Pinoy Playlist Music Festival on this weekend
THIS YEAR, the Pinoy Playlist Music Festival will emphasize the “future-shaping” power of music through new Pinoy songs as well as the re-making and re-interpretation of past Filipino music. This year’s theme is “Gunita and Mga Bùkas” (Memories and Futures). From Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, there will be at least 45 performances at the Globe Auditorium, the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall, and the Sun Life Amphitheater, all within the BGC Arts Center in Taguig. The performances will be punctuated with photos from the Camera Club of the Philippines and innovative digital art by Filipino artists. There will also be forums on the different aspects of music-making. On Sept. 29, the lineup is as follows: Abby Clutario, Adjeng, jasmine and noelle, Joey Ayala, Mijon, Pauline Cueto, raven, Sam Concepcion, Simon Tan Walotao, Sitti, and Tamara, with special tribute performances for Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata by the Pundaquit Virtuosi and Steps Dance Studio. On Sept. 30, the musicians performing are Autotelic, Ebe Dancel, Haru, Kammerchor Manila, Leanne and Naara, Of Mercury, Rivermaya, The Edralins, Viñas Deluxe with Winter Sheason Nicole and Tiny Deluxe, Viva, Vicor, and Wild Dreams Records Artists: Amiel Sol, Matt Wilson, Nicole Abuda, Rob Deniel, and Young Cocoa, with special tribute performance for Mel Villena by the AMP Decktet, The CompanY, Pikong, and Mitch Valdes. The final day will have Arman Ferrer, Davey Langit, Debonair District, Gary Granada, Janine Teñoso, Lara Maigue and Gian Magdangal, Nica Del Rosario, Room for Cielo, Therese Villarante’s “Girl With A Broken String” featuring Ivy Gallur and James Gulles, and The Nightingales, with special tribute performances for Regine Velasquez-Alcasid by Katrina Velarde, Phi Palmos, Trina Belamide, Ima Castro, Sweet Plantado-Tiongson, Jona, and Jed Madela. One-day passes and three-day festival passes are available via the TicketWorld website (bit.ly/PPMF2023Tickets) or call 8891-9999, and at the BGC Arts Center TicketWorld Box Office.
Rawaten Cultural Extravaganza now free to the public
THE RAWATEN Cultural Extravaganza, which will be held at the Metropolitan Theater on Oct. 6, will now be free to the public, thanks to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) which announced that they are sponsoring the event. Those who have already bought tickets to the show can either refund their tickets and then sign up to watch via the public registration form that will be posted online, or convert the ticket payment into a donation for the event. The latter option means the ticket will be upgraded to a front-row seat. The donation will go to the performers from Sulu and Tawi-Tawi who are staying in Manila for the show. For refunds or upgrades, contact the Rawaten Committee through tom.bauya@msumain.edu.ph or 0935-960-8286.
BGC’s Da Vinci show extended until December
THE RUN of Bonifacio Global City’s Wisdom of “Da Vinci: An Immersive AI Experience,” which combines art, science, and technology, has been extended until Dec. 10. The hour-long show, which was brought to the Philippines in August, highlights the genius of Leonardo da Vinci and other art masters. The show can be seen in full at the 3rd Level of One Bonifacio High Street, 5th Avenue, BGC, Taguig. Tickets are priced at P975 for adults and P780 for students, and may be purchased through https://bgcimmersive.com. It is also open for exclusive group viewings and corporate bookings for parties of 50 to 60 guests. Inquiries can be sent to hello@bgcimmersive.com.
Filipinas Heritage Library holds jazz talks, shows
THE FILIPINAS Heritage Library, in partnership with Purefoods Deli, presents “Jeepney Jazz Talks: In Search of Philippine Jazz” with Richie Quirino and Sandra Lim-Viray. The lecture will be held on Sept. 29, 2 p.m., at the Ayala Museum on Makati Ave., Makati, and also online via Zoom and Facebook Live. Jeepney Jazz is a music appreciation program that tunes the jazz ear. The inaugural talk starts with a provocation: Does Philippine jazz even exist? If so, what makes it unique? Why is it key to our pop music heritage? Jazz historian Richie Quirino and Sandra Lim-Viray, jazz vocalist and festival organizer, will debate these topics among others on Friday. Admission is free. The discussion kicks off the “Jeepney Jazz” program which includes a series of performances in October and November. Jeepney Jazz: Session One features Project 201 performing Indigenous music and jazzy OPM on Oct. 13. Jeepney Jazz: Session Two features Dan Gil and Bituin Escalante as they debut New York, Cubao, an original jazz musical on Oct. 28. Jeepney Jazz: Session Three will feature Johnny Alegre and HUMANFOLK performing Indigenous and Urban Folk on Nov. 17. All performances will be at the Ayala Museum at 6-8:30 p.m. Tickets to the Jeepney Jazz Session performances are P2,000 for regular tickets, P1,600 discounted tickets for students, teachers, Ayala Group employees, Ayala Museum members, and FHL Research Pass holders, and P1,400 for Seniors and PWDs. Rates are inclusive of food and drink. For inquiries:e-mail asklibrarian@filipinaslibrary.org.ph.
Light/sound show, folk creatures cap CCP’s 54th year
MYTHICAL folk creatures like the kapre, aswang and manananggal, collectively dubbed Tanod-lupa, find a new home at the CCP Liwasang KaLIKHAsan through arts installations by visual artist Abdulmari “Toym” De Leon-Imao, Jr. They began their migration into the park in April during the Earth Day celebrations. Together with Sinag 2023: Tuloy Ang Palabas, a light, sound, and projection show marking the 54th founding anniversary of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), they will be exhibited around the Liwasan for photo ops, supplemented by soundscapes designed by TJ Ramos. The iconic façade of CCP will serve as a canvas for a show conceptualized by CCP light designers Camille Balistoy, Danilo Villanueva, Louie Alcoran, and Shantie De Roca. It will be complemented by Soundridemusic and Makai-symphony’s music, spliced by Jerry Tria. A video mapping projection (created by Reily Villaruz) caps the show, set to the music of Jed Balsamo’s Rurok. The lights and sounds show at the CCP Front Lawn will be held nightly, 7-9:30 p.m., from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, with shows at 30-minute intervals. Tanod-Lupa at Liwasang KaLIKHAsan is free and open to the public from 6 to 9 p.m., every day except Monday.
The Exorcist: Believer opens Oct. 4
PRE-HALLOWEEN horror film The Exorcist: Believer will open on Oct. 4 in cinemas nationwide, with midnight screenings for those who want to feel the full terror. Fifty years ago, The Exorcist shocked audiences around the world. This new chapter, produced by Blumhouse and directed by David Gordon Green, infuses horror anew with a Mesopotamian demon called Lamashtu. Teenage girls — played by Lidya Jewett and Katherine Olivia O’Neill — unknowingly bring the evil force to civilization after setting foot in the woods where he lies in wait. “I’ve grown up with a fascination of religions of all sorts,” Mr. Green said in a statement. “When I see a movie that has a religious theme, I’ll often read more about it, or research it.” Although the 1973 film relied primarily on a Catholic interpretation of possession, The Exorcist: Believer examines it from the perspective of multiple faiths.
