Manila Piano Trio Conquers Xiamen City
The Manila Piano Trio, a brainchild of Berlin-based virtuoso concert pianist, Dr. Abelardo G. Galang, II with internationally trained artists, violinist Denise Michelle Santos-Huang and cellist Antoni Josef R. Inacay, performs to a standout crowd in a musical concert, “2019 Xiamen International Friendship Concert” with special participation of the Symphony Orchestra of Xiamen Opera and Dance Drama Theater at the Hongtai Concert Hall, Xiamen City on 13 June 2019. (Xiamen PCG photo)
XIAMEN 03 July 2019 — The Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen successfully staged a musical concert, “2019 Xiamen International Friendship Concert”, featuring the international debut performance of the Manila Piano Trio, with special participation of the Symphony Orchestra of Xiamen Opera and Dance Drama Theater held at the Hongtai Concert Hall in Xiamen City on 13 June 2019.
The concert forms part of the Consulate General’s commemoration of the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and mainstreaming activity of Sentro Rizal-Xiamen and cultural diplomacy thrusts for 2019.
It is a joint collaboration of the Consulate General, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Foreign Affairs Office of Xiamen Municipal People’s Government (Xiamen FAO) and Xiamen People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
The Trio serenaded and awed the crowd with a standout performance and rendition of timeless suites of Filipino music, western classic and Chinese love songs followed by Xiamen Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of “Serenade in C and G Majors by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky”.
The concert was well received by close to 800 guests in attendance which included high level Chinese Government officials, business sector, academe, members of the Filipino community, media and the general public.
The Trio is a brainchild of Berlin-based virtuoso concert pianist Dr. Abelardo G. Galang II, which was formed in late 2017 with internationally trained artists, violinist Denise Michelle Santos-Huang and cellist Antoni Josef R. Inacay.
The group is a resident chamber ensemble of the Philippine Women’s University-School of Music. Both Ms. Santos-Huang and Mr. Inacay are United States-trained, while pianist Dr. Galang was trained in Japan and Germany.
The Symphony Orchestra of Xiamen Opera and Dance Drama Theater, believed to be one of the best ensembles of its kind in China, was founded in 1996. As a municipal state-owned ensemble, it performs in major cultural, artistic and foreign affairs activities in Xiamen led by its multi-awarded conductor Zhou Ke and concert master Li Lei. END
The Manila Piano with the Symphony Orchestra of Xiamen Opera and Dance Drama Theater. The performances of both ensembles receive high praise and acclamation from the audience. (Xiamen PCG photo)
Consul General to Xiamen Julius Caesar A. Flores (second from left) and the Manila Piano Trio pose for a souvenir photo at the Hongtai Concert Hall in Xiamen City. (Xiamen PCG photo)