The Resurgence of Escolarian Music Composition

by Gabrielle Hamoy

The Centro Escolar University Conservatory of Music has long been known for its stellar roster of faculty members consisting of renowned Filipino composers and National Artists. Molina, San Pedro, de Leon, Sacramento, and Buenaventura are just some of the household names of Philippine music that have had a hand in shaping the Conservatory into what it is today. With a reputation such as this, the composition department has since been in expectant waiting for a resurgence, holding high hopes for the next eventual batch of composition graduates.

2023 finally marks the grand return of the Conservatory of Music’s composition department, producing four students slated for graduation in July: Christian Jay Canlas, Criz Lowenn Concepcion, Gabrielle Marguerite Hamoy, and Mark Terence Yumang. After spending the past four years under the tutelage of esteemed composers Prof. Jude B. Roldan and Mr. Jude Edgard Balsamo, they are now preparing to march at their graduation ceremony and formally receive their Bachelor of Music degrees in Composition, with a Specialization in Music Production and Engineering.

Part of a composition graduate’s final requirements is to organize a graduation recital, where the composer’s selected works from their student portfolio are premiered. For the composition graduates of 2023, their graduation recital, entitled El Comienzo, took place on May 27 at the Manila Symphony Orchestra Recital Hall at Ayala Malls Circuit Makati in Makati City. This recital took place in two parts: the first program, consisting of works by composers Canlas and Hamoy, began at 1:00 PM, while the second program, consisting of works by composers Concepcion and Yumang, began at 4:30 PM. This recital was a culmination of both years of work put into their composition portfolios and months of preparation in terms of finding musicians to perform their pieces, monitoring rehearsals, making revisions to their compositions, planning a live concert recording, and getting ready to conduct an orchestra on their recital day—all in addition to organizing the logistics of these activities.

The graduation recital is not merely a performance of the composer’s works, but also a critical evaluation of their compositions by a panel of judges. This panel consisted of Prof. Angelito E. Ayran, Jr., program head of the CEU Conservatory of Music; Ms. Gian Gianan, composer; Mr. Joed Balsamo, composition professor at the CEU Conservatory of Music; and Assoc. Prof. Antonio P. Africa, dean of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music—all experienced members of the Philippine music academe and respected musicians in their own right.

The first program’s performances were as follows: Melancholy (Canlas), performed by Sara Maria Gonzales-Solares, violin; Trapped (Hamoy), performed by Justin Vincent Louis Talusan, cello; 1-2-3 (A Mini Piano Suite) (Canlas), performed by Prof. Rogie Reyes, piano; Whimsy (Hamoy), performed by Dr. Clement Acevedo, piano; Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue (Canlas), performed by Dr. Karen Fatima Francisco, piano; Return to Roots (Hamoy), performed by Dr. Clement Acevedo, piano; In Between Hate and Love (Canlas), performed by Dr. Karen Fatima Francisco, piano; Elehiya sa Buntot ng Kometa (Hamoy), performed by Moona Binalla, alto, and Jazper Juliuz Mani, piano; Holy Thursday: Is this a Holy Thing to See (Canlas), performed by Lean Victor Lucas, tenor, and Jazper Juliuz Mani, piano; I Have Loved Too Fondly (Hamoy), performed by Kantabella and Prof. Rogie Reyes, piano, with the composer conducting; The Arrow and the Song (Hamoy), performed by Kantabella and Arby Bagayana, piano, with the composer conducting; Death, Thou Shalt Die (Hamoy), performed by Arvin Jan Medrano, oboe, and Madeline Jane Banta, harp; Fantasy, Scherzo, and Fugue (Canlas), performed by Sara Maria Gonzales-Solares, violin, June Philippe Ong, viola, and Justin Vincent Louis Talusan, cello; The More Loving One (Hamoy), performed by Kantabella and Justin Vincent Louis Talusan, cello, with the composer conducting; Infernus (Canlas), performed by the Servus Dei Vocal Ensemble, Lorenzo Bumanglag, tubular bells (keyboard), Zedrick Allorde, cymbals, Juan Gio De Leon, bass drum, and Renz Jerson B. Cuevas, conductor; Symphony No. 1 (Moderato) (Hamoy), performed by the Manila Symphony Orchestra, with the composer conducting; and Paglalakbay (Canlas), performed by the Manila Symphony Orchestra, with the composer conducting.

The second program’s performances were as follows: The King’s Return (Concepcion), performed by Adrian Sison, trumpet 1, Jeremiah Sosa, trumpet 2, Michael Estrella, horn, Arlan Delos Reyes, trombone, and Cloyd Andrew Agtarap, tuba, with the composer conducting; Kings and Queens (Yumang), performed by Lester Armenta, flute, Noreen

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