Chris Millado announces CCP’s year-long activities / Socorro Ramos: Top achiever

As the Cultural Center of the Philippines marked its 45th year, artistic director Chris Millado announced, at a recent press conference, the CCP’s year-long activities for 2014, with these activities aimed at growth, transformation in the arts and stimulation of the creative industry. Herewith is Millado’s official announcement.

Among the highlights of 2014 are special 45th anniversary events that bring large scale flash performances in selected areas in the metropolis, the expanded Pasinaya Open House Festival that transforms the Malate, Ermita and Intramuros areas into an “arts and culture mile,” a tribute to the Sesquicentennary of National Hero Apolinario Mabini, new conservatory programs, new original Filipino musicals, international shows and new products and publications.

CCP 45th anniversary events include the Anniversary Gala, featuring leading performers from music, theater, and dance. There will be a People’s Gala that will be free to the public and a Fundraising Gala that will be ticketed. CCP resident companies — the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Ballet Philippines, Philippine Ballet Theatre, Tanghalang Pilipino, Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company, UST Symphony Orchestra, NAMCYA Resident companies, Philippine Madrigal Singers — will be conducting “random acts of culture” or flash mob performances in selected areas in Metro Manila building up to a major surprise performance involving hundreds of performers.

A 45th Anniversary  Commemorative CD will also be launched as well as a special portfolio of 45 prints by leading artists, including National Artists, will be one of the many activities slated throughout 2014 to commemorate the CCP’s 45th anniversary.

Forty-five chambers — formerly soldiers’ quarters and store rooms in the 1500s and destroyed later in World War II — of the newly restored and historic Maestranza Wall at Intramuros will transform into performance spaces when the CCP Pasinaya Open House Festival expands into a two-day event and extends its boundaries beyond the CCP Complex to include  the historic Walled City.

The Pasinaya Festival is considered the largest multi-arts festival in the country. Held annually, it is a free-of-charge peek into the CCP’s performance season.

The expanded Pasinaya Festival is a joint project with the City of Manila, Intramuros Administration, Department of Tourism and the Art Jeepney Campaign.

Pasinaya marks its 10th anniversary in 2014 as do two of the CCP’s most popular and successful festivals, the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and the Virgin Labfest, a festival of unstaged plays.

In 2014, CCP will mount a total of 14 arts festivals.

Experimentation is the norm in the new CCP arts festival called MNLXXX (MaNiLa eXperiment, eXplore, eXpand). It is a festival featuring experimental works of groups such as Kolab, Sipat Lawin, Transitopia and other groups experimenting with devised work, site responsive work and other tradition-breaking theater forms.

National Artist Salvador Bernal’s stage designs will go on a national tour in 2014. The exhibit, which has been described as groundbreaking, features scale models, costume pieces and sketches.

CCP joins the country in commemorating the sesquicentennary of National Hero Apolinario Mabini. CCP salutes Mabini with the restaging of La Revolucion Filipina, a full length ballet choreographed by Agnes Locsin for Ballet Philippines, and a new work by Nicanor Tiongson entitled “Mabining Mandirigma.”

Three original Filipino musicals will premiere at the CCP. These are Ed Gatchalian and Joel Trinidad’s Rivalry, Paul Dumol’s Lorenzo and Ryan Cayabyab’s Noli Me Tangere The Concert Version.

Under its new conservatory program, the CCP will launch the Choral Institute, which will be headed by the world renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers. In Sing Philippines! the best choir singers will gather in the Philippines for an intensive training with the Madrigals and end with the formation of a “choir of choirs.” The Hands On Choral Workshop trains music conductors and choral members in the art and technique of choral singing. Participants in this workshop come from all over the Philippines and the Asian region.

Also under the conservatory program, three experts from the New York musical theater scene will coach mid career musical theater performers in the art of acting, singing and dancing the musical. The project is made possible by a generous grant from the Asian Cultural Council.

New publications due in 2014 include the Encyclopedia of Philippine Arts (on-line versions)

For more information, please call CCP at 8321125 and visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph

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Some years ago, at a civic gathering, I congratulated and praised Mrs. Socorro Ramos for living a full and active life although she was (like me) already a senior citizen.

Recently, I read in the STAR that Mrs. Ramos was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the People Asia magazine published by Babe Romualdez and edited by Joanne Rae Ramirez. Therefore, Mrs. Ramos should be doubly congratulated for the richly deserved honor.

As head of the National Book Store these many years, she has encouraged countless persons  to avidly read more and widen their knowledge.

Regrettably, Mrs. Ramos has ceased to write a column for the STAR. Readers found her advice, drawn from valuable experience, sensible, judicious and perceptive.