98.7 DZFE | The Master's Touch

What hope do we have in suffering? Under the baton of guest conductor Dr. Joel Navarro, Aleron explores that question in their upcoming concert, To Where I Wait. Dr. Navarro, Aleron resident conductor Karl San Jose, manager Kevin Maske, and vocal trainer Paul Ryan Arcolas share how this theme came about, and what Aleron has planned for the future, on MAESTRO FILIPINO. DZFE’s Daniel is the host.

Ballet Philippines will make history when it mounts the first Philippine staging of the first Romantic ballet, La Sylphide. What should we expect from a ballet that isn’t quite the more familiar Tchaikovsky? BP Artistic Director Misha Martynyuk and President Kathleen Liechtenstein talk about that, and what is in store for the company’s 55th season, on MAESTRO FILIPINO with DZFE’s Daniel.

Violinist Matias Mercurio is no stranger to long commutes—he has to travel all the way from his native Quezon Province to play with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth. It will be an even longer commute to play with the Asian Youth Orchestra, but one that’s definitely worth it. Before he flies abroad, Mercurio performs in a send-off recital with Jascha Dec...

Flautist Mark Kennedy Rocas is back in the Philippines to share what he has learned after the first year of his master’s degree at the Longy School of Music. This he did in the recent concert, Summer Solstice, mounted by Manila Pianos Artists Series and Cultural Arts Events Organizer. Before that, he spoke with DZFE’s Daniel to share how he started out as a musician, and why he chose to take his m...

All roads lead to Vienna for the concert, Harmonies of the Heart—mounted by the non-profit organization, Hearlife Verein, whose headquarters are in the Austrian capital, and featuring soprano Isabela Madero, who will soon be joining the Vienna Opera Academy as an understudy. Isabela and Hearlife program director Tosh Jacob-Soliven join DZFE’s Daniel on MAESTRO FILIPINO to share what went into Harm...

Cellist, composer, arranger, and now, conductor—Glenn Aquias, the first recipient of Casa San Miguel’s Ruggero Barbieri Conducting Fellowship, joins DZFE’s Daniel on MAESTRO FILIPINO to share why he set off on this new path, and what it takes to wield what he describes as the heaviest instrument—the conductor’s baton.

Established fifteen years ago by Japanese expats, the Manila Chamber Music Ensemble makes its concert debut in Blooming, mounted by Manila Pianos Artist Series. DZFE’s Daniel is joined by members, violist Hideki Nagae, pianist Mariko Okeda, and cellist Paul Natividad, who talk about the origins of the ensemble, their upcoming concert, and how they maintain their musicality despite the members havi...

Those who know about soprano Evelyn Mandac know she is the first—and so far, only—Filipino to grace New York’s Metropolitan Opera Theater. Besides that, we find little else written about her online. Driven by the scarcity of information—and drawn by Mandac’s rich, crystalline voice—art historian Chiara Cox set about uncovering her many astounding achievements to discover who Evelyn Mandac truly is...

Fatal love binds the works featured in the Manila Pianos Artist Series recital, Amore Fatale. But more importantly, Krissan Manikan-Tan, with tenor Nomher Nival and pianist Gabriel Paguirigan, explore the repertoire of the operatic mezzo-soprano. On MAESTRO FILIPINO, they join DZFE’s Daniel to share the story and reasons behind Amore Fatale, and how the mezzo repertoire can be just as challenging...

Make the piece your own—that is the philosophy that helped Zildjian Viray win in last year’s Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition, and in two categories in the recent PTGPFI piano competition. He speaks with DZFE’s Daniel to share his story and his music on the next program of MAESTRO FILIPINO.

Frederic Chopin stands at the spotlight from May to July, as Manila Pianos Artist Series and Cultural Arts Events Organizer mount a six-week Chopin Fest, marking 175 years since the passing of Poland's most famous composer. Launching the series are the two piano concertos of his unblooded youth, to be performed by pianists Gabriel Paguirigan and Ricardo Abapo. They join DZFE's Daniel on MA...

After a lengthy hiatus, UST’s Sibol Guitar Octet emerges once more on stage, this time with the St. Scholastica’s College Guitar Trio in the concert, Cohaesio. Telling us how this collaboration came about, and what music is in store, are guitarists Karra Custodio of the SSCGT, and Gabriel Reyna, Karl Sabado and Zach Dugay of Sibol. Hear their insight, and their music, on MAESTRO FILIPINO with DZFE...

