UST Conservatory of Music marks 80th anniversary with the staging of 'South Pacific'
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Conservatory of Music is set to present the much-loved musical South Pacific on the occasion of its 80th anniversary on Feb. 21 and 22, 2026 at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati.
“South Pacific” ranks among the finest works of the legendary tandem of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, who also created “The Sound of Music,” “The King and I,” “Carousel,” “Oklahoma!,” and other enduring classics.
Based on stories by James Michener, “South Pacific” tells the tale of American GIs stationed on an island in the South Pacific during World War II. It explores racial prejudice through the love stories of Ensign Nellie Forbush, a nurse who falls for a French plantation owner, Emile De Becque, but struggles to accept his mixed-race children, and of Lt. Joseph Cable, who falls in love with the native girl Liat.
Winner of several Tony Awards following its Broadway premiere in 1949, “South Pacific” features some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most popular songs, including “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Bali Ha’I,” “Younger Than Springtime,” “Happy Talk,” and “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy,” among others.
The UST production stars singer and actress Ciara Sotto as Forbush and the US-based singer and actor José Vera Pérez as De Becque. Featured performers from the Conservatory are Sean Nolasco as Lt. Cable; Nenen Espina as Bloody Mary, and Erika Salas as Liat. The director is Paolo O’Hara, with Daniel Bartolome as musical director, alongside the UST Symphony Orchestra.
Tickets to “South Pacific” are available at www.ticket2me.net and at the UST Conservatory of Music.