Donate P120,000 to MSO’s scholarship program and become a featured soloist

 

 

Music lovers found themselves in the middle of a casino March 28 on their way to Solaire Theater, the state-of-the-art theater is reportedly the only one in Asia.

 

Occasion was the “Showcase!” concert of the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO).

 

On November, when it opened, Solaire’s quality theater equipment showcased though the concert of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under Gerard Salonga and voice talents such as Camille Lopez.

 

In last month’s concert, Solaire president and COO Thomas Arasi and VP for brand and marketing Jasper Evangelista called the theater Solaire’s “newest crown jewel.”

Solaire Theater has a capacity of 1,760, which makes it ideal for musical theater, opera, symphonic concert and ballet.

 

Its backstage amenities are even more revealing. It has 12 fully furnished dressing rooms, a big green room, a multipurpose rehearsal studio, a black box performance space, laundry and wardrobe rooms, production spaces, extensive TV monitor and communications system.

 

It is easy to bring in elaborate ballet and opera sets with Solaire’s same-level loading dock, ample wing space, 62 fly lines, a trapdoor area and a versatile orchestra pit with hydraulic systems.

 

Solaire’s entertainment director is actor-director Audie Gemora, who knows theater requirements inside and out.

 

He made a mini-musical explaining how the theater came about, the people involved and what they contributed. It also showed how the theater could serve the performing arts.

 

Last March 28’s was the first full orchestral concert for Solaire, with the MSO under Arturo Molina.

 

The occasion was also a fitting event to remember the seventh death anniversary concert of violinist-conductor Basilio Manalo, who played a big role in the revival of the MSO.

 

With Overture to “Forza del Destino” and Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins, which featured young scholars Raphael Espada and Ma. Monica Bacus, the audience was impressed by the acoustics of the new theater.

 

Playing the last two movements of the Mendelssohn piano concerto with pianist Ingrid Sala Santamaria, the MSO intoned well-chiseled sounds with all nuances clearly defined in its exchange with the piano soloist. One could see how more inspired musicians were when they were able to hear each other and to perform well as chamber musicians.

 

One also realizes that when a concerto is played in an open-air venue, some details are lost, poignant moments are sacrificed. In such a beautiful venue as Solaire, one could find a true ally of classical music.

 

MSO executive director Jeffrey Solares said the concert was a showcase of the coming orchestra season.

 

Singer Christopher Yu wowed the audience with a well-rendered “This Is the Moment” from “Jekyll and Hyde.”

 

Solaire also announced a scholarship program for young musicians by way of a fund-raising attraction called “The BosSings.” Any head of a corporation wishing to sing with the orchestra, he said, can have a soloist status for an MSO concert for a donation of P120,000.

 

MSO president Maan Hontiveros urged donations for the scholarship program even as she explained the inroads made by the orchestra in the recent years.

 

Here’s hoping the big money earned from casinos will translate into programmed subsidies for the performing arts.

 

 

Call 5235712 for MSO’s “The Bossings” scholarship program.