NCCA: International Rondalla Festival opens

THE 5th International Rondalla/Plucked String Music Festival officially opened in Silay City, Negros Occidental, gathering 21 groups of more than 250 musicians from November 3 to 11, 2018, to participate in a celebration of the world’s shared heritage of plucked string music.

The Philippines hosts 10 foreign groups who flew in from France, India, Iran, Israel, South Korea, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Taiwan and Portugal. Eleven local groups, selected through a rigorous screening process, come from Metro Manila, Bogo City, Dipolog City, Municipality of Candelaria, Dumaguete City, and host city, Silay.

The opening concert, held at the Natalio G. Velez Sports and Cultural Center in Silay City (Silay City Gym) on November 4, featured messages delivered by Mayor Mark Andrew Golez of Silay City, National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario, and Dr. Ramon P. Santos, National Artist for Music and the Festival Director.

The International Rondalla/Plucked String Music Festival 2018 is a collaborative undertaking of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) through the Asian Composers League Philippines and the Silay City Government with the support of the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, and in partnership with the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, the Department of Education - Silay, University of the Philippines College of Music and the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA).

Concert schedule

The opening concert featured performances by Silay’s award-winning ensemble the The Kabataang Silay Rondalla Ensemble, Barrocade-Naya Ensemble from Israel, the Taiwan Bamboo Orchestra, the Taipei Guzheng Ensemble from Taiwan, and Hope to Hop Africa of Uganda. The Finale Concert will be on November 10, 2018, 6:00 p.m., also at the Silay City Gym.

Another highlight of the fFestival during its nine-day run are the daily concerts that will feature musicians from all corners of the globe coming together to perform a formidable repertoire, which includes folk, classical and modern music from different plucked string music traditions.

The daily concerts will be on November 5, 6, 8, 9, with matinee (3 p.m.) and evening shows (7 p.m.). All concerts will be held at the Silay City Gym. All shows and concerts are open to the public, but tickets must be reserved. Please contact 0995-6218152 or 0998-2664706 for ticket reservations.

The festival was deliberately scheduled to be part of Silay City’s celebration of Al Cinco de Noviembre or Negros Day, a commemoration of the historic event when Negrenses won a battle against the Spaniard conquistadores. The battle was won when Filipino soldiers made the Spaniards surrender and retreat from battle by using fake canons and rifles to deceive their colonizers.

On November 5, aside from the concerts at the Silay City Gym, the festival musicians will be performing at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the following ancestral houses: Hofilena House, Jose Corteza Locsin, Balay Negrense, Mariano Montelibano, Pitong Ledesma and German Unson.

Throughout the week, there will also be outreach concerts around Negros including Bacolod, Manapla, Cadiz City, Bago City, Escalante City, Toboso City, San Carlos City to name a few. Please see the Festival facebook page (rondalla.festival) and check the events page for the complete schedule of the concerts.

Sounds in Silay History exhibition

Another component of the festival is the exhibit, “Cuerdas: The Sounds in Silay History”. This exhibit is a “soundscape” that explores the sounds and musical forms that capture the nuances of history, society, and the creative spirit and culture of Silay, Negros Occidental.

The exhibition opens on November 6 at 5:30 p.m. at the Puericulture Center, Silay City, and will run until November 30. It is open Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Symposium and workshop

Another component of the festival is symposium-workshop, “Plucked String Music: Evolutions”, which will be held at the Sen. Jose C. Lacson Cultural and Civic Center in Silay City, from November 6 to 8, 2018. This will feature special lectures on organology and performance of different plucked string music traditions in the world, workshops on instrument-making and care by local and foreign luthiers, and lecture demonstrations by performing groups from the festival.

The symposium-workshop aims to impart knowledge on the history as well as current

developments in different plucked string music cultures and provide resources for teaching and performing plucked string music.

Resource persons include Endo Suanda of Indonesia presenting New Acoustic Bracing System for Bamboo Kacapi Zither; Manuel Caceres, assisted by Adolfo Timuat of Spain presenting Guitar-making techniques for the Spanish guitar and Jay Sarita of the Philippines presenting Rondalla instrument-making and care.

Historic Silay City

Performers and guests will enjoy the historic city Silay during their visit. The city is celebrated for its centuries old mansions, is also the home of one of the country’s greatest rondalla ensemble, the Kabataang Silay Rondalla Ensemble (KSE), cultural ambassadors of Silay.

The KSE has given the country honor with lauded performances in China, Scotland, Singapore and Taiwan and many other places in the Philippines. They received accolades including the “Award of Excellence” in 2001, and at the 2010 Aberdeen International Youth Festival.

Silay City was the selected site of Strings of Unity Festival because of its strong support and value for the rondalla. Silay City forged this commitment by crafting the Tourism Code which places rondalla ensemble as a permanent program of the City.

As one of the country’s major hubs for arts and culture in the Western Visayas, the government of Silay since 2004 have been active participants in the International Rondalla Festival. Since then, transcending political affiliations and orientation of its leaders, Silay City remains steadfast in its commitment to uphold and develop the rondalla tradition.

For queries on this press release, you may reach the Public Affairs and Information Section headed by Mr. Rene S. Napeñas through numbers 527-5529 / 527-2192 loc 628-630 or email ncca.paio@gmail.com