DR. Raul Sunico,
a renowned pianist, replaces Japanese violinist Ryu Goto as the featured guest
soloist for the PPO Concert Series VII, slated on March 13, 2020, 8pm, at the
Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).
Due to the
travel restrictions brought by the covid-19 outbreak, Mr. Goto has decided to
postpone all his performances in Asia.
“We are happy to
inform you that Dr. Raul Sunico has accepted the invitation of Maestro
Yoshikazu Fukumura to perform in place of the esteemed violinist. We are very grateful to Dr. Sunico for
accepting despite the short notice,” shared PPO orchestra director Eugene A. De
Los Santos, DMA.
Dr. Sunico will
be performing Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F Major with the Philippine
Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Fukumura.
The former CCP
president graduated from the University of the Philippines with the degrees of
Bachelor of Music (cum laude), Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, and Master
of Statistics.
A scholarship
grant from former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos through the auspices of
the Young Artists Foundation of the Philippines enabled him to finish his
Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School of Music and attained his
doctorate degree in Piano Performances from the New York University. He was also conferred a Doctor of Humanities
degree (honoris causa) by the Far Eastern University in 2005.
Sunico first
attracted attention when he won the Manila Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artists’
Auditions performing the Liszt Concerto No. 1 conducted by Dr. Herbert Zipper. He had performed with notable conductors
including Enrique Batiz, Pierro Gamba, Garyth Nair, Helen Quach, Redentor
Romero, Luis Valencia, Oscar Yatco, Ruggiero Barbieri, Sergio Esmilla, Eugene
Castillo, and Herminigildo Ranera.
Sunico won the
silver medal in the 1979 Viotti International Piano Competition in Vercelli,
Italy, was a finalist in the 1979 Busoni International Piano Competition in
Bolzano, Italy and received the Henry Cowell Prize in the 1980 University of
Maryland International Piano Competition in the United States. He has also served on the juries of the Bergen
Philharmonic Competition in New Jersey, Isidor Bajic Memorial Piano Competition
in Novi Sad, Serbia; Piyabhand Sanitwongse Piano Competition in Bangkok,
Thailand; the Manila Symphony Competition, the Jeffrey Ching Piano Competition
and the Piano Teachers Guild of the Philippines Competition in Manila.
A TOYM (The
Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines) Awardee for Music in 1986, Sunico has
been conferred a 1996 PAMANA Presidential Award for Overseas Filipinos, and
received the 1995 Ceres Alabado Award for Children’s Books, among his other
distinguished accolades. He was also
conferred the Commendatore Award (Order of the Star of Italy) by the President
of the Republic of Italy in April 2017. (PR)
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