LAS PIÑAS City, Feb. 5, 2015—Classical music aficionados and concert enthusiasts are invited to a special edition of this year’s International Bamboo Organ Festival to be held at St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas from Feb. 19 to 27, which will also mark its 40th anniversary.
This year’s International Bamboo Organ Festival to be held at St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas will run from Feb. 19 to 27, 2015. (Photo: CBCPNews)
The program committee has prepared a series of concerts sure to interest those eager to hear good music inside a church, as well as to introduce Filipinos to the world of classical church music.
Highlights include:
- “Gloria and Agnus Dei from the B minor Mass” by Johann Sebastian Bach (Feb.20-22);
- the “Concert under the Trees” with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under Olivier Ochanine (Feb. 21);
- two recitals by the world-famous Swiss organist Guy Bovet (Feb. 23 and 24); and
- a paraliturgy tagged “Exodus” with music to commemorate Good Friday, Easter, and Pentecost composed by Fr. Nic Sengson (Feb. 26 and 27)
The anniversary aims to showcase 40 years of music-making since the instrument’s restoration with performances by Prof. Armando Salarza, titular organist of the Bamboo Organ and choirmaster of the Las Piñas Boys Choir.
Began in 1976, a year after the organ’s return from Germany where it had been restored, the Festival was inspired by a series of inaugural concerts held to celebrate the instrument’s homecoming.
The event was so well received that locals asked for a repeat. Thus, the Festival was born.
The Festival is the initiative of St. Joseph Parish through the Bamboo Organ Foundation, Inc. with support from private individuals, government agencies, and local corporations.
Major sponsors are the Manila Hotel, the European Community, the Las Piñas City government, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Department of Tourism (DOT), Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), and St. James the Greater Parish.
For a complete list of performances, interested parties may visit www.bambooorgan.org.
For ticket reservations, interested parties may contact the Bamboo Organ Foundation, Inc. at (02) 825-71-90 or (02) 820-07-95. (Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)
