By Darwin Pesco
Celebrating its 45th Anniversary, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) announced its plan to kick-start this year’s outreach concert, which aims to educate the youngsters who want to pursue music career from north to south of the country.
“CCP brings art to the people,” said Cultural Center of the Philippines President Arsenio Lizaso after the signing of contract at the Roma Solon in the Manila Hotel. The contract was penned among various local government units, embassies, and private institutions to bring music to the people instead of them coming to the CCP.
The country’s leading orchestra’s outreach has started on the first week of August at the University of Baguio with the help of Tourism Promotions Board and Pine Cone Movement and in cooperation with the Department of Tourism of Cordillera Administrative Region. A day before the concert, a Masterclass Woodwind and Brass was also officiated.
Also, CCP has a target of more or less 3,000 students all over the country to develop their love for music especially the classic ones. Their concert serves new wave of performances through making symphonic sound into pop songs.
CCP President Lizaso added that balancing the repertoire and expanding the term properly are the efforts of the CCP to persuade millennials having to listen to classical music. Additionally, the challenge for the orchestra nowadays is how to convert pop into symphonic. Hence, whenever they have a performance they always include pop songs in their set list.
While, Dr. Rachel Marie Rosario of the Philippine Cancer Society recognized the importance of PPO’s continuous effort to their patients. “Music is healing,” emphasized Dr. Rosario acknowledging the power of music to everyone.
Next spots of the outreach performance will be in Davao on Nov. 23 and 24 at the University of Southeastern Philippines, UP Diliman on Dec. 8, in Nueva Ecija on Dec. 20, and in Bacolod on Jan. 29.
Furthermore, the PPO is seeing a possibility to expand the outreach performance in Sorsogon, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, and Leyte.
Another highlight of the orchestra’s anniversary is the opening of its 36th concert series beginning this month. Performance will be under the baton of Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura, who has extended his term for a year.
Every month until April, the concert series will feature French pianist Monique Duphil, Chinese violinist Lee-Chin Siow, Japanese violinist Ryu Goto, Filipino violinist Joaquin Gutierrez and Maestro Herminigildo Ranera, Filipina pianist Hiyas Hila, Hungarian pianist and conductor Tamas Vasary, Hong Kong cellist Ray Wang, and ending the series is the Japanese guitarist Kiyoshi Shomura.
The PPO’s annual concert series will commence at 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 14 at the CCP Main Theater.
