Lucresia Kasilag's Violin Concerto No. 1, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28, and Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 5.

An instrumental in developing Philippine music and culture, the National Artist for Music was recognized for including indigenous Filipino instruments into orchestral productions. She has written more than 350 musical compositions that range from folksongs to opera to orchestral pieces. She was the founding mother of the Bayanihan Folk Arts Center for research and theatrical presentations and actively involved herself with the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company.

Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. A child prodigy, he was already giving public concerts as a pianist and organist at a young age. One of his best-known works is the Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, op. 28. composed in 1863, it was dedicated to Pablo de Sarasate, a Spanish virtuoso violinist, who frequently programmed it in his concert engagements, thus making it popular enough that other French composers made arrangements of it.

Completing the concert finale’s program is Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, a classic piece which is said to pay homage to masters Mozart and Haydn. Schubert deeply admired Mozart. His composition is frequently said to resemble the prolific and influential composer.

Ranked among the greatest composers in the history of Western classical music, Schubert and his work continues to be admired and widely performed. He was a composer during the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He has composed symphonies, masses, and piano works and is best remembered for his “lieder."

Tickets to PPO Concert VIII: Fete Francaise are priced at Php3,000 (Orchestra Center), Php2,000 (Orchestra Side), Php2,500 (Loge Center), Php1,500 (Loge Side), and Php800 (Balcony 1).

The PPO concert season is made possible with partners SSI Group, Inc., TBWA\SMP, Ascott Bonifacio Global City, and Lyf Malate Manila.

For more information, visit the CCP (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, X, and Instagram for the latest updates.

CCP Cine Icons celebrates National Artist Eddie Romero's centennial with Aguila screening

The Cultural Center of the Philippines, through the Cine Icons program, spearheads the 100th birth anniversary celebrations of Eddie Romero, National Artist for Film, through a special screening of Aguila happening on April 3, 2024, 1:00 PM at the GSIS Theater.

Romero, born in July 7, 1924, was conferred National Artist for Film in 2003. His acclaimed works include Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?, Kamakalawa, Banta ng Kahapon, and Aguila that stars Fernando Poe Jr., National Artist for Film.

Eddie Romero, National Artist for Film

The screening, which will be followed by a talkback, is free and open to the public via this registration link bit.ly/CCPCineIcons-EddieRomero-reg

More information about CCP Cine Icons Eddie Romero@100 can be found below.

CCP CINE ICONS HONORS 100TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL ARTIST EDDIE ROMERO WITH ‘AGUILA’

Shortly after marking its first anniversary, the CCP Cine Icons returns for the premiere of yet another must-see classic Filipino film ‘Aguila’, written and directed by National Artist Eddie Romero and starring National Artist Fernando Poe Jr., on April 3, 1PM at the GSIS Theater. A talkback will follow after the film screening.

Free and open to the public, this special screening celebrates the centennial birth anniversary of Romero. He was a film director, film producer, and screenwriter who was declared a National Artist in 2003, with a body of work delving into the history and politics of the country. Among his most revered historical films include Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?, Kamakalawa, and Banta ng Kahapon. Romero also directed some critically acclaimed war films in the early 1960s, such as Lost Battalion (1960), The Raiders of Leyte Gulf (1963), and The Walls of Hell (1964).

Aguila is a 1980 Philippine period drama film about flashbacks that encompass the history of the Philippines as well as the life story of the elderly Daniel Aguila. The Aguila family gathers to celebrate Daniel's 88th birthday, but the old man is nowhere to be seen – he has been missing for a decade. Suspecting that his father is in Mindanao, one of his sons takes off for that region in a determined search. Along the way, his memories of the nation and his father's life tell the story of 80 tumultuous years of personal and historical development.

The film’s prevalent themes include family, history and society, and nationalism. It is considered as the biggest event in local movie history and the biggest Filipino film ever made, with six wins at the 1981 FAMAS Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay, and nine nominations at the 1981 Gawad Urian Awards.

Launched in 2023, CCP Cine Icons is a special program of the CCP Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division-Production and Exhibition Department (FBNMD-PED) which aims to honor and popularize the life and works of National Artists and Gawad CCP Para sa Sining awardees.

To get the latest updates on future film screenings from CCP Cine Icons, follow the official CCP and CCP Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division social media accounts on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

CCP The Met: Live in HD screens Verdi's Nabucco

When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, there were several performances of Va, pensiero uploaded online by various groups as a way to cope with life under lockdowns back then. This only proved how this chorus aria from Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco has remained significant since its debut back in 1842.

See why Va, pensiero has stood the test of time at the upcoming CCP The Met: Live in HD screening of Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco on April 2, 2024, 5:30 PM at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas in Makati.

In this production directed by Elijah Moshinsky, baritone George Gagnidze sings the titular role of Nabucco while soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska reprises her role as Abigaille. Also starring are mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova and tenor SeokJong Baek as the lovers Fenena and Ismaele respectively, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy as the high priest Zaccaria. Daniele Callegari conducts the Met Orchestra.

More information about CCP The Met: Live in HD screening of Nabucco can be found at the press release reprinted below.

EXPERIENCE ANCIENT BABYLON WITH VERDI’S NABUCCO AT THE CCP THE MET: LIVE IN HD

Take the trip down the Ancient Babylon with Giuseppi Verdi’s Nabucco, premiering in the Philippines through the CCP The Met: Live in HD on April 2, 5:30pm, exclusively at Greenbelt 3 Cinema 1 located in Makati City.

Verdi’s third opera is a stirring drama about the fall of ancient Jerusalem at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco) and the subsequent exile of the Hebrews in Babylon.

The opera plot is as exhilarating as the story of its beginning. History has it that Verdi vowed to quit composing after the death of his first wife and the disastrous reception of his previous work Un Giorno di Regno. But after seeing Solera’s libretto, Verdi changed his mind and started composing again; creating an opera that launched his career.

The opera had its world premiere at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan in 1842, with a resounding success.

While the story stayed as close to the biblical events based on Jewish scriptures in Jeremiah, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Daniel, and the Psalms, librettist Temistocle Solera took some liberties with some of the characters.

Baritone George Gagnidze made his Met role debut as the imperious king Nabucco, alongside soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska who reprised her thrilling turn as his vengeful daughter Abigaille. Mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova and tenor Seok-Jong Baek, in his company debut, 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 chorus piece, the moving “Va, pensiero,” also known as the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves in Act III.

When Verdi passed away six decades later, famous Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini led a vast number of orchestras and choruses from all over Italy to perform “Va, pensiero” during the state funeral of the Italian composer in Milan.

Catch this classic Met staging of biblical proportions, directed Elijah Moshinsky. Tickets are priced at Php350, with a special discounted price of Php 100 for students and young professionals upon presentation of ID.

For more information about the CCP The Met: Live in HD Season 9, visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official social media accounts in Facebook, X, Instagrams and YouTube.