7th Annual Puerto Galera Reggae Festival

Pinoy Reggae legends once again gathered at the 7th Annual Puerto Galera Reggae Festival at Encenada Beach Resort in Puerto Galera last May 1, 2010.

One of those who took the “riddims” was the Tropical Depression which is also an annual band performer in the event. Tropical Depression, the band which popularized “Kapayapaan”, is spearheaded by founder and band leader Papadom, who is also the lead vocals and riddim guitar, and his longtime musical partner, Bong on lead guitar, together with Lala and Arlene on back-up vocals. The band has marked their legendary beat through headlining several concerts nationwide. They perform in the clubs, music festivals, in high profile shows, up to benefit concerts. But above all, they truly had the “Tropical Depression Infectious Island Riddim” that pumped up the enjoyment especially of the reggae festival’s visitors while enjoying beach football, windsurfing, barbeque, and a lot more until midnight.

Other Reggae bands and guests that joined the festival were Cocojam, the band which popularized “Lakambini” and “Ulap”, Turtle Club, Cool Laki, Grassroots, Kapis, Herb Culture, Wicked Tarsiers and one of the Pinoy great guitarist, Jun Lopito.

The 7th Annual Puerto Galera Reggae Festival is sponsored by Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), PEPSI, Globe Telecom, URC, San Miguel Beer, Starboard Philippines, The Provincial Tourism Office of Calapan City, Mayor’s Office Puerto Galera, Jam 88.3 and NU107.

For more information, contact (02) 3326746, 0928-247-2642, 0923-467-7394, 0916-354-3259.

PSME holds National Music Education Seminar-Workshop 2010

The Philippine Society for Music Education (PSME) held a National Education Seminar-Workshop last April 6 to 8, 2010. The seminar bore its theme “Enhancing Musical and Pedagogical Skills and Resources for Classroom Teaching” that leveled up educators’ basic when it comes to singing, choral organization, and instruments playing.

The workshop had shared broad range of cross-cultural instructional music materials to teachers and updated them on trends and approaches in classroom music instruction.

The delegates on the seminar-workshop were music, arts, physical education and health (MAPEH) teachers, supervisors, and school administrators from both public and private elementary and secondary schools.

Established in 1971, the Philippine Society for Music Education is dedicated to the advancement of music education. With a membership of hundreds of music teachers, musicians, school music administrators, and students, it seeks to provide directions towards creative and effective music instruction on the pre-school, elementary, and secondary levels. It is committed to raising the level of consciousness on the role of music in the aesthetic development of the Filipino, in the formation, preservation, and transmission of cultural heritage, and in the development of nationhood.

The event was made possible by the efforts of Philippine Society for Music Education (PSME) led by President Leticia G. del Valle together with the organization’s officers and members.

For more information, do visit PSME website at www.psme-online.org.

Arts and Music Festival celebrated

The MCO Foundation (Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation) inspired everyone to “Celebrate Life through Arts and Music” on its Chamber Music Festival at the Insular Life Auditorium, Makati last March 5, 12, 19 and 27, 2010.

The festival serenades the attendees with beautiful music performed by some of the country’s most sought-after musicians today. It, specifically, featured on the first day a performance of Ernest Chausson’s Concerto for Piano, Violin, and String Quartet, and Robert Schumann’s Piano Trio no. 2 as part of a tribute to Robert Schumann’s Centennial Celebration. Artists are pianist Mary Anne Espina, violinist Gina Medina, and cellist Anjo Inacay, and the St. Scholasticas String Quartet.

The March 12 concert, on the other hand, featured guitarist Ruben Reyes and collaborating piano, double bass and percussion players, in works by diverse composers including Alexandre Tansman and Claude Bolling. 

On March 19, moreover, featured chamber performances of opera excerpts by Mozart, Offenbach, Verdi, Bellini, performed by soprano Camille Lopez Molina, soprano Jennifer Uy, tenor Randy Gilongo and bass-baritone Noel Azcona with pianist Peter Porticos.

