SERENADE. The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) performs at the Iloilo Convention Center as part of its outreach program on Jan.13, 2023. The PPO returns to Iloilo City to serenade Ilonggos with their classical and contemporary music on Friday (Jan. 19, 2024), ahead of the start of the weeklong celebration of the 2024 Dinagyang Festival. (File photo courtesy of Jerry P. Treñas/Iloilo City Government FB page)
ILOILO CITY – The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) is once again in Iloilo City to serenade Ilonggos with their classical and contemporary music on Friday night, ahead of the start of the weeklong celebration of the 2024 Dinagyang Festival.
The PPO concert is one of their most well-attended outreach events, according to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), as it continues to fulfill its mandate to bring arts and culture closer to Filipinos.
“We are very happy that the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the CCP are very active in this program because it’s not only in Iloilo but they tour the country to reach out to Filipinos,” said Joyce Clavecillas, executive director of the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI), one of the presenters together with the Iloilo City government, and the Uswag Ilonggo Party-list led by Rep. James Ang.
Clavecillas, in an interview, said listening to PPO performance would not only inspire Ilonggos but could encourage them to embrace music.
“This is among the top brass orchestras in the Philippines, so it is very inspiring to have this kind of concert, which is free. It does not happen every month so this is a golden opportunity for all of us Ilonggos,” she added.
The venue at the Freedom Grandstand, facing the picturesque Iloilo River, can accommodate around 1,500 to 2,000 music enthusiasts.
Under the baton of Maestro Herminigildo Ranera, they will perform classical music, show tunes, movie themes, Filipino folk songs, and pop hits for two hours.
It will have Lara Maigue and Gian Magdangal as guest performers.
PPO had a concert in Iloilo on Jan.13-14, 2023, one of the first stops of its free concert outside of Metro Manila after the pandemic. (PNA)
