Composition masters from SEA, Germany meet in Manila

Acclaimed German composer Dr. Johannes Schöllhorn is visiting the Philippines to grace the Southeast Asian Young Composers Workshop and Competition set for July 15 to 22 at the College of Music of the University of the Philippines – Diliman.

Entitled Manila Composers Lab 2016, the event is a platform for young composers in Southeast Asia to present their works and learn from the masters of the craft and from each other.

The week-long gathering kicks off with a professorial lecture on contemporary music-making by Dr. Jonas Baes of the UP College of Music and Dr. Schöllhorn today, followed by a series of workshops conducted by a panel of acclaimed composers from the Philippines (Dr. Baes), Malaysia (Chong Kee Yong), Indonesia (Michael Asmara), Thailand (Anothai Nitibhon), Vietnam (Kim Ngoc Tran), Singapore (Hoh Chung Shih) and Germany (Dr. Schöllhorn).

An initiative of the UP College of Music, the event aims to create performance and learning opportunities for young composers in the region.

More importantly, it also strives to build a community of Southeast Asian contemporary composers and musicians en route to the creation of that brand of modern artistic works that speak of the local and everyday experiences.

The week will climax a concert featuring the participants’ works performed by the Ripieno Ensemble on July 21 at 7 pm at the Abelardo Hall Auditorium of the UP College of Music.

The night will also see one of the participants awarded with a musical grant from the organizers.

The inclusion of Dr. Schöllhorn provides the Manila Composers Lab with the added element of cultural exchange between Southeast Asia and Germany.

An accomplished professor at Europe’s largest academy of music, Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (Cologne University of Music and Dance), Dr. Schöllhorn will come to Manila by the invitation of the Goethe-Institut Philippinen, the German Cultural Center, which co-organizes the workshops.

For more information, please visit Goethe.de/Manila or send an e-mail to program@manila.goethe.org.