For the festival-ender on March 27, singing actress Nenen Espina and guest artists present melodies from the American Songbook, including works by Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers.

The MCO Foundation Secretariat can be contacted at 750-0768.

JFM Stages 2010 Nihongo Fiesta at Mall of Asia

Immerse yourself into the fascinating world of Japanese culture on February 27, 2010, as the Japan Foundation, Manila (JFM) and SM Mall of Asia, hold the 2010 Nihongo Fiesta at the SM Mall of Asia Cinema and Main Mall Atrium.

The annual festival, which promotes international cultural and arts exchange between Japan and the Philippines, will include a highly-anticipated Nihongo speech contest, a fun and hip Japanese and Filipino Street Fashion Exhibit and Contest, and an exciting J-Rock (Japanese rock) Concert.

Filipino students and professionals who want to show off their linguistic skills in Nihongo are invited to join the 37th Nihongo Speech Contest and get a chance to win an all-expense paid week-long study tour in Japan. In line with JFM’s objective of promoting cultural exchange through Japanese Language Education, participants are required to deliver their own original compositions on a subject of their choice. High School Nihongo beginners, on the other hand, can participate in the 2nd Nihongo Quiz Bee for High School Students to showcase their knowledge in Japanese language and culture. Both contests will be held in Cinema 2 of Mall of Asia; from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Aside from showcasing the Japanese language, the Nihongo Fiesta will also put on display the stylish and edgy characters that descend the streets of Tokyo in the Japanese and Filipino Street Fashion Exhibit and Contest. The trendy Tokyoites are captured in a photo exhibition along with Manila’s very own interpretation of street fashion through the watchful eyes of Filipino fashion designer and style blogger Cecile Zamora Van Straten, and curated by Team Manila. Guests are invited to express their individuality, dress up in their street style best, and turn the hallways of Mall of Asia into urban center catwalks on February 27. Roving “style scouts” will choose the best dressed and the winner will take home a cash prize and Japanese fashion products. The Japanese and Filipino Street Fashion Exhibit and Contest will run from February 22 to 28 in the Main Mall Atrium of SM Mall of Asia.

Finally, cap off the Nihongo Fiesta festivities in the evening with fantastic music and dancing at the J-Rock Concert featuring the influential Japanese punk-pop-rock band Shonen Knife. Fresh from their US tour, the all-female group, which has gained a worldwide cult following, will rock out with the country’s all-male dunk (dance and punk) band, Pedicab in a one-night only free concert at Mall of Asia’s San Miguel by the Bay from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

The 2010 Nihongo Fiesta is supported by the following media partners: Manila Bulletin, NU 107 and ClicktheCity.com.

Admission is free to all 2010 Nihongo Fiesta events. For inquiries, contact the JFM at (632) 811-6155 or email email@jfmo.org.ph or visit their website at www.jfmo.org.ph.

CCP Sets Stage for First Philippine Guitar Fest

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and The Guitar Friends will hold the First Philippine International Guitar Festival 2010 from January 28 to 31 at the CCP in Pasay City. With the objective of promoting the Classical Guitar, the festival offers exciting musical performances by outstanding guitarists from the Philippines and abroad.

Maestro Jose Valdez, who is considered to be one of the best guitar teachers in the country, is the director of the Festival. Maestro Valdez, who has 35 years of teaching experience, is a lecturer and professor at the University of the Philippines, Philippine Women’s University, St. Scholastica’s College, Philippine National University, La Concordia College and St. Paul University. He is a pioneer of all major guitar courses in most schools in the Philippines. The CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Arts ranks him as one of the pioneers of classical guitar in the country.

