RAd week November 20-26: NAMCYA@50 finals week

The National Music Competitions for Young Artists' almost year long celebration of 50 years of musical excellence reaches its peak with the finals week happening this November 21-26, 2023 at the Metropolitan Theater and Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium.

With the theme of Gintong Pamana/Golden Legacy, the competition finals will see who will emerge triumphant in these categories: Choir (Children’s and Senior), Guitar (Senior), Piano (Senior), Rondalla (Children’s Solo and Junior), Strings (Violins and Lower Strings), Traditional Music, Voice (Senior), Woodwinds (Open).

Here is the schedule of the NAMCYA@50 Gintong Pamana finals week.

November 21, 2023

9:00 AM Opening Ceremonies, Metropolitan Theater

1:00 PM Piano (Senior), Metropolitan Theater

1:00 PM Guitar (Junior), Met Music Hall

November 22, 2023

9:20 AM Strings Lower (Senior), Metropolitan Theater

2:00 PM Voice Senior, Metropolitan Theater

November 23, 2023

9:30 AM Strings Violins (Senior), Metropolitan Theater

9:20 AM Woodwinds (Open), Met Music Hall

November 24, 2023

9:30 AM Children's Choir, Metropolitan Theater

2:30 AM Senior Choir, Metropolitan Theater

6:00 PM Traditional Music, Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium

November 25, 2023

10:00 AM Junior Rondalla, Metropolitan Theater

1:30 PM Children's Solo Rondalla, Met Music Hall

7:00 PM NAMCYA@50, Metropolitan Theater

November 26, 2023

3:00 PM Closing Ceremonies, Metropolitan Theater

On to other music events this week, Hungarian pianist Alexandra Balog, 1st prize winner of the 2022 Franz Liszt Centre International Piano Competition and the 2017 Béla Bartók International Piano Competition, will have a solo piano concert on November 26, 2023, 4:00 PM at the St. Cecilia's Hall at St. Scholastica's College in Manila.

Billed as Zenére! and presented by the Piano Teachers Guild of the Philippines Foundation Inc. and the St. Scholastica's College School of Music, the concert will have Balog perform music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Schubert, as well as Hungarian composers Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály and Franz Liszt.

Also in town is the 2022 BBC Best Male Chorister of the Year Luca Burgnoli for a one night concert on November 22, 2023, 8:00 PM at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Building in Makati.

Presented by the British Alumni Association in partnership with the British Embassy, British Council, and British Chamber of Commerce, Luca in Concert guest stars Steinway Artist & Global Ambassador Dominic Ferris, British dancer Darcey Redman, and soprano Regina Saban, a prize winner at the 2022 National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA).

The Manila Pianos Artist Series this week includes Szymanowski/Ligeti, pianist Dingdong Fiel's penultimate performance of his year long 12 monthly recitals. Happening on November 25, 2023, 6:00 PM, the recital will feature Karol Szymanowski's 9 Preludes, Op. 1 and György Ligeti's Musica ricercata.

Then it's holiday programming time with Christmas Nocturne: Melodies of Joy featuring percussionist Thristan Mendoza and pianist Jesper Mercado happening on November 26, 2023, 6:00 PM.

Program for this holiday offering includes selections from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker and various Christmas songs and carols. Joining Mendoza and Mercado are guest artists clarinetist Herald Sison and percussionist Jacques Dufourt.

Both Szymanowski/Ligeti and Christmas Nocturne will be held at the Manila Pianos Showroom at Ronac Lifestyle Center, Paseo de Magallanes, Makati.

See a Christmas tree inspired by Juan Luna's Hymen Oh' Hyménée lit up as the Philippine Madrigal Singers headline the Christmas Tree Lighting Concert this November 23, 2023, 7:00 PM at the Ayala Museum.

This sold out concert is the second of the two part Isang Dekada ng Musika presented by the Ayala Foundation, Inc. and Ayala Museum, together with Avida Land, marking the 10th anniversary of the museum’s concert program.

After their Russian Masters season concert, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra goes to Cavite for Reina de Cavite outreach concert on November 24, 2023, 7:00 PM at the Montano Hall Gymnasium, Cavite. Joining the PPO led by Herminigildo Ranera is the soprano duo the Nightingales composed of Bianca Camille Lopez and Bernadette Mamauag.

Here again is the rundown of music events (and a film festival) happening this week.

