The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) is the resident

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...

of the

Cultural Center of the Philippines The Cultural Center of the Philippines ( fil, Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, or CCP) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines.Presidential Decree No. ...

(the CCP). It is currently under the musical direction of its resident conductor and associate conductor, Dr. Herminigildo Ranera Herminigildo Ranera.

History

Inaugurated on May 15, 1973, as the CCP Philharmonic, the new orchestra was initially intended to accompany artists performing at the

. Its first music director was Luis Valencia, with Julian Quirit serving as concertmaster. Six years later

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictator ...

, then

First Lady of the Philippines The first lady or first gentleman of the Philippines ( fil, Unang Ginang o Unang Ginoó ng Pilipinas) is the courtesy title given to the host or hostess of Malacañang Palace, the residence of the head of state and head of government of the Phil ...

, asked

Oscar Yatco Professor Oscar C. Yatco (23 November 1930 – 1 July 2014) was a Filipino people, Filipino-born German Conductor (music), conductor and violinist. Early life Yatco obtained his music teacher's diploma at the young age of 16 from the University ...

to reorganize the ensemble, and in 1982 the "Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra" took its present name and adopted a new vision: to become a world-class symphony orchestra comparable with the finest. The PPO has performed under such renowned conductors as Mendi Rodan, Piero Gamba, Yaacov Bergman, Jeffery Meyer, and Nicholas Koch. It has also collaborated with premier foreign concertists such as

Van Cliburn Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (; July 12, 1934February 27, 2013) was an American pianist who, at the age of 23, achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during the Cold Wa ...

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 ...

, Monique Duphil, Anthony Camden, Judith Engel and David Benoit; and leading Filipino artistes including

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 C ...

, Lea Salonga, Martin Nievera, and

Regine Velasquez Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipina singer, actress, and record producer. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and beltin ...

. Overseas, the PPO successfully toured Europe and, in 2001, performed for Asia Orchestra Week at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. The orchestra also gave a 2004 Charity Royal Command Concert at Bangkok's National Theater at the invitation of Princess

Galyani Vadhana Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Naradhiwas ( th, กัลยาณิวัฒนา; ; 6 May 1923 – 2 January 2008) was a princess of Thailand and the elder sister of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). She w ...

, elder sister of King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

of Thailand. This was a project of the Fund for Classical Music Promotion, a non-profit organization providing scholarships to young musicians to further their musical studies (in cooperation with the Embassy of the Philippines in Bangkok and the Ministry of Culture of Thailand). In 2006, the PPO's tour of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

helped celebrate the centennial of the first Filipino migrants to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. In 2009, after an exhaustive two-year search process, the PPO and the Cultural Center of the Philippines selected Olivier Ochanine as the PPO's next principal conductor and music director to start January 2010. Under the leadership of Olivier Ochanine, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra became the first Filipino orchestra to perform in New York's

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

in 2016. In May 2016 Japanese conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura became the principal conductor of the orchestra.

References

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
{{Authority control Filipino orchestras Musical groups from Metro Manila Musical groups established in 1973

History

See also

References