THE PHILIPPINE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) reaches another milestone this new year as it celebrates four decades as a critically acclaimed orchestra with a concert on January 25.

Under the baton of its music director Maestro Olivier Ochanine, the concert kicks off the orchestra’s fifth season concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). PPO’s associate concertmaster Dino Decena is the featured artist for this special show.

A special piece, “New Work for Violin and Orchestra” has been expressly written by Ryan Cayabyab for the PPO’s 40th anniversary, and will be performed in public for the first time at the concert. The program also includes Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll,” and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 “Spring.”

The PPO is touted as the nation’s leading symphony orchestra and a resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Writes Wikipedia, “Inaugurated on May 15, 1973 as the CCP Philharmonic, the new orchestra was initially intended to accompany artists performing at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Its first music director was Luis Valencia, with Julian Quirit serving as concertmaster.

“Six years later Imelda Marcos, then First Lady of the Philippines, asked Oscar Yatco 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 keeps a busy schedule year-round, its main concert season (September to April) supplemented by regular performances at the San Agustin International Music Festival, by special concerts, and by community outreach activities.

“The PPO has performed with such renowned conductors as Mendi Rodan, Piero Gamba, Yaacov Bergman, and Nicholas Koch. It has also collaborated with leading Filipino and foreign musicians, including Cecile Licad, Martin Nievera, Lea Salonga, Regine Velasquez, Van Cliburn, Renata Tebaldi, Judith Engel, Anthony Camden, Freestyle, and David Benoit.

Overseas, the PPO has successfully toured Europe, and in 2002 it participated in Asia Orchestra Week at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. The orchestra gave a 2004 Charity Royal Command Concert at Bangkok’s National Theater at the invitation of Princess Galyani Vadhana, elder sister of the King of Thailand. This was a project of the Fund for Classical Music Promotion, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to young musicians to further study music, 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 helped celebrate the centennial of the first Filipino migrants to Hawaii and California.

“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.”

Meanwhile, Dino Akira K. Decena, the anniversary concert’s featured artist came from a family of musicians. He started his formal training at the age of five under the tutelage of Rosario Cruz. At age seven, he was granted a scholarship by the Philippine Research for Developing Instrumental Soloists (Predis) to train under world-renowned violinist Professor Basilio Manalo.

In 1986, Decena won the National Music Competition for Young Artists. In that same year, he was the featured soloist of the Predis Orchestra under the baton of Manalo.

Decena’s versatile musical talent extends to playing the viola. In 1998, he became the viola principal of the Manila Symphony Orchestra II. The following year, he was one of the featured violists in the Bamboo Organ Festival together with Maestro Oscar Yatco and former energy minister, Geronimo Velasco.

He finished his musical training at St. Scholastica’s College under the direction of Professor Gina Medina. He was formally the concertmaster of the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra until 2007. Currently, Decena teaches violin in St. Paul College Manila, the Ryan Cayabyab Music School, and the Chinese International School Manila. He is the associate concertmaster of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

For ticket inquiries, call the CCP Marketing Department (832-1125 loc. 1806), the CCP Box Office (832-3704) or Ticketworld at National Bookstore (891-9999).