November 21, 2023

NAMCYA@50

November 22, 2023

NAMCYA@50

Luca in Concert

November 23, 2023

NAMCYA@50

Philippine Madrigal Singers Christmas Tree Lighting Concert

November 24, 2023

NAMCYA@50

Reina de Cavite

November 25, 2023

NAMCYA@50

26th French Film Festival

Szymanowski/Ligeti

November 26, 2023

NAMCYA@50

26th French Film Festival

Zenére!

Christmas Nocturne

Included in the schedule above is the upcoming 26th French Film Festival which will have its own separate blog entry.

RAd week November 13-19: Pianist Nikolay Khozyainov plays Rachmaninoff with PPO

Orchestra performances are back this week with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's presenting an all Russian program at its latest subscription concert series happening on November 17, 2023, 7:30 PM at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati.

Billed as Russian Masters, the concert features Russian pianist Nikolay Khozyainov as the soloist in Sergei Rachmaninoff's popular Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, which is very much in line with the ongoing worldwide celebrations for Rachmaninoff's 150th birth anniversary.

The program also sees the PPO, led by music director and principal conductor Grzegorz Nowak, perform the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Selections from Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev.

Nikolay Khozyainov
©Marie Staggat

Khozyainov burst into the scene more than a decade ago winning in 2012 the 1st prize at the Dublin International Piano Competition and at the Sydney International Piano Competition. Since then, he has performed worldwide with renowned orchestras like the London Philharmonia Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, etc.

Khozyainov achieved another milestone last year when he was commissioned by the United Nations to write a piece for his Concert for Peace at the UN. His composition, Petals of Peace had its world premiere last November 2022 at the Human Rights’ Hall of the United Nations.

On the other hand, the Manila Symphony Orchestra leads the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Ayala Museum's concert series with The Best of Rush Hour on November 16, 2023, 7:00 PM at the Ayala Museum, Makati.

Presented by the Ayala Foundation and Ayala Museum together with Avida, the MSO concert is the first of two special events of Isang Dekada ng Musika, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the museum’s concert program.

Originally conceived by the MSO and the Ayala Museum, the Rush Hour concert series is a way for the Makati crowd (office workers, mall goers, citizens, etc.) to wait out the rush hour traffic by an hour or so music offering at the museum. A handful of Rush Hour concerts with the MSO like Bach versus The Beatles, Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue, and Video Games Symphonic have become sold out affairs.

It is not just orchestra concerts that are back this week, but also a handful of chamber music performances.

Leading the chamber music lineup is already sold out The Best of Chamber Music on November 18, 2023, 6:00 PM at the Roof Deck of the Sunshine Place, in Makati.

Joining pianist Mariel Ilusorio in this Classics in Sunshine 2023 series finale are violinist Noel Martin, violist Coi Reyes, cellist Steven Retallick, and double bassist Aris Payte. The group will perform Franz Schubert's Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 which is also more popularly known as the Trout Quintet.

Meanwhile, the Manila Pianos Artist Series offers two chamber music programs this weekend.

First off is Scheherazade with the Rivera Woodwind Quintet on November 18, 2023, 6:00 PM. The quintet, composed of clarintetist Jayson Rivera, flutist Crystal Milarose Rodis-Concepcion, horn player Earvin Rosacay, oboist Arvin Jan Medrano, and bassoonist Alvin Sison will perform Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade Op.35 transcribed for the woodwind quintet by Ioan Dobrinescu.

Next is Reminiscing, the annual tribute concert to Ruben Reyes ,happening on November 19, 2023, 6:00 PM featuring the Silangan Chamber Guitar Ensemble. Made up of faculty and alumni from the UST Conservatory of Music, as well as the Colleges of Music of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, St. Paul's University Manila and Centro Escolar University, the SGCE was formed under the leadership and artistic director of the late Ruben Reyes. The concert will feature music by John Dowland, Antoine de Lhoyer, Paolo Bellinati, Johann Kasper Mertz, Catriona McKay, and Georges Bizet

Both performances will be held at the Manila Pianos Showroom at Ronac Lifestyle Center, Paseo de Magallanes, Makati.

Outside the orchestral and chamber music realm is the return of CCP-Out-of-the-Box: Isang Gabi ng Sarsuwela this November 18, 2023, 6:00 PM at the Baluarte de San Diego in Intramuros, Manila.

As part of the Intramuros Evenings by the Intramuros Administration, this musical revue stars Nenen Espina, Franco Laurel, Ayen Munji-Laurel, Reuben Laurente, Lorenz Martinez, Shiela Valderrama-Martinez, Jonathan Tadioan, and Karylle Tatlonghari.

