UPD celebrates Diliman Month

Music and dance take center stage at UPD as it celebrates Diliman Month with tributes to both Philippine musical tradition and leadership, picking up some art and fashion along the way.

Rondalla! The biggest celebration this month is the rondalla festival entitled “Kwerdas ng Pagkakaisa," a joint project of the Office of the Chancellor through the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), the College of Music and the UP Center for Ethnomusicology.

The Rondalla is an ensemble of stringed instruments played using a plectrum or pick and is one of the primary emblems of Filipino national heritage in the performing arts. It was first introduced by Spain as partly a student ensemble called estudiantina, a band of student players who roved the streets playing entertainment music.

Among the activities lined up for the festival are concerts, exhibitions, an international conference and master music classes.

The best local rondallas as well as international groups coming from countries like China, Iran, Israel and Russia will be featured in the four-day festival from February 21 to 24 at the Carillon Plaza and the Himigsikan outdoor concert every Sunday afternoon starting February 6.

PercPep combination. Concert season opens on February 2 as the UP Varsity Pep Squad and the UP Perc Ensemble get together in one giant extravaganza.

Entitled “A PercPep Combination,” it is a back-to-back dance and music concert by the Pep and the UP Perc Ensemble, a percussion group from the College of Music. Two shows scheduled for 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. are open to the public, with tickets available at the OICA, which is organizing and producing the show.

Paying homage. The highlight of concert season is “Pagpupugay sa Pangulo,” an invitational gala concert paying homage to outgoing UP President Emerlinda R. Román.

The concert features performing groups based in the Colleges of Arts and Letters, College of Human Kinetics and College of Music, namely the KontraGapi, the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, the UP Concert Chorus, the UP Dance Company, the UP Dance Sport Society, the UP Filipiniana Dance Group, the UP Guitar Ensemble, the UP Jazz Ensemble, the UP Madrigal Singers, the UP Pep Squad, the UP Perc Ensemble, the UP Rondalla, the UP Staff Chorale, the UP Streedance Company, the UP Symphonic Band, the UP Symphonic Orchestra and the UP Vocal Ensemble.

Prior to the two-hour concert is the launching of the Emerlinda R. Román Digital Resource by the University Library under Prof. Salvación Arlante.

The season ends with Beyond the Stage, the dance concert/outreach program of the UP Filipiniana Dance Group on February 28. The program consists of short presentation of dance pieces followed by workshops to let the participants experience the art of dancing the Tinikling, Pandanggo sa Ilaw and other Philippine folk and/or modern dances.

ACARE10. The University of the Philippines College of Architecture (UPCA), together with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) and the OICA are hosting the 10th Annual Conference on Architectural Research and Education (ACARE10).

Entitled “Transdisciplinary Researches in Architecture: Daluyan ng Dunong,” the conference aims to explore the relationship between architecture and other disciplines such as the sciences, economics and politics to develop new approaches to real-world problems.

The conference is scheduled on February 11, 2011 at the Aldaba Hall, University Theater and is part of the NCCA’s 2011 Philippine International Arts Festival.

Fashion Nexus. Bulwagan ng Dangal, the University Heritage Museum is featuring two exhibits on cultural exchanges and fashion.

“Bozzetos” features the work of artists from the College of Fine Arts, some of whom are based in the Philippines, United States and Europe, as they respond to the developments and challenges that confront Philippine art today.

It was first presented as part of the Philippine Cultural Festival (Festival dell’ Arte Filippina) with the theme “Philippines-Italy: Cultural Nexus” from October 16 to 18, 2010 at the Auditorium al Duomo in Florence, Italy. The festival was organized by the OICA, participated in by the College of Architecture, the College of Fine Arts and the College of Music.

Sponsoring the festival were the Juan C. Angara Foundation, the Philippine Italy Association, Boysen, Bticino, Trevi Group, Rustan’s, DMCI Homes.

According to What’s Up, “Arkitektura+Moda: Stylistic Parallels of Architecture and Fashion” probes into the stylistic congruence of architecture and fashion at various points of Philippine cultural history. The exhibition emphasizes the intersections of architecture and fashion in Philippine context.

The 15-piece collection features interpretations of designers Ivan Raborar of Koronadal City, Emi Alexander Englis of Davao City and Pepe Quitco, Joey Rodriguez and Wilfred Yee of Cotabato City.