Pianist Raul Sunico. soprano Joanna Go, join Clarion Chamber Ensemble in DZFE benefit concert

Pianist and President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Raul Sunico joins Clarion Chamber Ensemble in Chamber Music in Progress, a benefit concert mounted by the CCP, in cooperation with the Ensemble, for 98.7 DZFE “The Master’s Touch”, February 24, 8PM, at the CCP

Little Theater.

 

Presenters of DZFE with the Clarion Chamber Ensemble, guest pianist Raul Sunico and featured soloist, soprano Joanna Go, will offer a guided sampling of chamber music’s many possibilities.

 

The kaleidoscopic Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F, BWV 1047 of JS Bach (1685-1750), and the festive Capriccio Espagnol of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) arranged for chamber ensemble, are the departure and final destination points on an itinerary that includes music from the Piano Quintet in A major, D. 66 “Trout” of Franz Schubert (1797-1828), the Septet in B-flat of Ludwig Thuille (1861-1907), the Piano Quintet of Antonio Molina (1894-1980), and the Elizabethan Songs of Dominic Argento (b. 1927).

 

Chamber Music in Progress takes its name from the chamber music program of the same name on 98.7 DZFE (Sunday 300 PM and Wednesday 800 PM) hosted by Clarion Music Ensemble co-founder and artistic director David Jerome Johnson. With pianist Hyun Joo Lee, flutist Johnson formed Clarion Chamber Ensemble in December 2001. It was joined by members of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra to create a core group of nine ensemble members. Other musicians collaborate with the ensemble as the music demands.

 

The strength of the Ensemble lies in the diversity and flexibility of instrumental combinations and repertoire that embraces 18th to 20th century works. Clarion Chamber Ensemble has also worked with opera singers and jazz and tango dancers in the service of the chamber music

repertoire and the cause of various charities and non-profits, including the Macabata Children's Foundation and 98.7 DZFE. The concert Chamber Music in Progress offers a foretaste of performances that Clarion Chamber Ensemble will soon be offering in celebrating its

tenth anniversary.

 

Soprano Joanna Go, who performs Argento’s Elizabethan Songs at the concert, hosts and produces the opera program OPERAphile on DZFE (Saturday 7:30 PM). She last performed with Clarion Chamber Ensemble in the 2006 and 2007 presentations of the concert “If it Ain’t Baroque, Don’t Fix It!” A graduate of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Opera Performance program in Vancouver, Canada, Joanna Go was one of the featured Filipino artists in the Shanghai World Exposition in 2010, performing with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philippine Madrigal Singers at the gala presentation of the Philippines-China Friendship Day. She also gave a command performance at Malacañang Palace for the Shanghai diplomatic

delegates. In August of 2009, she was featured in a concert entitled Pagpupugay, a tribute to the works of National Artists Rolando Tinio and Bienvenido Lumbera, as well as Nicanor Tiongson and Jose Lacaba.

 

Since it first went to air in 1954, DZFE has been a donor-supported non-profit and non-commercial outfit. DZFE’s unique blend of programs is designed to foster an appreciation for classical music and biblical precepts. The station is the only one of this format across the faith-based radio network, Far East Broadcasting Company, Philippines.   

This year, DZFE will be relocating its transmitting facilities and studio to a site in Ortigas Center, where it will share a common facility with its sister station, 702 DZAS-AM, which is also set to

move out of its current home in Valenzuela City. The new, compact Ortigas facility will require the updating of broadcast software and equipment, some of which has not been updated for decades. Fundraising for this initiative is intensive and ongoing. Donations for DZFE’s day-to-day operations and its relocation project will be accepted by station personnel at the venue.

 

Tickets for Chamber Music in Progress are Php700 a seat and can be purchased at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Box Office at (02) 832-3704 or Ticketworld at (02) 891-9999. Inquiries can be directed to DZFE at (02) 810 3835 or mailbox@dzfe.febc.ph, or the Clarion School

of Performing Arts (02)890-8840. Press release and photos from CCP