Among those performing in the Festival are Mr. Steve Lin, Mr. Michael Dadap, Mr. Jose Valdez, Mr. Perfecto de Castro, Mr. Sixto Roxas, Mr. Kasilag Guitar Trio, Tabs, UP Guitar Orchestra, Fundacion Centro Flamenco and the winners of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists 2009 Guitar Category. More artists and groups, including the Manila Symphony Orchestra, are expected to be added to the list of performers in the Festival. One of the highlights of the Festival will be the concert by a Spanish guitar soloist to be brought in by Instituto Cervantes.

Mr. Steve Lin is a renowned international artist who has concertized throughout the US, Italy, the Philippines and Taiwan. An award winning guitarist and a recording artist, Mr. Lin teaches guitar at the San Jose State University and Northern California School of Music. He has a master’s degree from Yale School of Music and is completing his doctorate at the New England Conservatory under Eliot Fiske.

Mr. Michael Dadap has been artistic/music director and conductor of The Children’s Orchestra Society since 1984. He studied at UP, the Mannes College of Music and the Juilliard School. As a conductor, he has conducted and collaborated with some of the world’s most renowned concert artists. As an accomplished classical guitarist, he made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1974 and has since performed in numerous concerts internationally.

Mr. Sixto “Butch” Roxas is a highly respected guitarist currently helping reestablish as well as playing for the UST Jazz Orchestra together with conductor/saxophonist Mr. Tots Tolentino. He studied at the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston and took guitar courses in various institutions abroad such as the Schola Cantorum in Paris and in Barcelona, Spain with Maestro Josep Henriquez under a grant from the Agencia Española. He is a faculty member of the UST Conservatory of Music.

Mr. Perfecto de Castro is hailed as one of the best Filipino guitarists. A graduate of PWU School of Music, he studied with Maestro Jose Valdez. The Laudarra, or the Ten String Classical Guitar, is Castro’s instrument of choice. He has collaborated with composers all over the world to add to the repertoire of the Ten String Guitar. He is a founding member of the Kasilag Guitar Quartet.

Fundacion Centro Flamenco is an organization dedicated to the promotion of the art of flamenco music and dance.

The Guitar Friends, which is spearheading the Festival, is composed of guitar aficionados of varying levels of expertise in guitar performance brought together by their love for guitar and their association with Maestro Jose Valdez, the Festival director. The Guitar Friends support the Guitar Immersion Program of Maestro Valdez and conducts activities such as campus concerts and master classes.

The 1st Philippine International Guitar Festival 2010 will offer master classes and lectures on topics such as “Building a Performing Career,” “Flamenco,” “A Guitarist’s Pain,” “Jazz Improvisation,” “Ensemble Playing” and “Musicality, Intelligence and Technique.” The Festival will also feature booths and displays by guitar makers and manufacturers.

The 1st Philippine International Guitar Festival 2010 is sponsored by CCP, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), SMART Communications, Inc., and Rudolf Lietz, Inc.

For details, call (63917) 526-6377, (63920) 498-2720, (63915) 921-3440, e-mail philguitarfest@gmail.com or visit http://philguitarfest.blogspot.com.

Philippine Extreme Sports and Rock Festival Urges Super X-Series for RHB Muziklaban 2009

Muziklaban once more staged another milestone from the usual band concerts it brings! Last December 5, 2009, Muziklaban brought the Philippine Extreme Sports and Rock Festival Urge Super X-Series Xports and Music Tour 2009 to rock with the athletes-on-the-streets.

Aside from the known bands of the generation such as Slapshock and Jeepney Joyride, Skateboarders and BMX Stuntmen gathered together at the Open Parking, (Near Brick Road, Imelda Ave.Entrance), Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall and joined the event that also featured the Grand Finals of Skateboarding and BMX Stunt Park Competition, Best Trick Contest, Big Air Contest, Professional Demonstrations, and Interactive events.

Other bands who joined the event were Chonckeys, Even, More Than Linda, Descant Gott, Live Tilapia, Intolerant, April Morning Skies, COG, Bloodshed, and Hardboiledeggz.

Red Horse Muziklaban is an annual rock band competition that has been held in the Philippines since 1999 and is sponsored by San Miguel Brewery for Red Horse Beer.

