The Philam Life Theater, also styled Philamlife Theater, was a performing arts venue at 1440

United Nations Avenue United Nations Avenue (also known as U.N. Avenue and formerly known as Isaac Peral Street) is a major thoroughfare in Manila, Philippines. A commercial, residential and industrial artery, the avenue runs east–west through the near-center of th ...

in the Ermita district of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, the Philippines. It opened in 1961 as the Philam Life Auditorium and was designed by Filipino architect

Carlos Arguelles Carlos D. Arguelles (September 15, 1917 – August 19, 2008) was a Filipino architect who was known for being a leading proponent of the International Style of architecture in the Philippines in the 1960s. He was an Eagle Scout and a Distinguishe ...

as part of the corporate headquarters for the Philam Life insurance company (now

AIA Philippines The AIA Philippines Life and General Insurance Company Inc. (commonly known by its trade name AIA Philippines and formerly known as the Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company or Philam Life) is an insurance company based in the ...

). The

International Style International style may refer to: * International Style (architecture), the early 20th century modern movement in architecture *International style (art), the International Gothic style in medieval art *International Style (dancing), a term used in ...

concert hall in the eastern annex of the Philam Life Building is known for its superior

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

and elegant interior. It served as Manila's cultural center for almost a decade and has played host to world-renowned musicians, choirs and symphony orchestras over its 52-year history, including

Renata Tebaldi Renata Tebaldi ( , ; 1 February 1922 – 19 December 2004) was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period, and especially prominent as one of the stars of La Scala, San Carlo and, especially, the Metropolitan Opera. O ...

Franco Corelli Franco Corelli (8 April 1921 – 29 October 2003) was an Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian repertory, he was cel ...

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to Spiritual (music), spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throu ...

, Pinchas Zukerman and

Cecile Licad Cecile Buencamino Licad (born 11 May 1961) is a Filipina classical pianist. She was born in Manila. Awards * In 1981 Licad received the Leventritt Competition Gold Medal. * Her recording of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Saint-Saëns' Piano Co ...

. The theater also served as the home of the

Manila Symphony Orchestra The Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is one of the oldest orchestras in Asia. Founded by Alexander Lippay in 1926, the orchestra has played a major role in Philippine history, including acting as a symbol of resistance during the Second World War. ...

, the

Manila Philharmonic Orchestra The Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) is an all-Filipino orchestra "owned and managed by the artists." This makes the MPO unique from the other orchestras in the country, as all decisions are collectively made by orchestra members, including conc ...

and the

Philippine Educational Theater Association The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) is a theatrical association of artists and educators. It is the UNESCO-International Theater Institute Center in the Philippines. It is a non-profit, non-stock, non-governmental, and a regist ...

. In 2012,

SM Investments SM Investments Corporation (SMIC), also known as SM Group, is a Filipino conglomerate with interests in shopping mall development and management, retail, real estate development, banking, and tourism. Founded by Henry Sy, it has become one of ...

subsidiary SM Development Corp. purchased the entire Philam Life Manila complex including its theater and announced its plans to redevelop the property into a condominium complex. Philam Life vacated the property and relocated its headquarters to

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in April 2013, and its customer service center to Bay City in June 2013.

Facility

The Philam Life Theater is a

proscenium theatre A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

with a seating capacity of 780. It has a rectangular floor area in front of the stage with curved walls and a large concealed cavity above the ceiling where elegant glass light panels hang. Its walls were adorned by narra relief carvings which encompassed the entire length of the theater's orchestra. The multi-panel carved narra murals depicting Philippine folklore, traditional musical instruments, and mythical characters like ''

Maria Makiling Maria Makiling, more properly Mariang Makiling, is a '' diwata'' (anito) or ''lambana'' (fairy) in Philippine mythology, associated with Mount Makiling in Laguna, Philippines. She is the most widely known ''diwata'' in Philippine mythology and ...

'' and ''Malakas at Maganda'' was designed by Filipino sculptor José Alcántara in 1961 and created with the help of local artists from

Paete Paete, officially the Municipality of Paete ( tgl, Bayan ng Paete), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,945 people. The town, is located at the north-east ...

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. They are now housed at the National Museum of Fine Arts following the closure of the Philam Life complex for redevelopment. Narra wood bricks embellish the walls above the murals and a cementitious panel form the stage's ceiling. The theater's acoustic design was carried out by

BBN Technologies Raytheon BBN (originally Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc.) is an American research and development company, based next to Fresh Pond in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. In 1966, the Franklin Institute awarded the firm the Frank P. Brown ...

(Bolt, Beranek and Newman) who also created the acoustics for the United Nations General Assembly Hall in

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Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

’s David Geffen Hall and the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in

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Status

An online petition was launched in March 2013 by French conductor and former Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra musical director Olivier Ochanine calling for SM Development Corp. to spare the theater from demolition following news that the 52-year old complex was purchased for redevelopment. The petition which received more than 10,000 signatures in its first month argued that the theater "has some of the best acoustics for Manila's orchestras, choirs, and solo musical artists and its destruction would be a gigantic loss for Filipino culture and heritage." Petitioners also argued the theater's rich history as Manila's cultural center for close to 10 years prior to the opening of the

Tanghalang Pambansa The Tanghalang Pambansa ( en, National Theater), formerly Theater of Performing Arts, is a theater located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Manila, Philippines. It is the flagship venue and principal offices of the Cultural C ...

, the many artists and musicians who call the theater home, and its unmatched sound quality that rivals even the most modern theaters in the region. Initial reports that the theater and the entire Philam complex was to be converted into a shopping mall have been denied by the SM group. The group came out with a statement confirming the purchase of the property and that it plans to turn it into a residential condominium complex although it has not decided on what to do with the theater. Following a dialogue with the petitioner Ochanine in April 2013, SMDC chief executive officer Henry Sy Jr. announced its decision to preserve the Philam Life Theater and said that the hall may be moved within the complex to complement the overall master plan of the property, but that "the complete theater including all its elements and most especially its acoustics will be preserved in close consultation with the country’s music, acoustics and design experts." The theater opened its doors for the last time in April 2013 with the staging of the classical music concert ''Elegantly Brahms'' with

Sofya Gulyak Sofya Gulyak (born 29 December 1979) is a Russian classical pianist. She was the first woman to win the Leeds Piano Competition. Gulyak was born in Kazan. She studied at the Kazan State Conservatoire, Piano Academy Incontri col Maestro, and the R ...

and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. The entire Philam Complex has started its demolition in August 5, 2020 amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines has resulted in, as of , reported cases, resulting in reported deaths, the fifth-highest in Southeast Asia, behind Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The first case in the Philippines was iden ...

. It ended in 2021.

References

{{Manila landmarks Theaters in Manila Buildings and structures in Ermita Theatres completed in 1961 Demolished buildings and structures in the Philippines Buildings and structures demolished in 2020