Raul Sunico: A true artist

MANILA, Philippines - To Filipino pianists and music enthusiasts, Raul Sunico is an icon.

He is a rare pianist who can play all four Rachmaninoff concertos in a single concert, perform all types of music from classical to contemporary, compose and improvise on the spot. He can quickly arrange a piece for an instrument or an ensemble, learn a new piano concerto in two days, and perform it superbly with the orchestra on the third day, a rare talent that many gifted pianists cannot equal.

The last happened at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) four years ago, when the foreign guest pianist of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) scheduled to perform Bernstein’s “The Age of Anxiety” – certainly not an easy piece – was suddenly unable to come. A willing substitute, Sunico performed the work so well, the audience could not tell that he had just learned it!

I had the opportunity to work with him in connection with many CCP programs as well as productions involving the UST Conservatory of Music where he is currently dean, as well as on other projects where his expertise was sought – as it is often sought for many varied projects – including the search for the PPO music director and principal conductor, where he was as member of the search panel. Little did I know – and neither perhaps did he – that he would end up as our boss at the CCP!

For the past eight months, Raul Sunico has been busy in his new post as vice president and artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, a position he assumed in June 2009. With the best qualifications for the position, he brings to the Center not only his experience as an administrator, but also his expertise in music, mathematics and statistics.

Consider this: Sunico holds bachelor’s degrees in Piano (cum laude) and Mathematics (University of the Philippines), master’s degrees in Statistics (UP) and Piano (Juilliard School of Music, New York), and a doctorate in Piano Performance (New York University).

A month and a half after he stepped in as artistic director, Sunico also took over as officer-in-charge of the Office of the President, upon the retirement of Nestor Jardin in July last year. With hardly any time to learn the ropes or get used to the bureaucratic processes and procedures that a government institution like the CCP is subject to, Sunico adapted with surprising ease – and an equanimity that is quite infectious. CCP staff find him approachable, friendly, humble and kind-hearted, with a wonderful sense of humor. He is the first to greet his staff and any other CCP employee he may encounter in the corridors and offices of the complex, with his boyish smile and soft, almost soothing, tone. 

His staff in the Office of the Artistic Director are impressed by his calmness. He always seems able to maintain his cool amidst all the problems that are brought to his attention.

Even as the Center was at its busiest when he came in, preparing for and mounting major projects and productions which included a national choral competition as well as galas and exhibits in celebration of the Center’s 40th anniversary, Sunico was not heard to have raised his voice or seen to have been rattled by all the frenzied activity.

He even faces the piles of folders and documents – growing higher by the day – on his desk with a wry sense of resignation. “It’s part of the job,” he remarked to one visitor.

Both as an arts manager and a sought-after concert pianist, Sunico remarks: “I share the sentiments of my fellow artists that not only material needs should be cared for, but more importantly, the artistic excellence that we all have to strive for whether we are a musician, a visual artist, or a dancer.” 

He finds the element of artistic excellence in the CCP very impressive; the shows and exhibits are all top rate. He says that it is a matter of marketing them and letting people know how beneficial the shows are, not only for their entertainment but for their development as complete human beings. 

Saddled as it is with financial difficulties, Sunico is seeking ways and means to increase the revenue of the Center. He says: “Barring the budgetary constraints, I would like the CCP to be a little bit more democratized for other groups to have an opportunity to perform here. For all genres of the arts, many groups are vying for the support of the CCP not only in terms of venue grants but also for the endorsement. The CCP has established itself as the premier cultural institution. Performing at the CCP should not only be available to the companies we have now or to the lessees who could afford it, but also to other groups that are just as deserving.”

Sunico would like the CCP to have an even more active, dynamic and aggressive outreach program to create greater impact, if funding is available. By this he means reaching out to the provinces, not just through one-time programs but through sustainable projects. 

He wishes to see the country experience a “renaissance miracle,” with its adaptation of the Venezuelan model of “El Sistema,” the music education program initiated in Venezuela more than 30 years ago, of teaching classical instrumental music to children in the grassroots level. The program has dramatically transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of the nation’s neediest children as well as developed artists of international calibre.

Given the natural talent of Filipinos not only for singing, but also their appreciation for music, with enough resources and enough expertise, he would like more and more Filipinos to experience the beauty of arts and culture and to realize its importance in their lives.

Describing his work at the CCP as fulfilling, Sunico faces the financial and political challenges of his office with the inner strength of a seasoned concert artist. One can find him at his third floor office at the the CCP from Tuesdays to Fridays, and at the UST Conservatory of Music on Mondays and Saturdays.

After a long day’s work, he still has the stamina to drive himself to attend as many as three social engagements in one evening. In between his job at the CCP and UST Conservatory of Music, he still manages to concertize abroad, to write a textbook, to arrange music, to record CDs, to teach piano privately, and to compose music – most recently for a spa – and several other activities he is involved in.

Currently, he is in Serbia to judge the Isidor Bajic Memorial International Piano Competition in Novi Sad.

Perhaps his secret is that he “lullabys” himself to sleep with, of all things, sudoku!

The author is head of the CCP Music Division.