National Artist Ryan Cayabyab to head Pinoy Playlist music fest’s educational forum
For its second year, the Pinoy Playlist Music Festival (PPMF) will start things off with an educational component that seeks to raise awareness and foster appreciation for local music among young people.
Dubbed as “PPMF-X,” the Ted Talks-inspired forum will gather 500 Taguig City public school students at the BGC Arts Center on Oct. 10 for an interactive teaching session headed by PPMF curator and National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab.
“It will run for three hours. We will cover various topics like music and the brain, music as a form of self-expression, music as part of the local culture,” PPMF overall manager and Bonifacio Art Foundation managing director Maria Isabel Garcia said at a press conference.
Joining the multiawarded musician are fellow PPMF curators, talent manager-producer Noel Ferrer and The Company’s Moy Ortiz, who’s also the brains behind the festival. “All the while, Mr. C will be on the piano, teaching kids about music, how it’s created,” Garcia added.
The initiative is in line with the PPMF’S vision of elevating people’s perception of music as something more than a mere form of entertainment.
“It’s a living tradition—the binding glue that forms, strengthens and positively moves the Filipino community,” it said. “Thus, it’s essential to keep on making and supporting Filipino-made music.”
After the music class, the PPMF continues with the main event: six days of live performances (Oct. 11 to 13; 18 to 20) from over a hundred artists across three venues within the BGC Arts Center—the Globe Auditorium, Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall and the Sun Life Amphitheater.
The event’s roster, organizers said, features artists and acts of different ages and genres, and isn’t skewed toward a particular market or demographic.
Among those expected to take the stage are Itchyworms, Basil Valdez, Ebe Dancel, “Rak of Aegis” cast members, Brisom, Moonstar 88, Joanna Ampil, Martin Nievera, Bullet Dumas, the ABS-CBN Chamber Orchestra, John Lesaca, Clara Benin, Imago, Coke Bolipata, Color It Red, Henry Katindig, Thyro and Yumi, Bugoy Drilon, Daryl Ong and Noel Cabangon.
Aside from music, a community bazaar, BGC Art Mart, will likewise be mounted at the BGC Arts Center’s Alveo Central Plaza, where attendees can browse local art.
One-day, three-day and festival passes are available at Ticketworld outlets (for more information, visit Bgcartscenter.org).
“Seeing the festival come to life last year after putting in sweat, blood and tears was so heartening. It’s surreal,” Ortiz said. “We were able to put together a festival that’s inclusive. Our goal was to show the people the colorful mosaic that is Filipino music in all its forms, styles and its purveyors. I believe we were able to do that last year.”