The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra unveils its 41st season with masterworks, world premieres, and celebrated guest artists.
After a successful run in the United Kingdom, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) returns home to mark 41 years of excellence with its 41st concert season, Versatile. Under the commanding presence of conductor Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, the season showcases the PPO’s artistry and remarkable versatility, honed over four decades and making it one of the country’s foremost orchestras.
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Opening Acts By The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra ushers in the season with Concert I: Overture on September 12, 2025. With acclaimed pianist Andrey Gugnin at center stage, the program sets the tone for the rest of the season—spirited, emotive, and ambitious. The orchestra opens with Antonín Dvořák’s vibrant “Carnival Overture, op. 92,” sweeps into Sergei Rachmaninov’s dazzling “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43,” and culminates with the powerful architecture of Johannes Brahms’ “Symphony no. 4, op.98, E minor.”
Just a week later, Concert II: Retour (September 19, 2025) will give Manila audiences a taste of the PPO’s UK tour repertoire. Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake Suite Waltz” echoes with romance, while Beethoven’s indomitable “Symphony No. 5, op.67, C minor” commands the finale. The evening is further elevated by violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr., the PPO’s guest concertmaster and artist-in-residence, who will perform Georges Bizet’s “Carmen Suite No. 1” and Vaughan Williams’ pastoral masterpiece “The Lark Ascending.”
The momentum will carry into Concert III: Concerto (October 17, 2025), where cellist Tomasz Strahl joins the orchestra for Robert Schumann’s “Cello Concerto, op. 129, A minor.” The program crescendos with Witold Lutoslawski’s “Concerto for Orchestra.” Adding a bold contemporary note, PPO composer-in-residence Jeffrey Ching premieres “Creation Fugue and Arctic Chase” from his opera Frankenstein.
Romance, Reverie, And The Finale
The season continues on November 14, 2025, with Concert IV: Virtuoso. Acclaimed pianist Mark Bebbington takes audiences back to Mozart’s theatrical brilliance with the “Don Giovanni Overture,” followed by Beethoven’s monumental “Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor,'” and Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Gorchakov).”
The new year begins on an equally luminous note with Concert V: Prelude (January 16, 2026), with Spanish-Filipino soprano Andion Fernandez and piano prodigy Szymon Nehring sharing the spotlight in a program that includes Jeffrey Ching’s “Fenghuang Singing,” Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 1, op. 11, E minor,” and Franz Liszt’s romantic tone poem “Les Préludes.”
Valentine’s season finds its soundtrack in Concerto VI: Romanza (February 13, 2026). Violinist Bartek Nizioł and pianist Junhee Kim bring warmth and lyricism in a program highlighted by the world premiere of Mozart’s unfinished “Concerto for violin and piano K. Anh. 56/315f /,” as completed by Ching. Wieniawski’s “Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor” and Ravel’s lush “Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2” round out the evening.
March welcomes British Spinto soprano Katerina Mina in Concert VII: Opera (March 13, 2026), where she and the PPO will perform Giuseppe Verdi’s “La forza del destino: Overture” and “La forza del destino: Pace, pace mio Dio,” Umberto Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier – La Mamma Morta,” Giacomo Puccini’s “Adagietto in F Major” and “Tosca: Vissi d’arte,” and Stephan Hodel’s “Angel of Fire.” Jerry Dadap’s “Symphony No. 5, ‘The Wrath of Prakṛti (nature) & Ragatmika-Bhakti (devotion)” also makes its world premiere.
The season closes on April 17, 2026, with ConcertVIII: CODA, a showcase of Dmitri Shostakovich’s music, once again featuring Diomedes Saraza Jr. on the violin, but this time playing “Festive Overture, op.96, Violin Concerto No. 1”, and “Symphony No. 5, op.47”.
Where To Find Them
Concerts I, III, VII, and VIII of Versatile will be held at The Metropolitan Theatre in Manila, while Concert IV will take place at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati City. Venues for Concerts II, V, and VI are to be announced.
For more updates on PPO’s 41st concert season, visit the CCP’s official website. Also, follow the CCP’s pages on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more information.