The very affordable entry fee to the Baluarte de San Diego is all it takes to watch this performance.

The concerts, performances, and events continue to pile up and my only advice is to bring lots of patience as traffic after all these happenings may get worse especially as the peak of the holiday season grows near.

Here again is a quick rundown of this week's concerts and performances.

November 16, 2023

MSO The Best of Rush Hour

November 17, 2023

PPO Russian Masters

November 18, 2023

The Best of Chamber Music

Isang Gabi ng Sarsuwela

Scheherazade

November 19, 2023

Reminiscing

The concerts, performances, and events continue to pile up and my only advice is to bring lots of patience as traffic after all these happenings may get worse especially as the peak of the holiday season grows near.

RAd week November 6-12: Operas galore and more

As music performances and cultural events go back to full swing after the extended holiday break, I decided to shake things up a bit with this blog.

Getting back into circulation post-pandemic has made me realize that I have definitely reached middle age territory and maintaining the old pace is not as easy like before.

Hence, a more relaxed and hopefully, more sustainable, blog entries from here on in. But I was told that whenever I talk about music, culture, and other related topics, I usually go on and on. So just brace yourselves.

To kick things off, opera is back with a vengeance this week with a twinbill production of Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci, a rerun of La Bohème, and a screening of Hansel and Gretel all lined up.

First off is the double bill production of Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavllo's I Pagliacci, a collaboration presentation of the Lyric Opera of the Philippines and Hong Kong Opera Tutti, with a Gala Night on November 10, 2023, 7:00 PM and a Matinee on November 12, 2023, 3:00 PM at the St. Cecilia's Hall, St. Scholastica's College in Manila.

Cavalleria Rusticana stars Vicky Wu, Henry Ngan, Michael Lam, Leung Siu Kwan, and Christy Lee. On the other hand, I Pagliacci stars Zip de Guzman, Isaac Droscha, Glenn Gaerlan, Rica Nepomuceno, Sherwin Sozon, and LyrOpera Chorus. Conducting the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra are Fan Ting for Cavalleria Rusticana and Horst-Hans Bäcker for I Pagliacci. The CavPag double bill is also presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Hong Kong Arts Development Council, the Philippine Heritage Society, Globaltronics, and is under the auspices of the Embassy of Italy.

The second live opera to look out for this week is the return of Viva Voce Voice Lab's production of Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème, now staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Ignacio B. Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater) happening on November 11 & 12, 2023, 7:30 PM. The rerun cast includes Nomher Nival, Anna Migallos, Carlo Falcis, Iona Ventocilla-Borja, Roby Malubay, Fritz Rivera, and Raymond Yadao with Oliver Salonga on the piano.

There is also opera at the cinema with the CCP's Met: Live in HD Season 8's latest offering, Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel this November 7, 2023, 5:30 PM at Greenbelt 3. This Richard Jones and John Macfarlane staging, which is sung in English, stars Alice Coote and Christine Schäfer as the titular siblings, tenor Philip Langridge as the Witch, while Vladimir Jurowski conducts the Met Orchestra.

On the jazz end of things, there's Awé featuring saxophonist Samy Thiébault and bassist Felipe Cabrera happening on November 9, 2023, 7:00 PM at the Alliance Française de Manille. This jazz concert, an installment of Les Jeudis Culturels, is presented by the Embassy of France and the Alliance Française de Manille.

The duo will also conduct a Jazz Masterclass at 2:00 PM before their evening performance. The performance is for free but one needs to register first while the masterclass will incur a fee for admission.

The Metropolitan Theater will also present Palabas and Pamana: Mga Hiyas ng Komedya at Sarsuwela happening on November 9, 2023, 7:00 PM. Featuring excerpts of komedyas and sarsuwelas of yesteryears, this production boasts a cast of theater heavyweights and more that includes Arman Ferrer, Gio Gahol, Carla Guevarra-Laforteza, Ayen Munji-Laurel, Marynor Madamesila, Shiela Valderrama-Martinez, Stella Cañete-Mendoza, Gab Pangilinan, Stephanie Quintin-Avila, Katrine Sunga, Rody Vera, Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Komedya ng Don Galo, Komedya ng San Dionisio, Malaya Dance Theater, and Conchords.

As of writing, the registration link is not yet uploaded and based on experience, seats for the Met's free offerings get snagged up in a matter of minutes. Better keep your eyes peeled on the Met's Facebook page before the top of every hour to secure your seats.

