Conductor of
Aside from the coveted Artist Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Music Video Of The Year awards at this year’s Myx Music Awards, many people are excited to see how the newbies will fare with their nominations, particularly Janine Teñoso and John Roa.
Teñoso got two nods, one for Best Media Sountrack, and the other for Remake Of The Year for her big 2018 breakout hit “’Di Na Muli.” Asked about it, she said, “I feel very grateful though I didn’t expect it. It’s my first time to be nominated and I thank God I got two. My heart is just full of joy.”
Roa was nominated for Best Mellow Video for his song “Oks Lang.”
“It’s surreal and nerve-wracking,” he said of being in the running. “It would be great if we win but being nominated is already an achievement for me and my team.”
“’Di Na Muli” and “Oks Lang” getting ample rotation on Myx was key to their breakthrough. Roa loves how the channel “promotes OPM artists and video creators.” Teñoso added they are “one of the reasons OPM continues to progress and expand.” Will they win, we asked. “Maybe, I really don’t know,” said Roa. “But I’m proud of this music video, and my team at 8th Street Cinema (productions) who worked on it.”
Teñoso said: “Yes, hopefully. I think a lot of people were able to relate to the movie ‘Sid & Aya: Not A Love Story’ and because of that film, I hope they were able to relate to ‘’Di Na Muli.’”
Another Viva artist, Nadine Lustre, vies for Artist Of The Year and Best Music Video for “St4y Up.”
GERARD SALONGA will now have to shuttle between Kuala Lumpur and Manila as he takes on a new job as resident conductor of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO).
After working as assistant conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016, and still currently for the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, Gerard now wields the baton for the MPO.
He learned about his new job in May 2018, while he was in Kuala Lumpur to conduct one of the concerts of the MPO.
“At that time, the general manager sat down with me and let me know of their intention to invite me to be their next resident conductor,” Gerard shared. “Naturally, I felt great about it. I’ve known about that orchestra since they were founded in 2008.”
The MPO is a music group that Gerard has always respected and admired. “Their sound is so beautiful,” he remarks. “The predominantly European string section really brings with them a tradition of beautiful sound and the music is loaded with emotional content when they play.”
Gerard is thankful for his stint as assistant conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, with Maestro Jaap van Zweden as music director. It was towards the end of Gerard’s term with the Hong Kong Philharmonic when the MPO invited him to join them as resident conductor.
Upon learning about the good news, Gerard immediately shared it with his wife, DJ Francisco Salonga, a NAMCYA awardee and an equally accomplished musician on her own. She plays the violin for the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra. The couple has been married for 14 years.
“DJ is the person I talk about music