Ingrid, Rey start tenth ‘Romantic Music Journey’ ‘French Spring’ concerts

Leading duo pianists Ingrid Sta. Maria and Reynaldo Reves have prepared two programs for their coming tenth "Romantic Music Journey."

With Ingrid taking the soloist part and Rey the orchestral, both programs will include a movement from Saint-Saens’ Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, another from Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, and still another from Mendelssohn’s Concerto No. 1 in G Minor. Program One will end with Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3 in D Minor; Program Two, with Tschaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor. For a native touch, both programs will feature Buencamino’s Mayon Fantasy and Santiago’s Souvenir de Filipinas.

Let me re-introduce to readers the pianists with a brief background of each one’s training and career.

the repertoire of Reynaldo Reyes’ is one of the world’s widest. I have heard him play in recitals the entire Prelude and Fugues of Bach, Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, Chopin’s 24 Preludes and 24 Etudes, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and a collection of repertoire of different nationalities.

Rey’s latest was an all-Prokofieff program performed in Manila and New York to high praise. Last May, he played in Virginia De Falla’s Gardens of Spain, along with Cornejo’s Concerto and Buencamino’s Mayon Fantasy.

Rey has concretized in Europe, Russia, South America and the US (NY’s Carnegie Hall and Town Hall). He is a member of Maryland’s Baltimore Trio, which ensemble gives six concerts yearly.

A professor in piano at Townson U., Rey obtained his Bachelor’s Degree at the UST Conservatory, and received the coveted Premier Prix in Piano at the Paris Conservatory. He later studied at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore on a scholarship under Leon Fleisher, receiving a Master’s Degree in Music and the Artist Diploma from that Institute.

He has also trained under Julio Esteban Anguita in Manila Marguerite Long, Jean Doyen and Jacques Fervier in Paris, and Mieczyslaw Munz at Juilliard.

For 20 years, Rey was the official accompanist of the Metropolitan Opera auditions in Washington, DC.

Ingrid S. Santamaria has performed with the Beijing and Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestras, and given recitals in Bucharest, Romania; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Finland’s Oulunsalo Music Festival and major cities in Japan. She has played under the batons of the Russian Mark Kadin and Eugene Castillo.

Ingrid was responsible for the formation of the Cebu Symphony Orchestra, now the Peace Philharmonic Philippines which has received several awards and been designated National Symphony Orchestra of Southern Philippines.

In recent years, Ingrid received two French awards.

She first studied under her mother, Pilar Blanco Sala, graduate of Sr. Baptista Battig, the German Benedictine nun who introduced Western music education here. Ingrid furthered her studies at Juilliard School in New York; earlier, she received a Master’s Degree under Aida Sanz Gonzalez, and studied under Tupas, Contreras and Reynaldo Reyes.

Ingrid received the "Hall of Fame" award from the Crestwood Performing Arts League in Florida, and was made a Paul Harris fellow by Rotary International. She has innumerable awards from local clubs and organizations.

The "Romantic Music Journey" starts on June 14 with five concerts in Los Angeles, and concerts on June 21 in Djakarta, on June 23 at the German embassy residence in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where Ingrid and Rey, having previously played in the German embassy residence in Manila, will be hosted by Ambassador Herbert D. Jess, now stationed in Kuala Lumpur.

On June 27, the concert will be in Hanoi, Vietnam, under the auspices of Philippine Ambassador Victoriano Lecaros, and in Ho Chi Minh on June 30 and July 1.

The Philippine tour, organized by Crispy Laurel, starts on July 3 at Fuente de Artes in Makati (Ingrid’s residence), followed by concerts at Sta. Isabel College on July 6, and UST on July 7, as arranged by Dean Sr. Emilita Pacubas and Dean Raul Sunico, respectively.

Engagements follow in Cebu July 9 and 10; at the Philippine Science HS in Diliman through Dr. Ramon Miranda, DSLU in Manila through Jill Samaodio, St. Paul U, Manila, through Cristy de Castro, and the UP through Nita Abrogar and Gemma Malicdem.

Other venues are Cavite, Makati Medical Center through Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell, the PWU through Dean Harold Galang, and on July 21, the German embassy residence with Ambassador Axel Weishaupt as host. On July 23, the duo will play in Miriam College through Tessie Serrano; on July 24, at the College of the Holy Spirit through Sr. Guadalupe. Two concerts have been arranged in Cagayan de Oro by pianist Rudolph P. Golez and Mozart Pastrano. On Aug. 6, venue will be the Tagaytay Highlands through Anabelle Ong.

"Romantic Music Journey" continues in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 18, with arrangements made by Ambassador Antonio Rodriguez and Glen Chatelier; in Indonesia at the AMA Academy of Music on Aug. 19 and the Djakarta Arts Center on Aug. 21.

No two pianists have given as much enlightenment on romantic composers as Ingrid and Rey who have mounted over 160 concerts in nearly as many towns, cities, educational and community locales here and abroad. In the country, they have played to some 150,000 listeners and millions more over the televised, nation-wide "Concert at the Park."

French Spring Concerts

The second of three chamber recitals being given in conjunction with "French Spring" continues with young, brilliant French instrumentalists playing works by Debussy, Franck and Chausson. Venue is Ayala Museum.

Tomorrow, June 9, compositions will be by Debussy, Prokofieff, Koechlin, Caplet, Poulenc, Shostakovich and Saint-Saens. Venue is F. Santiago Hall.

Instruments are the piano, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon.