PH Chosen as Theme Country, UP Students Take Spotlight at 7th ASEAN-China Music Festival
The University of the Philippines Tugma Ensemble, with students from the Music College of the Guangxi Arts University, perform a musical number at the opening ceremony of the Seventh China-ASEAN Music Festival. (Guangzhou PCG photo)
GUANGZHOU 15 June 2018 – The Philippines was chosen as the country of honor at the Seventh ASEAN-China Music Festival held in the city of Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China.
The festival, held annually, ran from 29 May to 03 June 2018. It aims to bring together musical troupes of the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries and China to engage in exchanges, performances and academic workshops.
The Philippine delegation to the festival was led by National Artist and University Professor Emeritus Ramon P. Santos, and composed of the Tugma Ensemble and Padayon Rondalla and faculty members from the University of the Philippines (U.P.) College of Music.
Addressing the festival’s opening ceremony, Vice Consul Ajeet-Victor S. Panemanglor of the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou underscored the importance of such cultural exchanges.
“These kinds of activities bring different peoples together and help to deepen the understanding of each other’s cultures and traditions through music. The Philippines is honored to be chosen as the first ever Theme Country for the festival, especially as we Filipinos pride ourselves in the richness of our musical soul,” Vice Consul Panemanglor said.
An exhibition and workshop was held on Filipino gong and bamboo instruments, as well as various indigenous Filipino musical styles. Part of the exhibit featured an elaborate kulintang set, which U.P. donated to the Guangxi Arts University for display in the latter’s music museum.
The festival also featured a Summit Forum on the Philippines, during which various resource persons from the U.P. College of Music lectured on the various stages of Filipino music, from the indigenous to the Spanish-influenced and the modern. There were also short presentations on specific musical styles among the indigenous communities in Aklan and Davao Del Norte, as well the tradition of Fujian Nanguan music among the Filipino-Chinese community.
Performances were also held throughout the festival by groups coming from Viet Nam, Malaysia, Myanmar, the United States, Russia, Luxembourg, France, Japan, Poland, and from across China and Hong Kong. END
University of the Philippines College of Music students demonstrate how to perform on various indigenous Filipino bamboo instruments at the Exhibition of Philippine Traditional Musical Instruments. (Guangzhou PCG photo)
UP College of Music students give a demonstration on the kulintang set that was donated by the PHL delegation to the Guangxi Arts University. (Guangzhou PCG photo)
For more information, visit www.guangzhoupcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinGuangzhou.