MANILA, Philippines - Classical music got a much-needed shot in the arm in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte, when over 800 students from different schools in this city cheered pianists Ingrid Sala Santamaria and Reynaldo Reyes Friday last week on their 15th Romantic Piano Concerto Journey Tour.

Held at the Atrium of Top Plaza Hotel with a view of the sea, Santamaria and Reyes played Liszt?s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Rachmaninoff?s Piano Concerto No. 2 and were rewarded with a standing ovation.

?We are really excited because this is our first time to watch a classical concert,? said students Jane Krish Erasmo, Franz Roezyl Lugo and Kathleen Alberca from the Dipolog Pilot Elementary School. ?Before this, we only had exposure to rock bands like Bamboo and Cueshe,? they added.

For this rare classical event in the city, 10 men were hired to move two upright pianos to the fifth floor of the hotel through the stairs.

Moving good pianos

?For piano concerts, part of the ordeal is still finding and moving good pianos and it?s problematic if the elevator can?t accommodate the pianos,? said Laclac Romano, who supervised the piano transport.

A piano tuner from Cebu came all the way to Dipolog City to tune the two pianos.

After the open forum, where the visiting artists answered questions on how to get started as good concert pianists, Santamaria and Reyes got the surprise of their lives when they were mobbed by autograph-seekers. The avalanche of shrieking new fans of classical music took more than half an hour to subside, with intermittent requests for picture-taking with the artists.

Treated like rock stars

?Once in a great while, it feels good to be treated like rock stars,? said Santamaria, who once shared the stage with Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in Cesar Franck?s Symphonic Variations in the now-demolished Rizal Theater in Makati City.

?It?s an honor to welcome world-class musicians to our city,? Dipolog City Mayor Evelyn T. Uy told the visiting artists.

The city?s tourism office and Top Plaza Hotel, under manager Vanessa Uy, sponsored the matinee and gala performances, which drew unprecedented attendance especially from young audiences rarely exposed to classical music.

Rare encounters

Known as the ?Bottled-Sardines Capital of the Philippines,? Dipolog City, with a population of over a 100,000, has rare encounters with classical music but a few music studios keep classical music alive.

A unique model in music home-schooling in the city is the family of visual artist Rosalio ?Didi? Romano, whose wife Marrietta teaches piano along with son Mario Dandi, 25, and daughter Miracle, 23. The youngest son, Mishael, 8, already plays Bach?s Three-Part Invention and Haydn?s Concerto in D Major.

All the Romano children are homeschooled from elementary to college.

Homeschooling

?Homeschooling is now the trend even in the United States,? said Reyes, who stressed that college graduates with background in classical music had more chances of getting jobs than those without music orientation.

?With homeschooling specially in music, the teacher can give more attention to the needs of the students without the bad examples seen in regular schools. When homeschooling works, it works best not just in music but even in regular academic subjects,? he added.

Upon arrival, the visiting artists together with the media persons covering the concert were treated to Beethoven?s Sonatina by Mishael Romano. Later, Santamaria took the second piano in an impromptu performance of the last movement of the Haydn D Major Concerto, with Mishael as soloist.

Music greats

Surprisingly, the youngest Romano also plays the violin. He also treated the Manila visitors to an impromptu Bouree by Bach.

The tour resumed in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, with a performance at the University of Mindanao Gym and at the Tagum City Cultural and Trade Center, under the auspices of the tourism and city mayor?s offices. In Davao City, the concert was held at the Marco Polo Hotel lobby lounge and the SM Events Center, courtesy of Davao Jaycees.

The tour concluded at the Concert at the Park in Manila, where music-lovers asked questions after the Liszt and Tchaikovsky concertos.

?I?ve seen music greats in Manila and Hong Kong and I can say that you belong among them,? music-lover Oscar Garcia told Santamaria and Reyes during the open forum.

The 15th Romantic Piano Concerto Journey has logged a total of 283 concerts since it started in 2001.

Cecile Licad tour

World-acclaimed Filipino pianist Cecile Licad will espouse the cause for young musicians and abused children when she plays with new talents of the Philippine Youth Symphonic Band and the Pundaquit Virtuosi in a special outreach tour on March 14 at the Miriam College Auditorium; March 15 in San Antonio, Zambales; and March 16 at the Ayala Alabang Insular Life Auditorium.

Outreach concerts

In these outreach concerts, Licad will be soloist in Beethoven?s Piano Concerto No. 2.

Presented by Casa San Miguel?s Pundaquit Festival and the Philippine Youth Symphonic Band and with the ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. as special partner, the special Licad tour will raise scholarship funds for developing talents in the rural areas, and for the training program for the development of wind and brass players for the Philippine Youth Symphonic Band.

The outreach concerts will also benefit Bantay Bata 163 and its Children?s Village fund for music and arts therapy.

The rest of the program includes Kreisler?s Praeludium and Allegro; Vivaldi?s ?Spring? from ?The Four Seasons?; Mozart?s Serenade in B Flat for 13 Winds in K.361; Haydn?s Farewell Symphony; and Dvorak?s Serenade Op. 44.

For ticket reservation, call 411-0856 (Freda); 9290967 (China); 426-1822 (Evelyn Calizar); and 0917-8010727 (Bubut).

Tribute to Gregorio

Emmanuel Gregorio passed away on Jan. 30. Married to pianist-harpist Lourdes de Leon Gregorio, Manny, as he was known to friends, debuted as the gravedigger in Felipe Padilla de Leon?s ?Noli Me Tangere? at the FEU Auditorium.

He also played roles in Alfredo Buenaventura?s ?Diego Silang,? ?Maria Makiling? and ?Princess Urduja.?

Abroad, he essayed the role of Landgraf in Wagner?s ?Taunnhauser? in Taipei and the part of Skula in Borodin?s ?Prince Igor,? Farlaf in ?Russlan and Ludmilla? and Papageno in ?Magic Flute??all in San Francisco, USA.

A special tribute for Manny Gregorio, called ?Moment Musicale,? will be held on Feb. 27 at the house of Odette Alcantara.

Piano for sale

An A K. Kawaii piano (6 ft x 5 inches, ebony black gloss finish with mellow brilliant sound and excellent touch), that which had been used by Filipino and international artists, is up for sale and can be inspected Monday to Saturday, 2-5 p.m. Call 0906-5104270.