Friends and music

For those who are not familiar with the Johann Strauss Society of the Philippines (JSSP) founded in 1999, it is an organization of men and women brought together by a common love of classical music. To coincide with the 100th death anniversary of the great Austrian composer Johann Strauss, JSSP staged the “Vienna Opera Ball” and will continue to feature Viennese concerts with the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to raise funds for the Philippine Cancer Society, Philippine National Red Cross, Santuario de San Antonio Parish and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Over the past nine years, the society has established itself in the circle of classical music lovers, presenting the world’s best-loved masterpieces to local audiences. On the afternoon of Sept. 21, I attended a concert upon the invitation of Fortune Ledesma and Agnes Huibonhua, both JSSP members, in which the program deviated from tradition and added delightful pop music and light classical pieces performed by our country’s top artists — Jose Mari Chan, Karla Guevara-Laforteza and Raul Sunico at the piano, with the support of KLM Airlines, which donated a prize of two business class air tickets to Europe.

Congratulations to the Johann Strauss Society for its hard work, and great music!