The country’s national orchestra, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, recently launched a new concert series apart from the regular season concerts at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

PPO’s Out of the Box features a thematic selection of orchestral music, veering away from the usual coat-and-tie repertoire they play at the CCP’s Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. Not only that, each concert is a collaboration between the PPO and several university arts organizations. The venue for this absolutely FREE concerts is the Rizal Park Open Auditorium.

They have this at Rizal Park! Have not visited the park for quite a while.
They have this at Rizal Park! Have not visited the park for quite a while.

Their season concerts started last November, featuring Andres Bonifacio who celebrated his sesquicentennial birth anniversary. For December, they did a Christmas-themed program.

I took my mom and my daughter to their most recent offering, last January 18. We came in early, so we took her around first.

CIMG1355
We took her to a horsey ride! (a bit of a tip: make sure you only pay around P200-P250 for the trip, and NOT P150 PER person. MAKE IT CLEAR! We almost got cheated.).

 

We also chanced upon the lights and sounds show. It goes all night long (hmmm I wonder how much the local government spends on this; it can be quite expensive).
We also chanced upon the lights and sounds show. It goes all night long (hmmm I wonder how much the local government spends on this; it can be quite expensive).
The FEU Bamboo Band served as front act for the PPO. They did really well!
The FEU Bamboo Band served as front act for the PPO. They did really well!

It’s showtime! Good thing the theme for the concert was about nature. Aria was familiar with most of the music there (which come from Grieg’s Peer Gynt, Tchaikowsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Saint-Saen’s Carnival of the Animals, among others).

With the FEU Dancers.
With the FEU Dancers. They also had numbers with the FEU Chorale and the FEU Drum and Bugle Band.
With the ethusiastc and receptive audience, all 1,300+ of us!
With the receptive audience, all 1,300+ of us!
Final photo from the other side of the amphitheater with their enthusiastic conductor, Olivier Ochanine
Final photo from the other side of the amphitheater with their enthusiastic conductor, Olivier Ochanine.

What a wonderful show, especially that it was cause-oriented. The FEU, being the Tamaraw as their school mascot, supports the Tams 2 program of the WWF-Philippines, which aims to double the number of the wild tamaraws by 2020.

Congratulations to the PPO and the FEU for this wonderful collaboration!

 

Want to catch the next show? Then head to the Rizal Park Open Auditorium on FEBRUARY 27, Thursday, 6:00 PM. Check out their Facebook Page for more details.

 

~ Touringkitty

1 Comment on PPO Out of the Box: Not your usual orchestra concerts

  1. Pingback: Aria's 2014 Art Roundup - Touringkitty

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