Sister Maria Rosalina Madroñal Abejo, RVM (July 13, 1922 – June 5, 1991) was a Filipino composer, pianist and conductor. She was born in Tagoloan in

Misamis Oriental Misamis Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Misamis; tl, Silangang Misamis), officially the Province of Misamis Oriental, is a province located in the region of Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. Its capital, largest city and provincial center is th ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and died in Fremont,

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 ...

. She is the first Filipina composer and conductor, and a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

of the Congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary. Her aunt, the late Sister Maria Rosario Madroñal, RVM was her first music teacher. She studied composition at the

Philippine Women's University The Philippine Women's University (PWU) is a tertiary education school which has its main campus in Manila, Philippines. An institution exclusive for girls from its inception until the 1970s, the PWU admits both women and men as its students. ...

, and in 1977, she moved to the United States, where she studied at

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

and

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...

. She was the first nun to direct and conduct symphony orchestras, by permission of

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

. She taught composition and

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

and St Pius Seminary in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. Before this, she travelled extensively in order to fundraise for and attend international music conferences. In 1972, Abejo wrote ''Overture 1081'', when

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

was declared by

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

in the Philippines through Proclamation No. 1081. Abejo has received a number of honours, including the Republic Culture Heritage Award (1967), Philippines' Independence Day Award (1973), and being elected President of the Philippine Foundation of Performing Arts in America in 1980.Lucrecia R. Kasilag. "Rosalina Abejo", ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

'', ed. L. Macy (accessed September 12, 2006)
grovemusic.com
(subscription access). She is interred at Irvington Memorial Cemetery,

Fremont, California Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area, Fremont has a population of 230,504 as of 2020, making it the fourth List of cities and towns in the San Fra ...

Compositions

In her lifetime, Rosalina Abejo composed over 400 works.

Orchestra

*Beatriz Symphony *Gregoria Symphony (1950) *Pioneer Symphony (1954) *Thanatopsis Symphony (1956) *Aeloian Piano Concerto (1956) *Golden Foundation Piano Concerto (1959-1960) *Guerilla Symphony (1971) *The Trilogy of Man Symphony (1971) *Dalawang Pusong Dakila Symphony (1975) * Brotherhood Symphony, 1986, * Jubilee Symphony, 1984, * Symphony of Psalms, 1988, * Symphony of Life, 1988, * Symphony of Fortitude and Sudden Spring, 1989. * Overture 1081 * 3 String Quartets

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abejo, Rosalina 1922 births 1991 deaths 20th-century composers 20th-century women composers Catholic University of America alumni Eastman School of Music alumni Filipino classical composers Filipino conductors (music) Filipino emigrants to the United States 20th-century Filipino Roman Catholic nuns Filipino women composers Musicians from Misamis Oriental Philippine Women's University alumni University of Kansas faculty 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns