Philippine Philharmonic

Founded in 1973, the Philippine Philharmonic were one of the first Asian orchestras to receive international recognition and is now regarded as one of the finest of all orchestras coming from Southeast Asia.

We are delighted to present the orchestra with their award-winning conductor Grzegorz Nowak in an exciting and colourful programme that features scintillating music from Bizet’s Carmen, Tchaikovsky’s much-loved Swan Lake and Vaughan Williams’ most popular work Lark Ascending performed by soloist Diomedes Saraza Jr. We look forward to the distinguished British pianist Mark Bebbington performing Delius’ elegiac Piano Concerto and the concert will end in thrilling style with a performance of Beethoven’s elemental Fifth Symphony.

We think the Philippine Philharmonic programme will be one of the most popular in our season, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Conductor: Grzegorz Nowak
Pianist: Mark Bebbington
Violin Soloist: Diomedes Saraza Jr

Jeffrey Ching  Il maestro di capella
Bizet Carmen Suite no. 1
Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
Delius Piano Concerto
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Vaughan Williams Lark Ascending
Beethoven Symphony no. 5

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The performance will open with Il maestro di capella.  This is a specially commissioned short work by the orchestra’s composer-in-residence, Filipino composer Jeffrey Ching, who studied philosophy and music in Cambridge and London.

In celebration of this cultural exchange between the UK and the Philippines, Jeffrey Ching describes the piece as ‘a dialogue across cultures which is also a playful commentary on the rituals of the concert hall’.  This promises to be an exciting inclusion in the evening’s programme.