Bamboo Organ festival at 40

MANILA, Philippines - St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas will again be the venue for the annual International Bamboo Organ Festival to be held from Feb. 19 to 27. It will be a special anniversary since this will be its 40th edition.  The Festival had its humble beginnings in 1976, one year after the return of the restored bamboo organ from Germany was celebrated with a series of inaugural concerts which were so well attended that people asked for a repeat. 

The program committee has prepared a series of concerts which would interest anyone who wants to hear good music within the walls of a church, different from a concert hall.  Highlights are the Gloria and Agnus Dei from the B minor Mass by J.S. Bach (Feb. 20-22), the Concert under the Trees with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (Feb. 21), two recitals by the world-famous Swiss organist Guy Bovet (Feb. 23 and 24) and a para-liturgy tagged EXODUS with music to celebrate Good Friday, Easter and Pentecost composed by Fr. Nic Sengson (Feb. 26 and 27).

This 40th anniversary festival will showcase the results of 40 years of music-making around the bamboo organ shown in the performances of Prof. Armando Salarza, titular organist of the bamboo organ and choirmaster of the Las Piñas Boys Choir.

Another result: six appearances at past festivals inspired Guy Bovet to write the Manila Orgelbüchlein, with organ accompaniments for  26 popular Tagalog hymns (composed by Hontiveros, Ramirez, Que, Francisco, Sengson).

The festival is back to its mission to expose the local population to the world of classical music during its Concert under the Trees with the PPO under the baton of Olivier Ochanine. Lastly, the Festival continues to contribute to the enrichment of Filipino church music. Fr. Nic Sengson was requested to complete his cycle of liturgical music, this year providing music for the liturgy of the Resurrection, Exodus.

The Bamboo Organ Festival is the initiative of the parish through the Bamboo Organ Foundation, Inc. which is entirely depending on the support from private individuals, government agencies and local corporations. Major sponsors are the Manila Hotel, the European Community, the City Government of Las Piñas, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Department of Tourism, Cultural Center of the Philippines and St. James the Greater Parish.    

For more information and a complete listing of performances, visit www.bambooorgan.org or call the Bamboo Organ Foundation at 825-7190.