Musica FEUropa choral competition raises stakes in 10th edition

For the first time in history, choirs from both the High School and Open Categories will sing against each other to bag the championship at the Musica FEUROPA 10, the annual choral festival and competition presented by the Far Eastern University and the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines happening this May 26-27, 2018 at the FEU Auditorium.

Since the inclusion of a separate High School Category during the competition’s 3^rd edition back in 2011, there had been two winners from both the High School and Open categories. For this year, separate semifinals for both categories will still take place with the top three (3) placers from each advancing and will compete in a single field during the finals. You read it right, the six (6) finalists will be a mix of three (3) High School Category choirs and three (3) Open Category choirs all competing for the title.

The choirs competing in the High School Category are Boscorale, Chorus Fortissimus, Dagalak, Himig Rosena, and St. Scholastica’s College Marikina High School Glee Club.

Adamson University Chorale conducted by Darwin Vargas

In the Open Category, the competing choirs are Adamson University Chorale, Bataan Peninsula State University Singers, De La Salle University Chorale, Emilio Aguinaldo College Chorale, Gloria Patri Singers, ICP Charismatic Chorale, MAPUA Cardinal Singers, Minstrels of Hope, Musicalipa, Philippine Normal University Chorale, Salinlahi Serenata Singers, and Technological Institute of the Philippines Chorale Society.

Musica FEUROPA organizers with the Adamson University Chorale

I wonder how Boscorale, with six (6) High School Category wins, the most in any category in Musica FEUROPA’s history, will fare now that it has to compete with the Open Category choirs when they reach the finals. Boscorale’s success in various competitions makes their trip to the finals no longer a question of if but only a matter of when. Instead of the finalists from the High School category being at a disadvantage having to compete with the Open Category choirs, it may even be the other way around as the quality of the younger choirs has been increasing over the years as observed by Festival Chairman Karl Angelo Tangco. And this was his reason for making the finals have choirs from both categories battling it out for the title.

The semifinals for the High School Category happens on May 26, 2018, 10:00 AM, the semifinals for the Open Category happens on May 26, 2018, 1:00 PM. The finals will be on May 27, 2018, 1:00 PM. The competition takes place at the FEU Auditorium.

Celeste Legaspi, Ryan Cayabyab and ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra give masterful performance at the Shang

Celeste Legaspi

Celeste Legaspi showed why she is regarded as one of the finest singers in the Philippines in her Mother’s Day showcase with ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra led by Ryan Cayabyab held at the Shangri-La Plaza.

Although still recovering from a cold, Celeste gave a soul moving performance, with her voice remaining as exquisite as ever even after more than four decades in the business. For this performance, she and Ryan Cayabyab have unearthed his orchestral arrangements from her concert back in 1985 giving the young ones at the audience a chance to hear music that she described as vintage, classic, and timeless.

Celeste’s music were indeed proven timeless as the audience gave generous applause upon recognizing the opening strains of her greatest hits namely Tuliro, Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal, and Mamang Sorbetero.

She in turn gave tribute to Ryan Cayabyab aka Mr. C who celebrated his birthday less than two weeks before by singing one of his songs, Nais Ko. She was full of conviction when she expressed her desire for Mr. C to be awarded as National Artist for Music.

Her rendition of Lupa was epic as it was a masterful display of not just singing but also in communicating and being one with the song. I had goosebumps during this song and it felt like the entire mall was all ears during this number and this moment was only broken with the audience’s rapturous applause. It was remarkable that despite the usual noise inside the mall, Celeste commanded attention and was able to deliver heartfelt renditions of La Vie en Rose that she dedicated to her mother and the finale Never Ever Say Goodbye in which she was almost in tears.

The affair wasn’t just filled with tear jerkers as Celeste showed that she could sing anything with numbers like Bakyang-Bakya, Mister Musikero and a “classical” Pipit. Her encore, Minsan ang Minahal ay Ako, was also very well appreciated although there were clamors for her to sing Saranggola ni Pepe. This was actually played the by the spot on ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra serving as an overture to the concert. The orchestra also did Liman-dipang Tao while Celeste took a breather halfway through the concert.

Ryan Cayabyab conducting the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra

For me, it was during the upbeat numbers that the arrangements felt very 1980’s and somewhat dated but the ballads remarkably stood the test of time. I just wish that the Mamang Sorbetero was performed with the arrangement from the actual recording that had the strings, flutes, a slapping bass, and of course, the bells.

It is noteworthy that almost all of the songs that Celeste performed were in the Filipino language and also by local composers. Thank goodness that Shangri-La Plaza is a mall where Filipino music and artists are celebrated as evidenced by recent performances there by Joey G., South Border, Rivermaya, and Up Dharma Down. This reminded me of a controversy at a different mall when a rock band was forbidden to sing any songs in Filipino.

