The Filipino American tenor Arthur Espiritu, described as “a rare spinto-tenor in the tradition of Pavarotti,” will perform in a one-night-only concert on April 2 at the MiraNila Heritage House & Library in Quezon City.

Presented by MiraNila in partnership with Leon Gallery and Gallery MiraNila of The Blue Leaf with support from the Bizu Groupe, the concert, as the announcement states, promises to be “a magical experience and an exploration of the power of love and the drama of opera,” with pieces by Gabriel Fauré, Franz Lehar, Giacomo Puccini, Charles Gounod, Richard Strauss, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Francesco Sartori.

Espiritu was born in Morong, Rizal. He migrated to the United States with his parents in his teens and acquired an artist diploma in music performance at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. He won the La Scala award at the Belvedere Competition in 2007 and the distinguished George London Award in 2009. 

He has portrayed numerous leading roles in North America, Europe and Asia, with early career highlights including his first Ferrando in Michael Hampe’s staging of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” in the Teatro alla Scala, the role of Tamino in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” with the Israeli Opera Tel Aviv, and the role of Publio in Mozart’s early work, “Il sogno di Scipione,” with the former Gotham Chamber Opera, New York.

His recent roles include Roberto of Leicester in Donizetti’s “Maria Stuarda,” Edgardo in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor,” Gualtiero in Bellini’s “Il Pirata,” Alfredo in Verdi’s “La Traviata,” Cassio in Verdi’s “Otello,” Rodolfo in Puccini’s “La Boheme,” and Don Ramiro in Rossini’s “La Cenerentola.” Read about his opera commitments this year in https://www.arthurespiritutenor.com/. 

Espiritu has been described by critics as “powerful and musically secure in all registers,” and “whose sound is exquisitely polished and contained—almost delicate—with a fine burnished sheen.”

“I started my career in Europe…I had no trouble landing leading European-type roles,” Espiritu once told the interviewer Michael Ching. Still, he recalled having to prove himself by working harder as he was not as tall as the locals. “In some ways, it was easier for female performers,” he said. 

His advice to younger talents: “Work really, really hard at your artistry, put yourself into that character…Take that extra step with a chip on your shoulder—that is how I built my career—and leave the audience to see you as an Asian American doing that role.”

Performing with Espiritu is the multiawarded soprano Jade Riccio. Virtuoso pianist Mariel Ilusorio will accompany them on MiraNila’s newly restored 1904 Steinway, considered rare in the Steinway & Sons catalog.

The Filipino Italian Riccio, who hails from Palawan, earned a slot in the 2024 Persons to Watch: Women Who Made It in Music. She is the sole recipient of the 37th Aliw Awards 2024 Hall of Fame, from which she won five consecutive awards, including Best Classical Performer in 2018 and 2020 and Best Female Crossover Performer in 2019 and 2022. She received highest recognitions during vocal competitions at the National Music Competition for Young Artists in 2014 and the Jovita Fuentes Vocal Competition in 2015. 

As a sought-after vocal coach to some of Asia’s shining stars, Riccio is also the CEO, creative producer and chair of the Riccio Music and Artistry Studio Academy, a creative hub she founded during the pandemic, which now nurtures nearly 400 students from around the world.

Pianist Ilusorio studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, and the State College of Music and Theater Hanover (now Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media) in Germany. Under the tutelage of Stella Brimo, she won top prizes in Philippine piano competitions before continuing her studies overseas. After performing in the United States, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Indonesia, and having lived for 26 years in the United States, Germany and South Africa, she has made the Philippines her home. She continues performing and now organizes concerts and recitals. She is also in the faculty of the UST Conservatory of Music, St. Scholastica’s College of Music, the Philippine High School for the Arts, and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

The concert will be held on April 2 in the four-story 1929 heritage house MiraNila, which boasts a living room and library with near-perfect acoustics. 

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program promptly starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets at P1,500 (Library) and P2,500 (Main Hall) are limited. Text Robeen at 0927 277 6335 for tickets. Guests are requested to wear soft-soled shoes as these are kinder to old floors.