Tenor Arthur Espiritu dazzles at new concert venue
MiraNila, the 1929 Benitez Heritage House and Library, became a magnificent concert venue for the show of critically acclaimed tenor Arthur Espiritu on April 2. The venue has a restored 1904 Steinway grand piano and great acoustics.
Espiritu dazzled the audience with pieces by Gabriel Fauré, Franz Lehar, Giacomo Puccini, Charles Gounod, Richard Strauss, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Francesco Sartori.
Back from playing leading roles in opera houses and concert halls in European cities, he brought the house down with soprano Jade Riccio and pianist Mariel Ilusorio.
Born in Morong, Rizal, Espiritu migrated to the United States with his parents in his teens. He finished with an Artist Diploma in Music Performance at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and won the La Scala award at the Belvedere Competition in 2007 and the distinguished George London Award in 2009. He has portrayed numerous leading roles in North America, Europe, and Asia, with early career highlights including his first role as Ferrando in Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” in the Teatro alla Scala, Tamino in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöt” with the Israeli Opera Tel-Aviv, and the role of Publio in Mozart’s early work, “Il sogno di Scipione,” with the former Gotham Chamber Opera, New York.
The recent roles of this sought-after tenor include Roberto of Leicester in Donizetti’s “Maria Stuarda” in the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz (the Munich opera house); Edgardo in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” in the Daegu International Opera Festival, South Korea; Gualtiero in Bellini’s “Il Pirata;” Alfredo in Verdi’s “La Traviata;” Cassio in Verdi’s “Otello;” Rodolfo in Puccini’s “La Boheme;” and Don Ramiro in Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” in Munich’s Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz.
Hall of Fame awardee
Riccio, an Italian Filipina soprano who hails from Palawan, was the sole recipient of the 37th Aliw Awards 2024 Hall of Fame from which she won five consecutive awards, including Best Classical Performer in 2018 and 2020 and Best Female Crossover Performer in 2019 and 2022. She also heads a music company called Riccio Music and Artistry Studio Academy, a creative hub she founded during the pandemic, which now nurtures about 400 students from around the world.
Multi-awarded pianist Ilusorio studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, and the State College of Music and Theater Hanover (now Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media) in Lower Saxony, Germany. After performing in the US, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Indonesia, and having lived 26 years in the US, Germany, and South Africa, she has made the Philippines her home. She is also a faculty member of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, St. Scholastica’s College of Music, the Philippine High School for the Arts, and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
SRO events
Like MiraNila’s welcome home concerts that celebrated the triumphant return of the cellist Damodar Das Castillo and the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra in March and April last year, the Espiritu concert this year was another standing -room-only (SRO) event. It was held in partnership with Leon Gallery and Gallery MiraNila of The Blue Leaf with support from the Bizu Groupe.
“I like the Faure numbers, the familiar Lehar pieces, and always the tenor was a standout,” said music critic Pablo Tariman. “He stuns in art songs and still dazzles in operetta numbers. Still and all, pianist Ilusorio was in complete rapport with the tenor and the soprano. Riccio reached out to the audience offering roses in the Lehar operetta number. As expected, Espiritu dazzled in his signature number ‘Che gelida manina’ from La Boheme while Riccio was a sweet Juliet in the Gounod favorite.”
When asked about the MiraNila concert venue as well as his collaboration with Riccio and Ilusorio, Espiritu said, “It was such a nice venue and very quaint for singing. The acoustics are great! Singing with Jade was a lot of fun. She has certainly grown a lot as an artist from when I first heard her sing in one of my master classes. With Ms. Ilusorio, I had a feeling of assurance and confidence that she would be there with me, driving and pushing and pulling the music as we both need to. To have her as a pianist is such an honor. Brilliant musician and interpreter. With knowledge and insight to boot.”
Riccio, meanwhile, said, “Sharing the stage with my vocal coach Arthur Espiritu was an incredible privilege—his artistry and generosity were deeply inspiring. It was a teacher and student moment. Mariel Ilusorio, our pianist, brought a refined sensitivity that beautifully completed the musical experience. The audience was warm and responsive—intimate yet full of energy. Their presence added something truly magical to the night.”
As for his experience with the Filipino audience in relation to the European audiences, Espiritu said: “Most of the European audiences are very supportive and kind. So is the Filipino audience. Spanish and Italian audiences may be close to Filipinos. They know good quality but what differs is that Filipino audiences have so much more compassion and empathy for the artists. This is why I always love coming home to perform.”
Espiritu continues his journey of showing to the world the greatness of a Filipino musician as he prepares for his next performance.
“I will debut the role of The Prince in Antonin Dvorak’s ‘Opera Rusalka’ in France. So, I’m in panic mode to learn everything in three weeks,” the tenor concluded.
