On May 18, the Embassy of Italy in the Philippines hosted a special concert at the Asia Pacific Auditorium in Makati City in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Italian Republic.

The evening featured Italian classical guitarist Carlo Fierens, whose repertoire moved across musical traditions from Spain, Paraguay, France, Italy, and the United States while remaining anchored in the sensibilities of Italian classical performance.

The concert formed part of a broader cultural series mounted by the embassy ahead of Italy’s Republic Day on June 2.

“This is the third of a series we started in January,” Italian Ambassador Davide Giglio told guests during the program. “Some of you may have attended the concert of pianist Mario Magliani, or the opera duo Alterno in February. Tonight, we welcome a guitar maestro, Carlo Fierens, who represents the tradition of Italian classical guitar.”

For the embassy, the programming reflects a deliberate effort to position culture as a bridge between Italy and the Philippines.

Music, in particular, offers a form of engagement that requires little translation. Throughout the evening, the audience responded less as attendees at a diplomatic function and more as listeners immersed in performance. Ambassador Giglio also highlighted Fierens’ multicultural background, noting how it reflected the layered identities often present within contemporary Europe itself.

“Carlo has an interesting background—his father is from Argentina, and he has relatives in Belgium,” Giglio said. “But of course, he is Italian at heart.”

Fierens, who has performed across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, is known for blending technical precision with a repertoire that moves fluidly across different musical traditions. That international character carried naturally into the Manila performance.

The following day, the guitarist also conducted a masterclass with Filipino students, extending the cultural exchange beyond a single evening concert and into direct artistic engagement with young musicians. The embassy mounted the event with support from Asia Pacific College and the Philippine Opera Company.