Chamber music fans celebrate! If you enjoy the music of trios, quartets, and quintets, here’s a treat for you: The UP Symphony Orchestra will present a series of chamber performances by its members in their upcoming concert, Sketches.
Covering a wide range of emotions and sounds, the concert program includes a pleasant flute trio serenade by Saverio Mercandante, a playful string trio of Antonin Dvorak, and a passionate string quintet of George Onslow. The orchestra will also premiere an arrangement of Hector Berlioz’s Quaerens Me from his Requiem for viola ensemble, Edward Grieg’s Sarabande from Holberg Suite for cello and bass ensemble, and a surprise song of Ernani Cuenco for string quartet.

The concert will end with the entire orchestra reunited on the (virtual) stage, to perform the well-loved Mindanao Sketches by Col. Antonino Buenaventura.
Not all performing is done the same way. Performing along with only three people requires a different kind of attention and skill from performing embedded within a full 65-piece orchestra, while performing solo is a whole different matter on its own. With this concert, the UP Symphony Orchestra aims to highlight its members’ volatility in performance, showcasing their skills not only as orchestra performers, but chamber musicians as well.

“Sketches” is the sixth and final installment of the orchestra’s ongoing third concert season which began last October 2020. Their virtual hour-length productions include a mix of archive videos from past performances, and new, remotely recorded works. But the group has no plans of slowing down after this release: Their fourth season immediately kicks off in August, starting an exciting, jam-packed lineup of concerts, guest artists, and more that should not be missed. Sign up for their newsletter at tiny.cc/upsomail to receive updates!
Catch the premiere of Sketches along with all previous and upcoming UPSO concerts on the orchestra’s Facebook page (facebook.com/upsymphonyorch) and YouTube channel (youtube.com/upsymphonyorch). The premiere is set for Friday July 23, 7pm, and will be available for viewing until July 31.
UP Symphony presents Kayumangging Lahi