The Kabataang Gitarista, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Classical Guitar Program for public high school students, will celebrate its first anniversary through a first guitar recital on Saturday, August 24 at 3:00PM at the CCP Silangan Hall. The students will play solo numbers, and perform duets and ensemble pieces.
The Kabataang Gitarista is an ensemble of public high schools students from Manila and Pasay who have been taking classical guitar lessons free of charge for almost a year, as part of the Artist Training Program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The program was organized in August 2012 to promote appreciation for, and interest in classical guitar performance among public high school students, to provide the highest level of classical guitar training, free of charge, as well as to develop a performing classical guitar ensemble. Under the tutelage of renowned Filipino guitar pedagogue, arranger and performer Maestro Jose Valdez, the group takes regular guitar lessons every Saturday morning.
The ensemble gave its first performance during the 2013 CCP Pasinaya Open House Festival in February 2013. Since then the group has performed in selected public schools such as Lakan Dula, Arellano High and V. Mapa High School in February and March, and gave a performance at the European International School in April 2013.
Due to the interest they have developed in the instrument and their desire to further improve their craft, two of its members are now music majors. One of them is currently enrolled as a partial scholar of the St. Scholastica’s College School of Music as a guitar major, the other at the Philippine Normal University as a Music Education major.
Its members are: Angelo Argosino, Ezra Bautista, Godrick Banquito, Johann Bueno, Ervin Jubay, Jeulo Madriaga, Christian Mercader, Maia Rutaquio, Daniel Suilen, Carol Teope, Jeremiah Teope and Jezliah Tolentino.
The program includes solo classical, Filipino and popular works as well ensemble numbers. Some of the works to be performed include Bach’s Bouree in e minor, Tarrega’s Lagrima, Adelita, Marieta and Recuerdos de la Alhambra; de Guzman’s Bayan Ko, Molina’s Hatinggabi, traditional Filipino songs Ili-ili and Lulay, Pachelbel’s Canon, and San Pedro’s Sa Ugoy ng Duyan.
The recital is free of charge.
For more information, call the CCP Artist Training Division at (+632) 8321125 loc. 1604 to 1605 or email ccp.artist.training@gmail.com.