Sure, you’ve come across the word, nonchalant. But what about nonchalant virtuosity? That’s sprezzatura—a term often used in the Baroque Period to describe an attitude of effortless grace. We witness that later this month as guitarist Dr. Ivar Fojas and his students perform in the recital Sprezzatura. He and three of his proteges—Kyle Lorenzana, Agung Sicam and Beatrice Cena—join DZFE’s Daniel on...

Laarni Dawn Ilan is an IT professional with a passion for playing the piano. In fact, Passion is the name of her upcoming Manila Pianos Artist Series recital, where she delivers works by Scarlatti, Chopin, Beethoven, and more—all for the benefit of Cancervants PH. On MAESTRO FILIPINO, she shares how that event came to be, and how she maintains her edge as a musician even while working a day job. D...

From making her first public performance in 2022, guitarist Beatrice Rose Cena now embarks on her high school graduation recital. On CULTURE CAROUSEL, she shares what’s in store for that performance, and how she has grown as a musician at the PHSA, and under the mentorship of Dr. Ivar Fojas. Irene Obligacion is the host.

Built by Diego Cera Organ Builders, the new organ of St. Ignatius Cathedral in Shanghai was inaugurated by Alejandro Consolacion II, who put it through its paces in a recital last December. On MAESTRO FILIPINO, he shares the music he performed, and talks about the character of the instrument at the heart of that event. DZFE’s Daniel is the host.

After three attempts—the second thwarted by the pandemic—soprano Pauline Arejola will soon sing with the World Youth Choir. She joins Irene Obligacion on CULTURE CAROUSEL to share the story behind her applications, and what she hopes to glean from her experiences with the WYC.

Between new members of the Pundaquit Virtuosi and returning alumni, Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ continues to receive new life, even as it approaches its 31st annual performance at CASA San Miguel. Joining DZFE’s Daniel on MAESTRO FILIPINO, violinist Miggy delos Santos, violist Gabriel Regojos, and cellist Pocholo Gutierrez share how the Virtuosi—under the guidance of founder and artistic di...

Pianist Zion Montebon leaves high school on a high note: he performs in the Manila Pianos Artist Series concert, Of Good Tidings, leading up to his graduation recital at the National Arts Center next month. He talks about these performances with Irene Obligacion on CULTURE CAROUSEL, and shares how he has grown during his years at the PHSA and what he hopes to learn in the new chapter of his buddin...

What does it take for two pianists to play at the same keyboard? Skill, practice—and magic. This month, the Carles and Sofia Piano Duo bring the magic of their music to Manila, where they will perform transcriptions of stage works and Spanish compositions. They join DZFE's Daniel on MAESTRO FILIPINO to talk about the concert, the philosophy that drives their music, and the work that lies behin...

Having performed with various ensembles—including the Asian Youth Orchestra, the Ring of Fire Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth where he once served a concertmaster—violinist Jose Marie Eserjose now sets his eyes on the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. He shares his reasons for studying abroad, and its challenges, on CULTURE CAROUSEL with Irene Obligacion.

Lucio San Pedro and Francisco Feliciano are but two of Rizal’s host of band composers and arrangers. The Pambansang Samahan ng mga Banda sa Pinas recently paid tribute to these illustrious figures, many of whom deserve far greater recognition. On MAESTRO FILIPINO, DZFE’s Daniel spoke about this event with PASAMBAP’s newly-incumbent president, Satur Tiamson, who also shared his insight on how Rizal...

Rising like the breeze it is named after, Ily Matthew Maniano’s Amihan is a gentle, understated piece. Far from a display of technical bravura, it nonetheless won the top prize in the 2022 Busan International Choral Festival Composition Competition. We’ll hear that work on MAESTRO FILIPINO, where Maniano also shares the process behind his deceptively simple work. DZFE’s Daniel is the host.

It was Andres Segovia’s peerless performances that put the classical guitar on the world stage. This March, Chilean guitarist Alexis Vallejos celebrates Segovia’s legacy in a concert mounted by the Guitar Friends. He joins Irene Obligacion on CULTURE CAROUSEL to talk about that event, and Segovia’s lasting imprint on the world of classical guitar.

Since its inception, the Manila Baroque Ensemble has accompanied—elevated, really—the performances of the Collegium Vocale Manila at the International Bamboo Organ Festival. This year, the ensemble gets its own concert evening, spotlighting the works of Vivaldi, Corelli and Sammartini. Capping the feature on the 49th IBOF, DZFE’s Daniel discusses this performance—and all the work that has gone int...