Sunico elected CCP president

MANILA, Philippines – Internationally acclaimed concert pianist and music educator Raul Sunico was elected president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) yesterday during the regular monthly board meeting. He takes over from Isabel Caro-Wilson on Oct. 1.

Sunico is currently the CCP’s vice president and artistic director, and was appointed to the CCP board by President Aquino last month.

Sunico holds bachelor’s degrees in Piano (cum laude) and Mathematics from the University of the Philippines; master’s degrees in Piano (from the Julliard School of Music in New York) and Statistics (from the UP); and a doctorate in Piano Performance from New York University.

Before joining the CCP as artistic director in June 2009, he was dean of the College of Music at the University of Sto. Tomas (he is on leave from the UST).

Sunico has written a textbook on music and has recorded several CDs. He is a sought-after concert pianist here and abroad, and also teaches piano and composes and arranges music. He is one of the rare pianists in the world who has played all four concertos of Rachmaninoff in one concert.

Despite the financial difficulties that the CCP is facing, Sunico is determined to maintain the standards of artistic excellence that the CCP has established, as well as meet the needs of various artists and artistic groups even as he seeks to increase the revenue of the Center. He wants to see it “democratized for other groups to have an opportunity to perform here (CCP).”

“Performing at the CCP should not only be available to the companies we now have or to the lessees who could afford it, but also to other groups that are just as deserving,” he told The STAR in an earlier interview.

The CCP operates on an annual budget of around P350 million, with P100 million coming from the government.