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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Music and Concerts devider An annual gift: UP Symphony Orchestra rings in season with Handel's 'Messiah'

An annual gift: UP Symphony Orchestra rings in season with Handel's 'Messiah'

Published Dec 6, 2025 09:41 pm
The University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) invites the public to a glorious celebration of the season, where the spotlight will be on refreshingly new voices performing George Frideric Handel’s timeless oratorio, Messiah, on Dec. 12, 2025, 7 pm at the University Theater (Villamor Hall) in UP Diliman.
Krisleen Andya Bareng, soprano
Krisleen Andya Bareng, soprano
Under the seasoned baton of its musical director, Professor Emeritus Josefino Chino Toledo, UPSO promises a solemn yet jubilant retelling of the Nativity story via excerpts from a masterpiece that has moved listeners across generations.
Toledo adds a wistful note to this year’s UPSO gift package that reads, “Handel with Care”—teasing a colorful repertoire he has sprinkled with Christmas-themed music from the movies, an audience sing-along, and a folksinger known as “Ginoong Jason” as light-hearted counterpoints to the Messiah’s solemnity.
Jhon Michael Mauricio, bass
Jhon Michael Mauricio, bass
“The free Christmas concert of our Orkestra ng Bayan and choirs has become a revered university tradition to ring in the spirit of hope and joy,” said UP College of Music dean Patricia Brillantes-Silvestre. As seats are limited, Dean Silvestre announced that online registration is required at upsopasko2025.eventbrite.com to secure seats to the free concert.
Messiah is a blend of devotional text and soaring Baroque music, particularly its signature Hallelujah chorus. The English libretto by Charles Jennens provides the biblical arc which Handel sets to music.
Folksinger Ginoong Jason
Folksinger Ginoong Jason
The oratorio was completed in a remarkably short span of 24 days and first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742, before reaching London audiences the following year. Though not an immediate runaway success, it steadily grew in popularity and is now one of the most frequently performed choral works in Western music.
Andrey Sto. Domingo, countertenor
Andrey Sto. Domingo, countertenor
Introducing new voices
This year's performance will showcase emerging talent from the UP College of Music, led by four voice majors making their Messiah debuts as lead soloists: Krisleen Andya Bareng, soprano; Andrey Sto. Domingo, countertenor; Mark Nicholson Jaluag, tenor; and Jhon Michael Mauricio, bass.
Mark Nicholson Jaluag, tenor
Mark Nicholson Jaluag, tenor
The concert also features the 2025 chorus class mentored by renowned conducting department faculty members Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng, Jai Sabas Aracama, and Mark Anthony Carpio. The chorus students will perform alongside the UPSO Symphonic Chorus led by UPSO assistant conductor Noemi Binag.
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