PPO wins Bukidnon over with a little help from 'Jopay,' 'Voltes V'

We thought the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) was in trouble opening their concert at the Bukidnon Capitol Grounds in Malaybalay in the early evening of April 12 with "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by composer Franz Liszt.

Surveying the crowd once more---these are ordinary folks from different walks of life! What was the orchestra thinking serving up classical music at the height of, er, happy hour?

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

But PPO maestro Herminigildo Ranera and his "gang" knew what they were doing. By the time, the show ended, people (including teenagers!) were on their feet, chanting, "We want more!"

Well, practice makes perfect. PPO has been doing outreach events in different towns in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for some time now. And they are not the country's leading orchestra bar none since establishment in 1973 for nothing.

While the PPO can easily pander to the audience by delivering what they like to hear (say, an all-pop repertoire), this orchestra is armed with well-rounded repertoire that not only has something for everyone to foster eclectic taste in music; but promotes and preserves the best of Filipino arts and culture.

PPO at Bukidnon Center for Culture and the Arts

So, yes, they perform music from such "ancient" but still revered musical "Sound of Music"---but they also have a 2015 Playlist Medley that includes songs from the likes of Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran. Indeed, their picks for the Best of Metropop were those that won in once-upon-a-time '70s and '80s---but they also bring the house down for the TikTok crowd with a rousing, if not tongue-in-cheek, performance of "Jopay," "Voltes V" theme and the one from "Mission Impossible."

Light classical, standard, broadway, Original Pilipino Music...as that tagline goes, PPO has got it all for you. Maybe a Taylor Swift suite next time will do nicely too.:)

Gian Magdangal and Lara Maigue

And Ranera is such a cool conductor. At times he would step away from baton duties and face the audience to encourage them to sing along or tease them with a we-knew-you'd-love-this look. And did he just dance a bit at one point??? Will wonders never cease?? Did anyone get that on cam????

As part of PPO's outreach programming, there were solo performances on the clarinet by Ariel Sta, Ana and on the bassoon by Fenvee Andra. Featured artists Lara Maigue and Gian Magdangal sang "Go The Distance," "A Million Dreams" from "The Greatest Showman" and "Queen of the Night aria" from "Magic Flute."

Talk about hectic, the PPO held two shows that day. Just few hours earlier, they were at the inauguration of the Bukidnon Center for Culture and the Arts attended by the top public servants of the province. Actually, PPO in Bukidnon was done in cooperation with provincial and local government units under the Office of Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri whose birthday falls on April 13. The center and the concert at Capitol Commons were his birthday gift to the people. Prior to his career in the Senate, Zubiri served the 3rd District of Bukidnon from 1998 to 2007.

Senator Juan Miguel 'Migz' Zubiri 

The theme of the concert at the Bukidnon Center for Culture and the Arts is "One Music, One Bukidnon." Prior the concert, Zubiri led the One Bukidnon Rules Signing Ceremony that underscored the province's thrust on equality and unity in diversity. It should be pointed out that there are seven different tribes in the province namely Talaandig, Higa-onon, Bukidnon, Umayamnon, Matigsalug, Manobo and Tigwahanon.

The PPO is under the Cultural Center of the Philippines that happens to be the country's primary institution for promoting artistic excellence. Further, PPO embodies the values of katotohanan (truth), kagandahan (beauty) and kabutihan (goodness). They don't mind traveling long hours (the nearest airport from Malaybalay is about three hours away by land) and working their butts off to stay true to their mission.

And the outreach events are not just about performances. In Iloilo, as example, the PPO incorporated educational components such as masterclasses under Ranera. There are also concerts where members of the orchestra teach interested young Filipinos about musical instruments.

The CCP Outreach concerts will be in Tacloban and Calbayog on April 26 and 30, in San Pedro, Laguna with Madrigal and Kabataang Gitarista (May 3), Binan, Laguna (May 25 to 27), Tawi-Tawi with Madrigal Singers (August 4), Cagayan de Oro through Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Aug. 15 to 19), Munoz, Nueva Ecija (Dec. 9) and San Agustin Church in Manila (Dec. 18). Be there!