PHILIPPINE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA VERSATILE: PPO 41st Concert Season Concert V: “Preludi”

PRESENTED BY:
The Cultural Center of the Philippines

DATE / TIME / VENUE:

January 16, 2026| 7:30 PM
Samsung Performing Arts Theater

DESCRIPTION:

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra opens the new year with Preludi, an evocative evening of musical beginnings and transformations. The concert opens with Jeffrey Ching’s Fenghuang Singing, a luminous work for soprano and orchestra inspired by myth and renewal, featuring soprano Andion Fernandez. The program flows into the lyricism and youthful brilliance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring acclaimed pianist Szymon Nehring. The concert concludes with Liszt’s sweeping symphonic poem Les Préludes, a powerful meditation on life, love, and destiny. Led by Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, the PPO offers a powerful and evocative start to the year.

Join us and experience the power of PPO live! Reserve your seats now and be part of an unforgettable evening with the PPO.

PROGRAM:

Jeffrey Ching                        Fenghuang Singing 
Andion Fernandez, soprano

Frederic Chopin                   Piano Concerto no. 1, op.11, E minor 
Szymon Nehring, piano

Franz Liszt                          Les Preludes

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor

TICKET INFORMATION:

• Tickets available at https://premier.ticketworld.com.ph/

• Call/text CCP Box Office at + 63 931 033 0880 or email salesandpromotions@culturalcenter.gov.ph

• Call/text TicketWorld at 09175506997 (Globe) / 09999545922 (Smart)or visit https://premier.ticketworld.com.ph/

Discounts:
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Subscription:
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ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA:

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra is the country’s leading orchestra. It was established in 1973 as the CCP Philharmonic Orchestra, which was originally intended to accompany performing artists at the CCP Main Theater. In 1979, it was reorganized through the efforts of former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos together with Maestro Oscar C. Yatco. The PPO has since collaborated with renowned Filipino and foreign artists either as soloists or conductors. It continues to promote music appreciation among Filipinos through its regional outreach concerts and workshops. The PPO is now headed by its new Music Director and Principal Conductor, Maestro Grzegorz Nowak.

ABOUT THE CONDUCTOR:

GRZEGORZ NOWAK
Music Director and Principal Conductor
Polish conductor Grzegorz Nowak is the new Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. A much-sought-after conductor with a long career in opera and concerts, Maestro Nowak is a highly-esteemed Permanent Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. He was the music director of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Poland, from 2017 to 2020, and other orchestras in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA. For years, he was able to record orchestral music in over 80 CDs that have received awards and 5-star ratings.

Grzegorz Nowak’s career propelled to international level after he won various prestigious awards and prizes. He has performed alongside many of the most widely respected soloists of our time, including Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, Nigel Kennedy, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gil Shaham and Krystian Zimerman, and has worked with such singers as Janet Baker, Kathleen Battle, Marilyn Horne, Gwyneth Jones, Sherrill Milnes and Anja Silja.

ABOUT THE SOLOISTS:

SZYMON NEHRING, piano

Polish pianist Szymon Nehring, winner of the 2017 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition and former Chopin Competition finalist, is celebrated as one of his generation’s most gifted talents. He has performed with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Israel Philharmonic, Bamberger Symphoniker, and Warsaw Philharmonic, under renowned conductors such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Grzegorz Nowak, and Lawrence Foster. Nehring has appeared in iconic venues like Carnegie Hall, Elbphilharmonie, and Musikverein, and his acclaimed recordings include Chopin’s piano concertos and a complete Chopin cycle, with upcoming releases featuring Chopin’s second volume and works by Szymanowski.

ANDION FERNANDEZ, soprano

Andion Fernández is a Spanish-Filipina lyric soprano acclaimed for her expressive voice and international opera career. A graduate of the Hochschule der Künste, Berlin, she has been a soloist at the Deutsche Oper Berlin since 2001 and is a prizewinner of both the Operalia International Opera Competition and Cardiff Singer of the World. Fernández has performed in major opera houses across Europe and Asia in roles including Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Niklausse (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), and Micaela (Carmen), collaborating with renowned conductors such as Christian Thielemann, Kent Nagano, and Mikhail Jurowski. She is also noted for premiering works by her husband, composer Jeffrey Ching, and has earned praise from José Carreras for her “beautiful voice.”