MANILA, Philippines - Casa San Miguel, or Creative Alternatives for Social Action in San Miguel, presents its 17th concert season of Pundaquit Festival, the country’s longest-running community-based arts program. The world-acclaimed Philippine Madrigal Singers will perform on March 11 and 12 to celebrate Casa San Miguel’s 17th founding day.
Founded in 1993 in San Antonio, Zambales by international violin virtuoso Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata, the arts fest develops local young talents through workshops, performances, exhibits and residency programs for visiting artists. Titled “R/Evolution,” the program fosters excellence and empowerment through enlightenment and direct mentorship.
On March 27, “Drama’t Emo” concert will revive the Romantic period including compositions of the era’s musical giants such as Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak and Mendelssohn. Cellist David Eggar, 2011 Grammy Awards nominee for his arrangement of Itsbynne reel, a track on his “Kingston Blues” album, serves his week-long summer residency culminating with a concert on April 15.
Regarded as a crossover artist, he will jam with the Pundaquit Virtuosi and Aeta tribes from Botolan who will play indigenous music.
The Festival mounts its annual offering on Good Friday, April 22, of Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ and an Easter concert on April 24 featuring the Minstrels of Hope choir. Concerts will be at the newly-renovated Ramon L. Corpus Hall of Casa San Miguel.
The annual Summer Camp unreels on May 1 to 28 and culminates on June 14 with a grand showcase of the year-long efforts of the 120 scholars and recent works of resident artists.
Casa San Miguel’s resident artists are photographer Paolo Piccones, painters Brendale Tadeo and Carlo Gabuco for visual arts, violinist Olga Elloso and cellist Robert Tismo for music, and the Pinoy Poets and Yaki Lerer for creative writing. Residents mentor 120 local talents in music, visual arts, film, and creative writing the whole year round in preparation for performances, exhibits, and academic pursuits. The series draws to a close on May 28 with the Soloists’ Night with the Pundaquit Virtuosi directed by Olga Elloso and Jourdann Petalver featuring child prodigies Miguel Estrada, Julian Duque, Yvonne Madarang, violist Joven Aquisap and cellist Nehemiah Lipana in solo string concertos. Concert tickets are P1,000 each, including entrance to galleries, pre-show cocktails and post-concert dinner with the artists.
Pundaquit Festival Season 17 is supported by Starbucks Coffee, D and L Industries in partnership with Sony, Lyric Pianos, The Philippine Star, and DZFE The Master’s Touch.
For details, call 681-8304 or add them at Facebook/Casa San Miguel.