Written by Vice President for Internal, Ate Charmain Tan
This evening we invited the children of John D.V. Salvador Foundation to once again enjoy the wonderful performance of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, Cultural Center of the Philippines’s main theater. The foundation provides assistance to children in Tondo and Binondo communities.
PPO’s 34th concert season opened in September last year. There have been special performances since it opened featuring the music of Beethoven, Mozart, A. Dvorak, De Falla, and many others. There were also guest soloist of Filipino musicians. This is our third time this year to be invited to the concerts. The first was on January 20th where we brought different kids but also from JD Salvador Foundation. The second was on February 17th where we brought the UNO Kids from the communities around Leveriza Manila.
Tonight’s concert was headed once again by the Japanese conductor Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura, who is the music director for this season of PPO’s “Timeless Classics, New Beginnings”. The performance included songs from F. Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Suite, featuring the popular Wedding March. They also played the music of P.I. Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme and A. Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G. The concert also featured the Filipino talent Cellist Renato Lucas, who was the soloist for the evening. He studied in San Francisco Conservatory of Music and upon his return became the principal cellist of PPO.
The kids watched intently and applauded after each wonderful performance. It was a great opportunity for the kids to be exposed to this kind of music at an early age. We thank Ms Lei Ganaden once again for sharing this great experience with the children.
