A spectacular tableau of dances and music from the different regions in the Philippines . . . a rare exhibit of the personal collection of musical instruments of National Artist for Music Ramon Pagayon Santos . . . world class performer Jed Madela’s powerful rendition of The Impossible Dream . . . a festive Pinoy Music Medley by WCOPA Team Philippines.

These were some of the highlights that made the recent My City, My SM, My Music launch at The Block at SM City North EDSA memorable. It also showed how music brings joy, uplifts spirits, unites, and inspires the many lives it touches.

A joint project of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the Filipino Heritage Festival, WCOPA, and the Philippine Star with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the National Music for Young Artists (NAMCYA), and Tahanan Books, My City, My SM, My Music is a celebration of Philippine Performing Arts – music, dance, and theater.

The campaign aims to bring people and music together by showcasing indigenous, folk, classical, and contemporary artistry in a roadshow around the SM Supermalls. Advocating music for all, we are working with communities to mount performances, exhibits, and workshops in key cities around the Philippines.

The grand launch was graced by cultural luminaries led by National Artist for Music Ramon Pagayon Santos and former NCCA Chairman Professor Felipe de Leon, Jr; as well as project partners NAMCYA President Renato B. Lucas, Filipino Heritage Festival President Armita Rufino, WCOPA Philippines Country Director Gerry Mercado and Creative Director Annie Mercado, NCCA Executive Director Oscar Casaysay, and Philippine Star EVP Lucien Dy Tioco.

Director of Administration Nelda Sansaet and curator Ian Kenneth M. Gines represented by Metropolitan Museum of Manila; while musicologist and music editor Dr. Fe Prudente, Managing Editor Frances Ong, and Marketing Manager Meg Roxas stood in for Tahanan Books. They were all warmly welcomed by SM executives led by Millie Dizon, SM City North EDSA AVP for Operations Jocelyn Lapid-Cariño, AVP for Marketing TJ Cuenca, and Mall Manager Don Vijandre.

Guests, including Quezon City Tourism Officer Marivic Tolentino; Philippine Suzuki Youth Orchestra President Roselle Bantilan, Music Director Herrick Ortiz, and Concert Master Sophia Ann Bantillan; Professor Vim Nadera; Strings of Unity’s Loen Vito; Dr. Santos’s daughters Monica and Waya; and his colleagues from the University of the Philippines, enjoyed the program which included an AVP hosted by Lia Cruz about the magic of music and the amazing Filipino talents in the performing arts who are shaping the musical heritage of the Philippines.

The program hosted by Karen Ow-Yong and Duds Mitra left the mall audience spellbound with a breathtaking Dance of the Regions performance by WCOPA Team Philippines; Jed Madela’s soulful rendition of The Impossible Dream, the song that catapulted him to the WCOPA Grand Championship of the World and international fame; the award-winning PWU JASMS Manila Rondalla’s performance of Dr. Santos’ composition Katubo; and the surprise festive Pinoy Music Medley by WCOPA Team Philippines.

The highlight of the launch was a tribute to the life and works of National Artist for Music Dr. Ramon Pagayon Santos.

Dr. Santos is a composer, conductor, musicologist, and ethnomusicologist; as well as the country’s foremost exponent of contemporary music. He has served as a Member of the Asian Composers League, which he led as Chairman from 1994 -1997, and was elected Vice President of the International Music Council at UNESCO from 2001 to 2005. In 2014, he was proclaimed National Artist for Music.

As an active musicologist, Dr. Santos’ interest in traditional music cultures was realized in 1976, when he collected and documented music from folk religious groups in Quezon.  He has also done research and field work among the Ibaloi of Northern Luzon.

As an ethnomusicologist, his works highlight the people-specific concepts central to the ethnomusicological discipline, the translation of indigenous musical systems into modern musical discourse, and the marriage of Western and non-Western sound.

As a composer, his works have been conceived along concepts and aesthetic frameworks of Philippine and Southeast Asian traditions that feature western and non-western elements.  He is known for combining orchestral instruments with Philippine indigenous instruments, as well as his different styles of vocal production.

Dr. Santos says that composition is invention. It is creation, and not imitation. He believes that when you compose you have to create something new. You have to create a new expression.

As the founder of the “Strings of Unity: International Rondalla/Plucked String Music Festival” in 2004, he has made a new generation of Filipinos appreciate the rondalla’s festive spirit and highlighted the importance of music in bringing people together. 

He is currently serving a University Professor Emeritus at the University of the Philippines, Dr. Santos has remained instrumental in espousing modern Philippine music rooted in old Asian practices and life concepts.

With generation upon generation of students and teachers that have come under his wing, he continues to shape a legacy of modernity anchored on the values of traditional Asian music.

My City, My SM, My Music is a take-off from the My City, My SM campaign which promotes tourism; My City, My SM, My Cuisine, which highlights family heirloom recipes in the different regions; and My City, My SM, My Crafts, which celebrates traditional arts and modern Philippine design. Most recently, My City, My SM, My Art was a celebration of Philippine visual arts – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and filmmaking.

My City, My SM, My Music’s next stop will be at SM City Olongapo Central this September 22 -28.