On October 16, the UP Symphony Orchestra kicked off their online concert series with their first online blended performance, (Re)Connection. It was dubbed “blended” due to the concert being in a format that combined newly, remotely recorded works and existing archive videos from previous concerts.
This Friday December 18 at 7pm, catch “Ang Paghihintay: Bago MagPasko Kasama ng UPSO”, the second concert of their ongoing series. The concert will feature works of Wagner, Prokofiev, Toledo, Alcala, and Shostakovich, and will speak of the feeling of anticipation we are all experiencing—anticipation not only for Christmas, but for the return to “normalcy”.
The orchestra will be joined by the 2019 National Music Competition for Young Artists winner, mezzo-soprano Michelle Mariposa. The concert will be streamed on the orchestra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. It will be available until December 22.
But what is Christmas without some community singing and all those traditional holiday songs? Following shortly after their first December concert for the year, UPSO’s annual traditional community Christmas concert arrives on the virtual stage. Taking advantage of the online platform, “Pasko na! Pasko na!” includes choirs from UP campuses all over the country. Sing carols and other holiday classics along with our choirs from Luzon (the UP Madrigal Singers, the UP Medicine Choir), the Visayas (UP Cebu Serenata, UP Iloilo High Harana), and Mindanao (UP Mindanao Koro Kantahanay). And like the community concerts of Christmases past, each choir will be given their time in the spotlight in a solo spot number.
The concert will be available starting December 23, 7pm until January 2, 2021, again streamed on the orchestra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
For updates, you may register for the concerts’ respective Facebook events, or follow them on Instagram or Facebook. You may also subscribe to the orchestra’s email newsletter at tiny.cc/upsomail.
