PHILIPPINE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA VERSATILE: PPO 41st Concert Season Concert VIII: “Coda”

PRESENTED BY:
The Cultural Center of the Philippines

DATE / TIME / VENUE:

April 17, 2026 | 7:30 PM
CCP @ Metropolitan Theater

DESCRIPTION:

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra caps its 41^st season with a thrilling finale concert, Coda, at the Metropolitan Theater. Under the baton of Grzegorz Nowak, the program opens with Antonín Dvořák’s energetic Carnival Overture, followed by Camille Saint-Saëns’ dazzling Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, featuring violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr.

A highlight of the evening is the world premiere of Paganini and the Time Machine by acclaimed Filipino composer Jeffrey Ching, alongside his imaginative Fiesta Contrapuntística. The concert continues with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s sweeping Romeo and Juliet: Fantasy Overture and concludes with the brilliant colors of Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919). Don’t miss this powerful and electrifying finale to a remarkable concert season.

PROGRAM:

Antonin Dvorak                    Carnival Overture, op.92
Camille Saint-Saëns            Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, op.28 

Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin 

Jeffrey Ching                      Paganini and the Time Machine (World Premiere)

                           INTERMISSION

Jeffrey Ching                       Fiesta Contrapuntística
                                            “Fantasía sobre la Marcha Nacional Filipina”
Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky       Romeo & Juliet: Fantasy Overture
Igor Stravinsky                    Firebird: Suite (1919)

            Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor

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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:

DIOMEDES SARAZA, JR., violin

Diomedes Saraza started playing the violin at the age of three. He gained attention and became a prominent violinist in the Philippines after winning first place at the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in 2002. He became the youngest member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra at age 13. Saraza received both his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School in 2015. One of his notable concert engagements the performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto in the historic concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in New York’s Carnegie Hall, under the baton of Olivier Ochanine. Diomedes Saraza serves as the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s concertmaster and artist-in-residence.