10 June 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Prague and the Filipino community in the Czech Republic celebrates the 117th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence today, June 10.
Philippine Ambassador to the Czech Republic Victoriano M. Lecaros is the host of the celebration at the Rais Hall, National House of Vinohrady, which features the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus (UPCC) and violinist Joaquin “Chino” Gutierrez.
Ambassador Lecaros and his wife Melissa, are alumni members of UPCC.
Established in 1962, the UPCC is the official choir of the premier university of the Philippines. Known nationally and globally as “Korus,” this group of select students and alumni from different colleges of the state university performs various mixtures of music ranging from classical to contemporary.
Under the vision of its current artistic director and conductor, Prof. Janet Sabas-Aracama, the UP Concert Chorus presented CHOReoCapella (CHORus CHOReographed A CAPELLA), where they performed various arrangements of classical, spiritual, pop and Original Pilipino Music (OPM) classics as part of their 2015 World Tour.
Chino Gutierrez is a young Filipino virtuoso carving a niche in the international arena of classical violin. He began violin studies at age seven and won 2nd prize at the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA). At age 10, he made his orchestral debut at the the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole and his first solo recital in Bach, Mozart, Paganini, Sarate, Wienlawski, and Koresiler, which won first prize as well as public and critical acclaim. At age 12, he won first prize in the NAMCYA high school division.
After his first year at the Philippine Science High School, Chino left for Germany to train under renowned violin pedagogue Jens Ellermann, who recognized him as a major talent of violin and was admitted into the prestigious Hochschule for Musik und Theater Munchen where he studied violin while simultaneously attending a regular German High School.
Chino has participated in master classes in the Philippines, Germany, Italy and China. He has taken lessons and personal coaching from noted violinists such Zachar Bron, Alexander Tomescu, Murizio Sciaretta, Gottfried Schneider, Oscar Yatco, and Gilopez Kabayao. END