Betsy, Igan in joint exhibit/Financier-pianist in concert/Fr. Tony writes book on Jesus

My friendship and admiration for artist Betsy Westendorp go back to more than 30 years. Although painter Igan D’Bayan and I are with the STAR, I have met him only once! Betsy and Igan will be in a back-to-back exhibit which will open on Tuesday, June 18 at 6 p.m. in the Crucible, SM Megamall A, Mandaluyong.

Herewith is an announcement pointing up the striking differences between the two artists in approach and temperament.

The show is a juxtaposition of contrasting styles, philosophies and techniques — Westendorp is into elegant portraits and all-engulfing skies; D’Bayan is obsessed with the macabre and “things that go bump in the night.” The two artists will each present a self-portrait surrounded by satellite paintings. “I think, technically, Betsy and Igan are known for portraiture —  and that’s the basic premise (of the exhibition),” explains Crucible owner Sari Ortiga, who conceptualized the show.

“When someone sits in front of you for a portrait for the first time, it is the beginning of an interesting adventure,” describes Westendorp. “And by the end of the sessions, you have become really good friends. It’s a beautiful experience. You even get to read people’s minds.”

“When I do portraits,” shares D’Bayan, “I ask the sitter what his or her nightmares and greatest fears are. And then Payne’s Gray descent into hell begins.”

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The ASEAN Law Association, in celebration of its foundation day, will present Dr. Jose Artemio C. Panganiban III, son of the former SC Chief Justice, in a concert on June 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the RCBC auditorium.

Herewith is an interesting description of Panganiban’s career both as financier and concert pianist.

In 1989, Jose Artemio C. Panganiban III, PhD, finished his Bachelor of Music at the University of the Philippines, Summa Cum Laude, under the tutelage of the late Prof. Jose Ma. Contreras. In November of the same year, he won the Associate Takahiro Sonoda Award at the 5th International Takahiro Sonoda Piano Competition in Oita, Japan. The following year, he was granted the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Scholarship by the Federal Republic of Germany for advanced piano studies in Munich.

From  1992-1999, Dr. Panganiban prepared for his parallel career in finance by earning three graduate degrees from Stanford University: MS in Operations Research (with distinction), MS in Engineering-Economic Systems, and PhD in Engineering-Economic Systems & Operations Research. He completed his BS in Management Engineering, with honors, from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1985. After his Stanford studies, Dr. Panganiban moved to New York City where he worked for Credit Suisse-First Boston, Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch. He is currently a Director at the Citigroup head office in New York.

Dr. Panganiban renewed his interest in performing as a concert artist in 2009, with well-received performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the University of the Philippines, the Mind Museum, and most recently, in Minnesota, USA.

His concert will consist of Chopin’s Nocturne in C minor, two Concert Etudes by Liszt and his Spanish Rhapsody, and a climax, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2: Moderato, Adagio Sostenuto and Allegro Scherzando, to be accompanied by the Manila Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Molina.

Fr. Tony Rosales, OFM, Franciscan author, theologian and former parish priest of Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati will launch his seventh book, “This is About Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” on Saturday, July 20, in St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish, Magallanes Village, Makati, after the 6 p.m. Mass. The book, written as light historical fiction, tells the life of Jesus as told by his Guardian Angel. The book is dedicated to this Year of Faith.

Donations for the book will help support the Franciscan seminarians in the south and promote the Scholarship Program of St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish.