3 November 2014 - President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dr. Raul Sunico gave a cultural piano performance on November 02 at the McNeir Hall auditorium in Georgetown University to raise awareness on the emergency restoration aid to the 300-year-old Jesuit-built heritage churches and communities devastated by last year’s 7.2 earthquake and affected by typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan in the province of Bohol in the Philippines.
Dr. Sunico’s piano performance called “Love for Bohol” provided the local Washington, D.C. and Georgetown communities with classical and Filipino masterpieces specially arranged for this event.
“It is through cultural enrichment that opens one’s appreciation to value heritage,” Dr. Sunico said. “It is my hope, through this event, that we increase awareness of the need to save and restore important historical landmarks that transcend cultures.”
Besides his famous footprint as a concert pianist, Dr. Sunico is also an orchestral soloist and a composer-arranger of Philippine music. A recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Sunico has been praised for “unusual gifts of lyricism and poetry in his playing” by his eminent mentor Sascha Gorodnitzki. Dr. Sunico received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Piano Performance from New York University, Master of Music from Julliard School of Music, and Master of Arts in Statistics and Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, both from the University of the Philippines. He completed his Jesuit elementary and secondary education at the Ateneo de Manila.
A special appearance by local Virginian and international pianist Carlos Ibay was the featured artist in the opening of Dr. Sunico’s event. Mr. Ibay’s special gift as a pianist and tenor has earned him a worldwide reputation for his classical musical arrangements, despite his loss of sight.
“We are proud to have both Dr. Sunico and Mr. Ibay to join us in this cultural presentation,” said Mr. Randy Puno, president of Georgetown University’s Club Filipino that is sponsoring the event. “It is an honor for us to engage the student communities of Georgetown University along with both American and Filipino communities, for such worthy endeavor in heritage restoration and cultural preservation.”
Restoration efforts have been initiated by Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia, Jr and his wife, Vicky, immediately after the earthquake struck Bohol last 15 October 2013. The Bohol Restoration Group (BRG) was formed as a result of this call to respond to the disaster and has, since then, been carried out by the work of volunteers in the fields of heritage restoration and preservation, including experts from the National Cathedral, Quinn Evans, Leuterio Thomas, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) International Council on Monuments and Sites, to name a few among the groups involved with stakeholders on the ground in Bohol.
Co-presenting with the Club Filipino of Georgetown University are BRG and the US-Philippines Society in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy. Sponsors supporting this event are Beck, Mack and Oliver, LLC, Mobile.com, Chartered Forex, Inc., and the De Leon-Khanna Foundation. Proceeds of the event will benefit BRG’s ongoing restoration aid for Bohol’s heritage structures. For more information about this fundraising event, ticket sales, restoration efforts in Bohol, and volunteer opportunities, please visit: www.brg-usa.org or contact Mr. Randy Puno at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. END