MSO honors Maestra Conching Rosal with echoes of ‘Carmen,’ ‘kundiman’

The Manila Symphony Orchestra recently staged a milestone tribute performance, “Opera at Kundiman: The Legacy of Maestra Conching Rosal” as part of its Centennial Season under the banner “In Pursuit of Excellence.”

The concert honored two significant milestones: the 100th birth anniversary of legendary Filipino soprano Conchita “Conching” Rosal and the 70th anniversary of the MSO’s landmark 1956 Tagalog-language production of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.”

Originally set for August 29, the exact date of the 1956 “Carmen” opening night, the performance was moved to September 1 due to inclement weather. During the original 1956 run, a typhoon flooded the surrounding streets, yet audiences still filled the Far Eastern University Auditorium.

Seventy years later, classical music enthusiasts once again gathered in the same historic Art Deco venue, designed by National Artist Pablo Antonio Sr., to witness a full house performance.

Born in San Jose, Batangas, in 1926, Rosal began singing in her local parish church before training at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music. She rose to fame in the 1950s through 1970s. Beyond opera, Rosal was instrumental in preserving and popularizing “kundiman,” bringing traditional Filipino art songs to mainstream audiences.

The evening’s repertoire bridged Western operatic tradition and native song craft. Part I of the program presented excerpts from Bizet’s “Carmen,” sung in the original 1956 Tagalog translation by Manuel Carballo Santiago and Vicente Liwag (English translation by R. Zulueta da Costa).

Part II showcased “kundiman” and other Filipino vocal works by National Artist Nicanor Abelardo, Francisco Santiago, Leopoldo Silos, Manuel Velez, and Constancio de Guzman.

Conducted by MSO Music Director Maestro Marlon Chen, the performance featured mezzo-soprano Michelle Mariposa as Carmen, tenor Arthur Espiritu as Don Jose, soprano Rachelle Gerodias-Park as Micaela, and baritone Byeong-In Park as Escamillo, together with the FEU Chorale and the FEU Dance Company.

Before the concert, guests participated in heritage tours of FEU’s UNESCO-recognized campus and attended screenings of two documentary films “Bravo!: The History and Legacy of the FEU Auditorium” and “Sinfonia (H)eroica: The MSO 100 Documentary,” tracing the FEU Auditorium’s past and the MSO’s century-long journey, respectively.

The program opened with remarks from Martin Lopez, Executive Director of the FEU Center for the Arts, followed by messages from Maan Hontiveros, President of the Manila Symphony Orchestra Foundation, Inc., and Jeffrey Solares, MSOFI Executive Director.

The event brought together notable attendees, including members of the Rosal family, diplomats from China, Japan, France, and the Netherlands, MSOFI officials, and FEU representatives.

The evening concluded on a high note with Ernani Cuenco’s “Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal,” prompting an enthusiastic sing-along between two standing ovations.