UP orchestra blends symphony, tradition, cultural memory in meaningful intersection

UP president Angelo A. Jimenez, as narrator of Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portraits” with the UP Symphony Orchestra, performed excerpts from memorable speeches and writings of US president Abraham Lincoln.

The concert on June 18 led by the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) dubbed “Alay sa Pamantasan ng Sambayanan” was unlike a standard symphonic concert. The program seemed more of a curated cultural ceremony—part musical showcase, part institutional homage.

The program nonetheless was ambitious in both performance and message, threading themes of patriotism, freedom, and identity into a cohesive musical narrative. Notably, six of the nine compositions performed were by Filipino composers—an effort underscoring the UPSO’s consistent push to prioritize local symphonic repertoire in their programming.

Under the baton of eminent music professor Josefino Chino Toledo since Day 1, the UPSO has come a long way since suddenly appearing in the cultural radar in December 2018 through a free holiday concert. It was met with surprise even in the university, as another prominent orchestra was booked much earlier in the same open-air venue that very same week. But for the new orchestra, the post-concert verdict was swift. They were not a ragtag team of 65 hastily assembled members—these Maroons were ready to play! UPSO has since been serenading UP campuses year around, holding mostly free events for the past six-and-a-half years. It’s been invited elsewhere, too, including a 2023 visit to Taipei.

Just two weeks ago, the orchestra collaborated with five pianists, five solo singers, and a new sister team—the UPSO Symphonic Chorus—to mark UP’s 117 th founding anniversary and the Philippines’ 127 th Independence Day at the University Theater in UP Diliman.

Opening with a new arrangement of Nicanor Abelardo’s UP Beloved (or UP Naming Mahal), conductor-arranger Toledo chose to pair its familiar melody with orchestral grandeur and bilingual lyrics. The effect was emotionally powerful, particularly for alumni in the audience. As someone who remembers singing this hymn during university events, hearing the English stanza felt both curious and thoughtful—perhaps a subtle nod to UP’s global identity.

Musical director and conductor Josefino Chino Toledo with the UPSO Symphony Chorus

The selection of Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Copland’s Lincoln Portrait provided moments for cross-cultural resonance. Beethoven’s score carries historical weight in its depiction of resistance and sacrifice, while Copland framed his piece around excerpts from Abraham Lincoln’s writings, gaining local significance through its narrator. UP President Angelo Jimenez delivered the text with solemnity and poise, invoking a statesman-like presence that reinforced the concert’s civic undertones. It was a choice that risked feeling ceremonial but instead offered sincerity.

Among the most memorable segments was Toledo’s Tikladong Hirang, a texturally rich piece for five pianos and orchestra. The staging itself was technically seamless—the appearance of five grand pianos via a hydraulic lift drew audible murmurs of delight. But what stood out was the work’s collage-like structure, referencing compositions by notable Filipino composers and blending them into a tapestry of distinct musical gestures. While the coordination among pianists occasionally felt less than organic, the concept paid off in scale and symbolism.

Lucio San Pedro’s Panata sa Bayan and Toledo’s Tagpi-tagping Kundimang Hibik ng Bayan were the emotional linchpins of the program. The former, written for a UP presidential inauguration in 1988, carried a tone of solemn promise. Baritone Lionel Guico’s performance was commanding without overpowering the choral texture. The latter piece, with its use of kundiman idioms and fragmented nationalist texts, was perhaps the most intimate work on the program, its melancholy understated yet persistent.

Baritone Lionel Guico rendered “Panata Sa Bayan” by National Artist for Music Lucio SanPedro with the UP Symphony Orchestra Chorus

The finale—Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture—was executed with flair: the live carillon, cannon fire, and dramatic crescendos were intentionally theatrical. While one could debate the alignment of this particular piece with the concert’s Filipino-centric identity, its placement felt like a celebratory release. The audience’s reaction—raucous applause and a standing ovation—made clear how well it landed.

Two encores followed: a medley of protest songs and Kayumangging Malaya by San Pedro. The conclusion brought the focus squarely back to Filipino music and its role in social commentary.

As I walked out of the theater that evening, I felt a quiet admiration for the musical risks taken—not everything was perfectly balanced, but the conviction was unmistakable.

Joining Toledo and Jimenez were artists who performed works by seven National Artists for Music, including featured sopranos Mary Michael Boragay and Maria Charezka Dawal-Granda, tenors Kelbert Sinfuego and Johann Niccolo Uy, baritone Lionel Guico, pianists Ena Maria Aldecoa, Geraldine Marie Gonzales, Luci Magalit, Michelle Nicolasora, and Albert Napoleon Roldan; and the UPSO Symphonic Chorus led by chorus director Noemi Binag.