An unforgettable night of live music
Today’s technology may make music more accessible, but nothing still beats the experience of hearing it live.
There’s science to back this up, too. A study on live performances found that live—compared to recorded performances—“evoke stronger emotional and physiological responses.”
Live musical performances can also better inspire and influence the learning of a musical instrument. That’s exactly the goal of the Goldenberg Concert Series. Already on their 19th edition, the concert series features Filipino talents, and invites audiences from several educational institutions.
The most recent concert on Oct. 3, took place at the historic Goldenberg Mansion, part of the network of museums collectively called the Malacañang Heritage Mansions. The concert featured three distinguished musicians: cellist Gerry Graham Gonzales, clarinetist Jayson Rivera, and pianist Dingdong Fiel.
Gonzales is the principal cellist of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) who began playing at 11, and has won multiple awards from the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) for solo cello and chamber music.
Clarinetist Rivera is also a member of the PPO, and is an educator, teaching at the University of the Philippines and serving as mentor for many young clarinetists. Rivera was also the NAMCYA Clarinet Champion in 1998.
Rounding out the concert trio is 2020 Aliw Awards best instrumentalist, Fiel, also regarded as one of the country’s most active concert pianists. In 2023, he performed a record 12 solo piano concerts, and also founded the Dingdong Fiel International Music Academy in the same year.
Their repertoire included “Romance” by National Artist Lucio San Pedro, the OPM classic “Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan” by George Canseco as well as the gentle ballad “Wish” from K-drama “Hometown Cha-cha-cha,” iconic Ghibli soundtrack “Merry-Go-Round of Life,” and the award-winning Disney duet, “A Whole New World.”
The evening’s performance affirmed the concert series’ goal of preserving tradition, while educating and nurturing future Filipino musicians and audiences.
