Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra to make history in New York.

Living the Dream

NEW YORK, United States – Since it’s establishment on May 15, 1973, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) has come a long way. First intended to be accompaniment for Filipino artists at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Orchestra has garnered many accomplishments over the years. The Orchestra is now considered to be the Philippine’s leading orchestra and one of Asia-Pacific’s top musical ensembles.

When current music director and principal conductor, Olivier Ochanine began his tenure six years ago with the Orchestra, he made a promise to the orchestra and to himself. Ochanine vowed that one day they would perform in Carnegie Hall, one of the world’s prestigious performance venues in the world.

Members of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra prepare for their historic debut performance at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Members of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra prepare for their historic debut performance at Carnegie Hall in New York.

But that dream started to fade when the Orchestra started to face difficult challenges financially. That special day when they would play in the United States, started to look unattainable. All of that changed though during Ochanine’s last year as conductor. With the proper support, the orchestra will now be living their dream. The Orchestra will have their debut performance at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, June 18, 2016 at 8:00pm and will be featuring renowned pianist Cecile Licad and violinist Diomedes Saraza.

All proceeds of the concert will go to the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation to aid survivors of Typhoon Yolanda.

Contributers: Tennie Sumague, Joanne Blanco, Abigael Mayao