By Caesar Vallejos
EBC Correspondent
“This is IT!” exclaimed French conductor Olivier Ochanine as he announced on his wall post that the public may now secure seats at the Carnegie Hall to watch the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) on June 18, 2016 at 8pm.
In his post, he confirmed that the Cultural Center of the Philippine’s (CCP) presentation of the PPO at the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage of the Carnegie Hall is the very first Filipino orchestra performance in the United States ever.
“This is one for the history books, and our goal is to give pride to Filipinos by displaying Filipino talent at one of the best concert venues in the entire world,” Ochanine told this author.
The official website of the Carnegie Hall (www.carnegiehall.org) lists the PPO concert ticket prices at US$22 – USD130 (PhP1027 – PhP 6069).
“I eagerly invite all Filipinos based in the US to come celebrate the historic significance of the concert. All Filipinos in the US who are able to come should come,” Ochanine added.
Performing with the PPO and Ochanine will be internationally recognized Filipino pianist Cecile Licad and violinist Diomedes Saraza.
The program is composed of Shostakovich (Festive Overture), Sibelius (Violin Concerto), Rachmaninoff (Piano Concerto No. 2) and Romero (Philippine Portraits).
Ochanine also confirmed having spoken to the staff of Presumptive President Rody Duterte whom he extended the invitation to attend the send-off concert of PPO on June 10, through an open letter posted earlier on his Facebook page.
