The concert is on Oct. 22, 2026, Thursday, 7:30 pm at Proscenium Theater at Rockwell.
National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab
MSO principal conductor Marlon Chen
In a concert presented by the Manila Symphony Orchestra Foundation, Inc. and Standard Insurance, co-presented with EastWest Bank and DENZA Alabang by ACMobility Premium Dealership Inc., the Manila Symphony Orchestra continues its 100th anniversary season. The concert features internationally acclaimed Franco-Belgian cellist Camille Thomas and the world premiere of Pasasalamat for choir and orchestra, with music by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, text by National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario. Musical direction is by MSO principal conductor Maestro Marlon Chen.
Commissioned by the MSO for its centennial, Pasasalamat reflects on gratitude as a responsibility to others and to the community. Almario’s text considers the values that shape a shared life, from compassion and respect for differences, to freedom, justice, culture, knowledge, and the willingness to accept criticism and change. At its heart is the idea that being human is not simply a given, but something we become through our choices and actions.
PUP Bagong Himig Serenata
For the MSO, the work is a fitting opportunity to reflect on the responsibilities that come with being the longest surviving music institution in the country. The MSO’s featured choir, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Bagong Himig Serenata, will render in music the words by Mr. Almario.
Camille Thomas is a Franco-Belgian cellist renowned internationally for expressive performances and technical artistry. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2017, Thomas has performed with major orchestras and conductors across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Her recording, Voice of Hope, released in partnership with UNICEF, reflects her belief that music is a means of creating connection and inspiring hope.
Thomas’ artistic advocacy resonates with Pasasalamat. Both approach music as a way of connecting people and encouraging reflection and compassion.
Celebrating its centennial, MSO, with this perspective, assumes a contemporary dimension, inviting audiences to consider the role music plays in bringing people together and strengthening the community.
Thomas joins the MSO in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33. Written in 1876, the work draws on the elegance of the classical style, bringing to the fore the soloist’s virtuosity.
The program concludes with Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, Op. 48, performed by MSO and the award-winning PUP Bagong Himig Serenata. Fauré’s Requiem offers a gentler and more intimate take on the traditional music of remembrance. Its setting is lyrical and peaceful, focusing less on fear and judgment and more on comfort, hope, and rest. It brings the evening to an end of quiet and reflection.
MSO at 100 looks ahead with the belief that orchestral music can build harmonious communities the world over.
Tickets, from P1,000-P5,000, available on Ticketworld. Discount codes for students, seniors, and PWDs are available.
The concert is sponsored by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, Grand Hyatt Manila, National Performing Arts Grantee, and SM Hotels and Conventions. Special thanks to JTI ALL IN, The Laufey Foundation, Austrian Embassy Manila, HSTL Foundation, EON Group, 98.7 DZFE-FM | The Master’s Touch, and The Manila Times.
