Gerard is resident conductor of MPO in Malaysia

Here is a piece of news that should make us Filipinos proud. Gerard Salonga, 46 years old, orchestral conductor and orchestrator, musical director and arranger, has been appointed as the resident conductor of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). He is the first Filipino to hold the job and follows on the heels of the Japanese maestro Naohisa Furusawa.

The MPO is famous worldwide for the diverse nationalities of its membership and for its outstanding classical repertoire and has worked with the likes of Sir Neville Marriner, Lorin Maazel, Vladimir Ashlenazy, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Yehudi Menuhin, among others. Founded only in 1997, it is the resident orchestra of the Petronas Philharmonic Hall, which is housed inside the imposing Petronas Towers owned by Petronas, the Malaysian Oil and Gas Company in Kuala Lumpur.

Gerard was for some years in his young life known as the cute younger brother and the favorite singing partner of the theater and television star Lea Salonga. Lea, as everybody knows, went on to international acclaim winning the Tony and the Laurence Olivier Awards for her work as Kim in the musical Miss Saigon and to sing hit themes from Disney movies, A Whole New World and Reflection.

While all that was happening to big sister Lea, Gerard was being normal back home, studying and doing some music on the side. He went to the Ateneo de Manila University to get a Bachelor of Arts degree and then went back full-time to his music after graduation. He studied arranging at the Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachusetts in the U.S. of A. He graduated summa cum laude at Berklee and then resumed his musical career in the Philippines.

The MPO is getting a most versatile and hardworking conductor in Gerard. Just take a look at what he had been doing. Once back home, his work was first concentrated on doing musical arrangements and becoming the musical director for the shows of his sister Lea and other Filipino artists like Martin Nievera and Regine Velasquez. He was also from time to time assistant conductor to his former music professor Ryan Cayabyab or for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra or the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra. He also scored motion pictures and commercials.

I think one of his notable accomplishments during that time was Filharmonika. Gerard formed the orchestra and did some recordings of works by Filipino composers. One of these is titled Kumpas: An Orchestral Celebration of Pinoy Rock, featuring local music icons. The album presented original Filipino rock music that he arranged to be performed by the orchestra. The result was not only surprising, it was mind-blowing.

Try to listen to the album and hear Sampaguita sing Tao like you have never heard it before because it is with a full orchestra. Or check out True Faith’s lyrical Muntik Nang Maabot Ang Langit or how more anthemic Next In Line by AfterImage became or Himig Natin with guitar work by Wally Gonzales and what I believe is the best of the lot, Mike Hanopol’s Jeprox song, Laki Sa Layaw.

 This experience with recording should help make the MPO an easy fit for Gerard. The Malaysian orchestra now has a reputation for excellent classical recordings and has a growing catalogue of albums. Three of those among the most recent have generated positive interest globally. These are Symphonies Number 7, 8 and 9 by Anton Dvorak with the MPO conducted by Claus Peter Flor from Germany.

 Gerard will continue to hold his position as musical director of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra while also with the MPO. He was until recently the assistant conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Jaap van Zweden.

Aside from shuttling back and forth to Manila and Kuala Lumpur this year, Gerard also expects to visit Hong Kong and conduct the Philharmonic again this month, the Kunming Nie-Er Symphony Orchestra of Kunming, China in May, the South Denmark Philharmonic Orchestra in August and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Australia in November.

Then, he returns to the theater to conduct the musical Sweeney Todd which will star Lea for Atlantis Theatricals in Manila and for the Singapore Repertory Theater through October, November and December of this year.