To mark Buwan ng Wika in August, “Opera at Kundiman: The Legacy of Maestra Conching Rosal” will be presented on Aug. 29 by the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) Foundation Inc. and Standard Insurance, co-presented by EastWest Bank, ACMobility, and BYD, and in partnership with Far Eastern University (FEU) under “In Pursuit of Excellence: Celebration—The MSO Centennial Season.”
Many music lovers today may be surprised to know that one of the world’s most celebrated operas was performed in Tagalog. Exactly 70 years ago on Aug. 29, 1956, the MSO staged Georges Bizet’s opera, “Carmen” (1875), at the FEU Auditorium, which served as the orchestra’s home throughout much of the 1950s.
Celebrating its 98th anniversary this year, FEU remains one of the country’s foremost educational and cultural institutions. Its auditorium, inaugurated in 1949, is a celebrated art deco masterpiece designed by National Artist for Architecture Pablo Antonio Sr.
The musical director then was Herbert Zipper, the successor of MSO founder Alexander Lippay. In the production staged by his wife, Trudl Dubsky-Zipper, “Carmen” was presented, not in the original French, but in Tagalog using a translation by Manuel Carballo Santiago and Vicente Liwag. The title role was performed by a young Filipino soprano who would go on to become one of the country’s most distinguished opera singers: Conchita “Conching” H. Rosal.
This year, the MSO revisits this remarkable era in Philippine musical history through “Opera at Kundiman: The Legacy of Maestra Conching Rosal,” the fourth concert of its Centennial Season. The performance celebrates not only the MSO’s 100th anniversary but also the 100th birth anniversary of Rosal and her lasting legacy in both Philippine opera and kundiman.
Born in San Jose, Batangas, in 1926, Rosal discovered her love for singing in her parish church before pursuing formal studies at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music. She established herself as a leading soprano through acclaimed performances in productions such as “Madama Butterfly,” “Aida,” and “Ang Kiri,” and was a defining voice of Philippine opera during the 1950s–1970s.
While Rosal earned acclaim on the operatic stage, she was equally devoted to kundiman. Through her concerts and recordings, she helped preserve and popularize many of the Philippines’ best-loved art songs, introducing generations of Filipinos to this treasured musical tradition. Reflecting this legacy, the Aug. 29 program features kundiman and Filipino vocal works by Nicanor Abelardo, Francisco Santiago, Leopoldo Silos, Constancio de Guzman, and Manuel Velez, alongside selections from Bizet’s “Carmen,” to be performed, once again, in Tagalog.
Four of the Philippines’ foremost opera artists will bring this music to life: Rachelle Gerodias-Park, First Aliw Awards Hall of Fame Best Female Classical Performer (soprano); Michelle Mariposa, Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition grand finals winner (mezzo-soprano); Arthur Espiritu, Metropolitan Opera tenor and George London Award Winner; and Byeong-In Park, international opera baritone and vocal mentor.
They will be joined by the MSO, FEU Chorale, and the FEU Dance Company, under the baton of the MSO music director, Maestro Marlon Chen.—CONTRIBUTED
Tickets are available on TicketWorld. There are special offers of 50% Students, 20% Seniors, PWDs, Diplomats, and 20% Early Bird Code: CONCHINGEB20 until Aug. 14 at 11:59 p.m.
