As part of its 50th Anniversary Concert Series of the Abelardo Hall Auditorium, the UP College of Music presents Biyaheng Diliman: An Evening of Philippine Music on July 10, 2013 at 6:30 pm. The concert features visiting Filipino American artists from Boston, Massachusetts, USA , the Boston Iskwelahang Pilipino Rondalla Ensemble.
Iskwelahang Pilipino (IP) was formed in 1976 by a group of parents in Bedford, Massachusetts who needed to create this learning environment for their children. A volunteer based not-for-profit organization, IP is the “longest continuously running Filipino school in the United States” (FAHNS, Seattle, Washington). The rondalla program was established 10 years later by Cristina Castro. Under the musical direction of classical guitarist, Michael Dadap, and his successor Christi-Anne Castro, the IP Rondalla has developed into a versatile ensemble capable of playing folk, popular, and art music, as well as contemporary compositions for rondalla. The students quickly found that they could incorporate dance and movement into their repertoire, a first for rondallas in general and a signature of the IP Rondalla to this day.
Over the years, the IP Rondalla has matured as a truly Filipino American expression. The Rondalla regularly performs at colleges, folk festivals and other Filipino American events raising awareness about Filipino Americans and the Philippines and eliciting nostalgia for the homeland among Filipino expatriates through familiar tunes. Other highlights for the rondalla in the US include playing at the United Nations in NYC, twice performing for then- President Fidel Ramos, and devoting a concert to the Filipino maestro, Nitoy Gonzales. The rondalla has 2 CDs: Crossing Over (1995) and Pasko Sa America! (2002), an album of Filipino and Western Christmas favorites.
Biyaheng Diliman also features the special participation of the UP Tugtugang Musika Asyatika (UP Tugma), the student organization of Asian Music and Musicology majors at the UP College of Music. UP Tugma comprises of a number of performing ensembles including Chinese Sizhu, Japanese Koto, Javanese Gamelan, Korean Samulnori and Philippine Traditional music. The group has represented the country in international festivals in Hunan province, China and in various cities in Thailand. For this concert, the group will be presenting songs and dances of the Panay Bukidnon and the Maguindanao.
Tickets for the show are priced at P250 with special discounts for students and the elderly. For more details, please call 9818500 loc. 2639 and 9296963.
Journal of Philippine Music 