After the concert, a lot of senior citizens were brought back in time and became fangirls once again as they crowded around Celeste showering with her well wishes and having their photos taken with her. I saw a bunch of mothers and grandmothers who were very excited to have their children and grandchildren meet her. It was like the older set proudly showing their generation’s treasure to the younger ones. On the other hand, Ryan Cayabyab showed his mastery in taking selfies with fans who patiently waited in line. I wish that in the future, there will be a more organized meet and greet session for the convenience of the artist and the fans and also for everyone’s safety.

Manila Symphony Orchestra launches diverse Year of the Titans 2018-2019 concert season

Manila Symphony Orchestra conducted by Prof. Arturo Molina

The Manila Symphony Orchestra, one of Asia’s oldest orchestras, launched its 2018-2019 concert season, billed as Year of the Titans, featuring its most diverse lineup to date, both in terms of music programming and guest artists.

MSO’s “titanic” concert season opens with The Color of Music happening on June 3, 2018, 6:00 PM at the Theatre at Solaire. With the orchestra’s music director and principal conductor Prof. Arturo Molina at the helm, this concert will feature Richard Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191 with German cellist Clauss Kangiesser as the soloist.

On July 29, 2018, 6:00 PM at the Theatre at Solaire, guitarist Noli Aurillo and Filipino band Silent Sanctuary join the MSO led by Prof. Molina in Rockestra 2018, a rock symphony concert. Two members of Silent Sanctuary, violinist Kim Ng and cellist Anjo Inacay were former members of the MSO.

The MSO and Prof. Arturo Molina along with surprise guest artists bring film music to the concert stage with Silver Screen Symphonies on September 16, 2018, 6:00 PM at the Theatre at Solaire.

Then it’s off to the Meralco Theater on November 30, 2018 with Beethoven Redux featuring German based Indonesian violinist Iskandar Widjaja and Singaporean conductor Darrell Ang. This concert offers a double dose of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, first in its original form and then followed by the redux version featuring a new solo violin part composed by Jeffrey Ching.

The season wraps up with The Titan on January 26, 2019, 8:00 PM with Prof. Arturo Molina leading the MSO with a performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major ‘Titan’ and Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major with pianist Victor Asuncion as the featured soloist. The venue for this concert will be announced later.

Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra

The season launched also presented the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra, the youth orchestra arm of the MSO formed back in 2014. Last year, the MSJO won 2^nd Prize at the 11^th Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival held at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. This July, the young members of the orchestra return to Vienna and hope to do better at the same competition before embarking on yet another European tour.

MSO Music Academy students

Aside from performing, members of the MSO also teach at the MSO Music Academy (also established in 2014) that now has three branches: Circuit Makati, Glorietta 5, and in Taft Avenue. Young kids and even adults can enroll there and enrich their lives with music.

Apart from the concert season, the MSO also perform regularly at the Ayala Museum via the Rush Hour Concert series. These concerts were designed as a way for people in the Makati area to spend an hour or so watching an orchestra performance comfortably at the museum rather than being stuck on the road in rush hour traffic.

Right after the season launch, I was able to do just that with East-West, a Rush Hour Concert in celebration of the 100^th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Lucrecia Kasilag, National Artist for Music. This concert featured concertmaster Gina Medina-Perez and pianist Ingrid Sala-Santamaria performing music by Kasilag alongside that of Johannes Brahms.

Kasilag’s music hasn’t been performed as often as Brahms in here and maybe that’s why Gina Medina-Perez’s rendition of the outer movements of Kasilag’s Violin Concerto, LK 241 sounded exotic to me. This was truly an odd realization considering how the opening piece, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5 WoO1 was very likely exotic music from a German’s perspective. I guess that Kasilag’s use of fourth intervals instead of the usual third with the chords lent more to the exotic feel of this piece. I also remembered that it’s been almost a decade since Gina Medina-Perez performed this concerto at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. This only shows how rarely indeed are Kasilag’s works heard on stage.

Pianist Ingrid Sala Santamaria

Despite the inclusion of traditional Philippine percussion instruments, the first movement of Kasilag’s Divertissement for Piano and Orchestra sounded less exotic to me. Legendary pianist Ingrid Sala Santamaria’s piano parts were mostly single voiced played in octaves and it had an effect on me as if the piano was among the traditional percussion instruments.

Continuing the juxtaposition of pieces by the unlikely paired composers, Santamaria continued with the latter half of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83. I was able to savor the solo cello in the third movement but I wish that I was able to see her perform this in its entirety last October.

Remarkable to note that she is the only local pianist I could think of right now who has done a significant number of high profile concerts over the past several months. This only made me wonder which pianists from the millennial generation could follow in her footsteps and have a long career.

