MANILA, Philippines - In a time of ?political upheaval,? as one media person put it, what is the role of a semi-government institution like the Cultural Center of the Philippines?

During the open forum, CCP president Nestor O. Jardin rose to answer the question. ?Corruption is embedded not just in the government but in the system,? he declared, somewhat jolting those present although what he said was hardly new. ?As individuals, we are very much concerned about our country.?

?But,? he continued, ?the CCP through its programs can be a potent tool for social transformation. We have to be proactive.?

Through performances, events and dialogues, Jardin said, ?we teach moral values to the youth, the value of honesty, respect for the truth and what is right.?

The occasion was a recent press conference at the CCP to announce the third ?Virtuosos 2008, Voices Through Time,? to be held at the CCP on Feb. 28, 8 p.m. The concert is becoming an annual event sponsored by BNP Paribas, a leading international bank known for its support of the arts.

Operatic music

The first ?Virtuosos? in 2006 featured two symphony orchestras and a galaxy of pianists, while the second emphasized violinists. The concert this year will showcase operatic music.

?We hope to raise P2 million for our arts program for young people,? Jardin said. The fund currently stands at P5 million, the beneficiaries being 40 young scholars in the fields of music, dance, theater, literature, and visual art. All are graduates of the Philippine High School for the Arts.

The concert will highlight songs and arias from the baroque, classical and romantic periods in music, roughly from the 17th to the 19th century.

Performers are soprano Camille Lopez, mezzo soprano Clarissa Ocampo, tenors Randy Gilongo and Nolyn Cabahug, countertenor Mark Anthony Carpio (better known as the choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers), and bass baritones Jonathan Zaens and Jerome Correas, the latter a guest artist from France.

They will be complemented by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Chiang Kai Shek College Youth Choir, Ballet Philippines, and Teatro Ambahanon from General Santos City.

Singers? virtuosity

Composer Chino Toledo directs the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

During the presscon, Gilongo, Carpio and Ocampo gave the media a foretaste of what awaits the audience on Feb. 28, as they rendered delectable French and Italian arias. Pianists Mary Anne Espina was the collaborating artist.

?The program will showcase the virtuosity of the singers,? said Menchi Mantaring, chief of the CCP Music Division. Among those present were Claude Haberer and Peter Labrie of BNP Paribas, and Olivier Dintinger, director of Alliance Francaise de Manille.