The Philippine Extreme Sports and Rock Festival Urge Super X-Series Xports and Music Tour 2009 was sponsored by San Miguel Brewery Inc., Dickies, Daily Tribune, NU 107, The Manila Times, MonsterRadio RX 93.1, Rakista.com, Tonight , and Hotel SOGO.

For more information about the event, do visit the websites www.urgesuperx.com or www.redhorsebeer.com.

Local, International Musicians Take Part in San Agustin International Music Festival

The finest musicians from here and abroad will once again grace the San Agustin International Music Festival, the premiere musical event in Intramuros, Manila, scheduled on November 25 to 27, 2009 at the San Agustin Church.

Now on its eleventh edition, guests will be treated to the majestic sound of the 18th-century pipe organ, the country’s biggest Filipino-Spanish baroque organ which was restored in 1998 and premiered in the inaugural San Agustin music fest in 1999.

Taking center stage in this year’s concert are Spanish lady organist Ana Aguado Rojo and Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra principal clarinetist Ariel Sta. Ana who will both perform in the three evening concerts.

According to San Agustin Museum director Fr. Pedro Galende, this year’s concert series is doubly special because it marks the festival’s 10^th anniversary and the first time to feature a lady organist.

The concert opens on November 25 with Ms. Rojo’s rendition of rare 16^th-century Spanish organ pieces, Mr. Sta. Ana’s Concerto No. 3 by Carl Stamitz, and the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers under choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio interpreting classical well-loved choral works.

Ms. Rojo and Mr. Sta. Ana return on November 26 with mostly Baroque organ and clarinet music, to be followed by the award-winning Kilyawan Boys Choir, singing under the baton of Mark Anthony Carpio.

The Festival draws to a close on November 27 with a powerhouse performance of Beethoven’s regal Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy) by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Ruggero Barbieri. Featured soloists are soprano Rachelle Gerodias, New York-based Filipino baritone Andrew Fernando, Italian tenor Gian Luca Pasolini and Italian alto Simona Forni. Joining the Philippine Madrigal Singers, are other Madz et. al choirs - Coro de Sta. Cecilia, Coro Animo, College of the Immaculate Conception Chorale, and Maryknoll Sanctuary Choir.

The 11th San Agustin International Music Festival is sponsored by the Embassy of Spain, Agencia Española Cooperación Internaciónal para el Desarollo, Instituto Cervantes, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Embassy of the Republic of Italy in the Philippines, DZFE 98.7 The Master’s Touch, Traders Hotel Manila, Philippine Italian Association, L’Incontro Ristorante Italiano, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Department of Tourism, and the Friends of San Agustín Museum.

For more information about the event, contact San Agustin Museum at (632) 526-6793 to 94 or 527-4060 to 61, or email samuseum@zpdee.net.

Philippines' Best Choirmasters Leads Masterclass Series

The country's best choirmasters and conductors will spearhead the upcoming National Masterclass Series for Choral Conductors Regional Convention for Visayas and Mindanao slated on November 19 - 22, 2009 at the University of the Visayas in Cebu City.

Organized by the Philippine Choral Directors Association (PCDA), in cooperation with the University of the Visayas (UV), the main objective of this workshop is to offer basic and advanced training for local conductors, and provide an opportunity to raise their standards and awareness to the international level, while honing their skills, and making information available to a wide choral network.