The final Kasilag piece for the night was the extremely accessible Philippine Scenes. This three movement piece (Mountainside, Lullabye, Festival) was very much Filipino in spirit that I had a major turnaround with Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 6, WoO1 that closed out the concert was now the one that felt foreign and exotic to me.

The agony of travelling out of Makati has prevented me from catching most of the MSO’s past Rush Hour Concerts (or any other concert at the Ayala Museum) but I was extremely glad to catch this one since it gave me a generous dose of Kasilag’s music. Recordings of her music are rare and not that easy to purchase and live performances of it are even rarer. This only made me anticipate upcoming tributes to her in celebration of her birth centennial anniversary.

And it goes without saying that I also eagerly await seeing the Manila Symphony Orchestra on stage once again after missing their previous season entirely. See you at the concerts!

Cool weather and cooler performances at Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert at Mt. Makiling

Herminigildo Ranera conducts the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

After enduring the intense summer heat that characterized the month of April, the weather finally cooperated and cooled down as I made a trek to the mountains for the 5th edition of PPO Sunsets @ Makiling, a performance of light classics and pop music by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at the Tanghalang Maria Makiling at the National Arts Center in Laguna.

Banduria player Nikki Zen Obmasca,
trumpet player Rhoxene Octaviano,
and harpist Jane Banta

But cooler still were the performances of the three promising and exceptional ladies namely trumpet player Rhoxene Octaviano, banduria player Nikki Zen Obmasca, and harpist Jane Banta, who were the featured soloists in this concert led by PPO’s Associate Conductor Herminigildo Ranera.

The opening piece, Franz von Suppé’s Poet and Peasant Overture, with its swaying melody and various changes of tempo, felt like as if the refreshing breeze in the mountain was swaying along with the music. I was amused when I heard collective whispers among the audience when they recognized the opening bars of the next piece. They were familiar with the music but probably weren’t aware before that it was the popular Molto allegro from Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Trumpet player Rhoxene Octaviano

Now on to the soloists’ performances starting with 14 year old trumpet player Rhoxene Octaviano who performed the showpiece Fantaisie and Variations on The Carnival of Venice by Jean-Baptiste Arban. I was surprised upon learning that Rhoxene hails from Malabon, a neighboring city of my hometown that has a deep marching band tradition. Showing promise in such a young age, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her continuing her trumpet studies in one of the leading music colleges here or even abroad in a few years.

Banduria player Nikki Zen Obmasca

Following her was 15 year old Nikki Zen Obmasca, who gave a hold your breath performance of Niccolò Paganini’s Moto Perpetuo transcribed for the banduria. This was the same piece that she performed at the NAMCYA winners’ concert last year and as expected, the audience gave her the same rousing applause after she seemingly played nonstop during the entire piece. Rhoxene and Nikki probably felt at home performing at the venue as both are currently students at the Philippine High School for the Arts.

Harpist Jane Banta

Before performing, harpist Jane Banta had some brief words about her instrument nicely summed up in four words: Heavenly, Arpeggios, Rare and Pedals. During her lecture, she performed the cadenza that served as the introduction to Waltz of the Flowers from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. I wished that it actually led to the entire piece being performed since it would’ve been a definite crowd pleaser. But she presented the Andante-Allegro movement from George Frideric Handel’s Concerto in B-flat Major, Op. 4 No. 6, HWV 294 which is originally for the organ.

It is not every day that a harpist gets highlighted and Jane has gotten her fair share of exposure here since completing her Master of Music degree in Harp Performance at the State Univerity of New York last year. Catch more of her and the harp as she headlines the second installment of the Special Concert Series happening this August 29, 2018 at the CCP Little Theater.

Cloudy skies and refreshing breeze at Mt. Makiling

The orchestra then performed a great variety of music ranging from Ryan Cayabyab’s arrangement of Jose Santos’ Dalagang Pilipina, Selections from Claude-Michel Schönberg Les Miserables, Gustav Holst’s encompassing Jupiter from The Planets, Op. 32 and an orchestral version of Johannes Brahms’ lively Hungarian Dance No. 6 in D Major, WoO1. Throughout this portion, I noticed a young girl wearing a bright pink skirt who could be no more than seven years old dancing to the music like she didn’t have a care in the world. I’d place my bet that she was probably the most involved audience member during the entire concert.

See you again next year, Mt. Makiling

Most of the audience joined the little girl in grooving to the beat as the PPO turned to more popular fare for their encores namely Havana by Camila Cabello and Despacito by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee.

Attendance was a lot better this year owing to better weather but the cloudy skies blocked a clear view of the sunset. I hope that there will be a more efficient way to shuttle people out of the venue after the concert. There were jeepneys providing one way trips but their limited number meant that dozens of people still had to wait for them to come back to pick them up. I’m concerned since it’s not a comforting thought to get stuck and get forced to descend from Mt. Makiling by foot.