The recitals of the Manila Piano Artist Series continue with pianist Denise See and the group OperaJuan. Denise See's Journey, on November 11, 2023, 6:00 PM, will have the multi-awarded pianist perform pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, and Claude Debussy. OperaJuan's On Demand, on November 12, 2023, 7:00 PM is unique that it gives the audience the power to choose what the singers, namely Hannah Korin Castillo, Harrah Kay Castillo, Renz Nathaniel Cruz, Paul Jacob Enriquez, Angelo Esperanzate, Sam Fernandez, Camille Maica Juanitez, Jeric Paul Lim, Aindrielle Madelo, and Czarina Joy Villa, with pianist, Leroy Rodriguez, get to perform.

Both Journey and On Demand take place at the Manila Pianos Showroom at Ronac Lifestyle Center, Paseo de Magallanes, Makati.

Lastly, a couple of Polish musicians, cellist Zdzisław Łapiński and folk musician Maria Pomianowska are currently in town for a series of performances and masterclasses. The masterclass already took place over the weekend but their lecture-concert, Treasures of Polish Music, happens today, November 6, 2023, 6:30 PM at the UP College of Music's Mini Hall. Apart from Łapiński and Pomianowska, the concert will also feature local artists namely pianist Ena Maria Aldecoa and percussionist Teresa "Tusa" Montes. Makes a lot of sense since this year marks 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and Poland.

Seat reservations for the concert can be made via writing to Ricardo Juanito "RJ" Balledos rballedos@up.edu.ph, that is if reservations are still open.

Here is a brief rundown of the classical music and more scene happening this week.

November 6, 2023

Treasures of Polish Music

November 7, 2023

Hansel and Gretel

November 9, 2023

Awé

Palabas at Pamana: Mga Hiyas ng Komedya at Sarsuwela

November 10, 2023

Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci

November 11, 2023

Journey

La Bohème

November 12, 2023

Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci

On Demand

La Bohème

Based on how much I have written above, I don't know if this is what I really meant as more relaxed blogging. This only goes to show that the classical music scene is not relaxing at all with more performances on the horizon. I hope that readers get to watch and enjoy a performance or two, or perhaps three this week.

Cellist Wen-Sinn Yang headlines PPO's Italian Night concert

Cellist Wen-Sinn Yang headlines the Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra's second subscription series concert happening on October 13, 2023, 7:30 PM at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati.

Presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the concert, billed as Italian Night, sees the Swiss-born cellist Wen-Sinn Yang perform Antonin Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191. The PPO, led by current Music Director/Principal Conductor, Grzegorz Nowak, will also perform Angel Peña's arrangement of Sarung Banggi: A Symphonic Serenade by Potenciano Gregorio Sr. and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op.90 "Italian", hence the title of the concert.

Wen-Sinn Yang 

Enthusiasm for the unknown and constant research distinguishes Wen-Sinn Yang as one of the most versatile cellists of the present day. His performances not only revive the music of nineteenth-century cello virtuosos such as Adrien François Servais and Karl Yulievich Davydov but also introduce his audiences to such modern composers as Aribert Reimann and Isang Yun.

Alongside his activities as an internationally renowned soloist under conductors including Sir Colin Davis, Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Shiao-Chia Lü, Grzegorz Nowak, Daniel Klajner, Yukata Sado and Michael Hofstetter and with such orchestras as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra the Shanghai Symphony, the NHK Tokyo, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Russian State Orchestra of Moscow, Wen-Sinn Yang is also a highly sought-after chamber music partner. His mastery and technical skill are not only strongly expressive but also particularly sensitive, which continues to open up ever-new listening perspectives.

Wen-Sinn Yang's wide-ranging repertoire is documented on more than 30 CDs. These include not only the principal works for violoncello by Boccherini, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Saint-Saens, Lalo, Tchaikovsky, and Dvořák but also compositions by Henri Vieuxtemps, Frank Martin, Leonid Sabaneev and Sofia Gubaidulina. Many of these are distinguished as premiere recordings.

Yang has been a professor of Violoncello at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich since 2004 and also regularly conducts international master courses.

Maestro Grzegorz Nowak is currently the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s Music Director and Principal Conductor. He is likewise a permanent associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, UK. He was music director of the Polish National Opera, Warsaw, Poland from 2017-2020 and other orchestras in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA. He has conducted orchestral music recorded in over 80 CDs that have received awards and 5-star ratings.

The Philippine Philharmonic's 39th concert season dubbed as Switch is made possible with partners SSI Group, Inc., TBWA\SMP, Ascott Bonifacio Global City, and Lyf Malate Manila.