Under the baton of music director and principal conductor Grzegorz Nowak, the season finale brings together a program that highlights the orchestra’s range and musicality.
It’s not too late to catch some of the very best in classical music, as The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) closes out its 41st season with Concert VIII: Coda this April 17, 2026, 730 PM at the Metropolitan Theater. Here’s what to expect in the anticipated finale performance, led by music director and principal conductor Grzegorz Nowak.
READ ALSO: Filipino Musicians Captivate UK Audiences in PPO Tour
A Coda To A Season
Concert VIII: Coda will open with versatile Czech composer Antonín Dvořák’s “Carnival Overture, Op. 92,” a lively, fast-paced work that embodies the spirit of Bohemian folk dances. The 10-minute piece pays homage to festivity and life itself, especially through its second movement “Nature, Life, and Love” triptych that depicts an evening carnival scene in the city.
This will be followed by Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28,” a brilliant violin showpiece that melds a slow, melancholic opening with a fiery Spanish-influenced, technically demanding rondo.
Also in the program is the world premiere of “Paganini and the Time Machine” by PPO resident composer Jeffrey Ching, alongside his “Fiesta Contrapuntística,” a symphonic toccata and fugue based on the Philippine national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang.”
Rounding out the evening are Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet,” a fantasy-overture inspired by William Shakespeare’s tragedy (with three main themes representing the lovers, their warring families, and the friar); and Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite (1919),” drawn from his 1910 ballet inspired by Russian folklore. With its vivid, shimmering, and rhythmic “infernal” music, it tells the story of Prince Ivan’s triumph over the evil sorcerer Kashchei with the help of a magical firebird.
Joining the orchestra as guest soloist is Filipino violinist Diomedes “Dio” Saraza Jr., who’ll be performing Saint-Saëns’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.” A National Music Competitions for Young Artists first prize winner and former member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra at just 13, Saraza later earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Juilliard School in 2015. He currently serves as the PPO’s concertmaster and artist-in-residence, and has previously performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the orchestra at Carnegie Hall under former PPO principal conductor Olivier Ochanine.
Tickets for “Concert VIII: Coda” are available via TicketWorld, with applicable discounts for senior citizens, PWDs, government and military personnel, and athletes. Season subscribers receive an exclusive 20% discount. Email [email protected] or call the CCP Box Office (+63931-033-0880).
For updates, visit the Cultural Center of the Philippines website and follow its official social media channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
The concert takes place on April 17, 2026 at 730 PM at the Metropolitan Theater.
The program includes Dvořák’s “Carnival Overture”; Saint-Saëns’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso”; the world premiere of Jeffrey Ching’s “Paganini and the Time Machine” and “Fiesta Contrapuntística”; Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet”; and Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite (1919).”
Filipino violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr. will perform as guest soloist, playing Saint-Saëns’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.”
Tickets are available via TicketWorld, with discounts for senior citizens, PWDs, government and military personnel, and athletes, while season subscribers receive a 20% discount.