The masterclass speakers for the Visayas and Mindanao series include:

Speaker	Topic
Ms. Anna Abeleda – Piquero, conductor, UV Chorale	Basic Conducting
Mr. Eudenice Palaruan, veteran arranger and conductor of the San Miguel Master Chorale	Advance Conducting
Mr. Edgardo Manguiat, founder and conductor of the U.P. Singing Ambassadors (UPSA)	Vocal Techniques
Msrg. Rudolfo “Rudy” Villanueva, famed writer, composer, and arranger	Visayan music for liturgy
Mr. Arwin Tan, conductor, Cultural Center of the Philippines Chorale and Novo Concertante	Solfege, Music Theory, and Choral Arranging
Mr. Leonyl Clarence Torres, Head, Junior Philippine Conductors' Association	Movement and Choreography

The first series of the National Masterclass was held last April 14 – 18, 2009 at the Saint Louis University (SLU) in Baguio City. Among the speakers during the event include PCDA President Jonathan Velasco, Interkultur Foundation Director for Asia Thomas Schuele, Philippine Male Singers conductor Robert Delgado, SLU – Center for Culture and the Arts Director Rebecca Nulud, University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers Conductor Mark Anthony Carpio, Mr. Arwin Tan, and Ms. Anna Piquero.

Interested participants can download the application form here. For more information, contact Mr. Leonyl Torres at (63920) 941-665 or Ms. Anna Piquero at (63917) 806-4358 or email choral_directors@yahoo.com.ph.

Genesis: A CCP 40th Anniversary Special with Cecile Licad and Alban Gerhardt

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), in celebration of its 40th anniversary, presented Genesis – two nights of classical music with renowned Filipina pianist Cecile Licad and internationally acclaimed cellist Alban Gerhardt - last Sept. 15 and 16 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).

The night of Sept. 15 saw to a repertoire of renditions of Fredric Chopin’s Scherzo No. 3, Gyorgy Ligeti’s Sonata for Cello, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in A, Op. 69, Leos Janacek’s Fairy Tales (1923 Version), and Sergei Prokofievs’s Sonata.

Ms. Licad and Mr. Gerhardt teamed up together with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) Oscar C. Yatco as their Conductor for the second night’s performance, which included Dmitri Shostakotvitch’s Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra No. 1, Op. 107 and Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26.

The two-night concert was sponsored by the Manila Broadcasting Company, the Philippine Entertainment Portal, Business World, 92.3 X FM, NU 107, Delta Airlines, and Northwestern Airlines.

For more information regarding ticket prices and other details, please call 832-3704 or 832-1125 loc. 1409. You may also contact Ticket World www.ticketworld.com.ph at 891-9999.

National and College Theater Festival to Open

To highlight the outstanding theater achievements of university-based theater groups, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), through its National Committee on Dramatic Arts, will be holding Tanghal, the fourth National University and College Theater Festival on February 1-5, 2009 as part of the Philippine International Festival (PIAF).

The event will feature a showcase of six exceptional theater performances that will be followed by a conference featuring international guest artists that will tackle the contributions of theater groups in the universities and colleges all over the Philippines in the hopes of forming a National Student Theater Alliance. The fourth Tanghal is aimed at marking the importance of university and college-based theater programs in the Philippine history.

This year’s fourth Tanghal is slated to take place in the National Capital Region (NCR), as the three previous theater festivals were held in the provinces.

The first Tanghal was held in Iloilo City in 2007 and was hosted by the University of San Agustin and the Teatrokon Western Visayas Theater Network. In 2008, Tanghal moved to Zamboanga with the Western Mindanao State University and the local government unit of the City of Zamboanga playing hosts. For the third leg of the theater festival, Tanghal was held at Laguna, hosted by Colegio de San Juan Letran in Calamba in cooperation with the Arts Research and Training Institute in Southern Tagalog, Inc., Linang Laguna Theater Network and the Lusong Luzon Theater Network.

The PIAF is annually held every February as per the Presidential Proclamation No. 683 signed by former President Corazon Aquino in 1991 and is currently undertaken by NCCA headed by its chairman, Dr. Vilma Labrador and its executive director Cecile Guidote Alvarez. Commissioner Ricardo de Ungria, head of the Subcommission on the Arts, is the festival director of PIAF 2010.

For details, contact the NCCA at (632) 527-2192 loca 612-615, email ncca.paio@gmail.com or log on to www.ncca.gov.ph.