By the time the world-famous pianist flies back to New York this week, the Philippines will have had its filling memory of Cecile Licad, the child prodigy who became one of the world’s highest acclaimed pianists. This was because September to early October became a veritable Cecile Licad month as Licad came home to perform first in the historic Manila Metropolitan Theater in a milestone concert with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, then in the heritage home Miranila in Quezon City, the Pinto Museum in Antipolo, followed by outreach tours of Baguio, Iloilo and finally Catanduanes, each one met with rousing ovation.
However, beyond the concert stage, Licad’s homecoming this time must have been unforgettable for the artist herself, for it has been laced with nostalgia and sadness over the absence of people who believed in and supported her music through the decades.
Foremost of these is Zenaida “Nedy” Tantoco, the chairman of Rustan’s and the SSI Group and an indefatigable culture patron who passed away in 2024, leaving behind a legacy not only in Philippine retail but also in the patronship of arts and culture. It is this commitment and legacy that her close family and her corporate family have been perpetuating since her passing.
Licad and Tantoco have had a very strong bond, such that Licad’s homecoming shortly after her death, and also this year, has always been poignant.
In his opening remarks in Cecile Licad’s concert with the PPO last September 24 at Manila Metropolitan Theater, Anton T. Huang, president and CEO of Rustan’s and the SSI Group and chairman of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc. (PPOSI), affirmed his group’s support of the PPO, which his mother initiated. He said, “It’s also for me and my family a deeply meaningful tribute. We dedicate tonight’s performance to the memory of my late mother, Zenaida Tantoco. Her passion for music, tireless advocacy for the arts, and her enduring support of the PPO have left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape.”
Huang said, “Cecile Licad is not only one of the Philippines’ greatest cultural treasures but also a symbol of how Filipino artistry can inspire and elevate audiences across the world. Through this concert and our continued support of the PPO, we honor her unparalleled contributions to music while ensuring that the next generation of Filipino musicians can thrive.”
Rustan’s presented The Pianist’s Pianist, featuring Licad and the PPO under the baton of Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, in works that cemented her place in music history. She performed two concertos from her acclaimed recordings with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under André Previn—Chopin’s Concerto No. 2, which earned her the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque from the Chopin Society of Warsaw, and Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 2. She followed these with Mozart’s Overture to Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), K. 620, and Rossini’s Overture to L’italiana in Algeri.
Through the bravura and majesty of these masterpieces, the audience couldn’t but note the sadness underlying Licad’s charisma onstage—in her fierceness, the artist was feeling the absence of her friend Nedy. This became most evident when she did an encore—Chopin’s Etude No. 3 in E, Op. 10, more popularly known as Tristesse or No Other Love. It was a favorite of Nedy.
Guests gathered in the ballroom of the Manila Metropolitan Theater in a post-concert reception hosted by Cartier.
Licad, hailed by The New Yorker as “a pianist’s pianist,” captivated Manila audiences as early as eight years old, under the baton of National Artist Antonino Buenaventura, who declared: “A talent like her comes only once in 100 years.” She later made history as the first Filipina to win the coveted Leventritt Gold Medal in 1981, joining the ranks of legends such as Van Cliburn and Gary Graffman. Over the decades, she has been honored with the Presidential Medal of Merit (1991), the Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining in Music in 1994, and the Pamana ng Pilipino Award (2014).
Most recently, her December 2024 recital at Carnegie Hall earned rave reviews, with the New York Classical Review praising her performance as “less about pianistic display than about ideas and meaning,” underscoring her unique gift for combining virtuosity with profound musical insight.
Cecile Licad with longtime friend and strong supporter of the arts, Irene Marcos Araneta
Cecile Licad with banker Anya Cajucom
Even as she enjoys world fame, Licad remains deeply connected to her roots, often performing outreach concerts across the Philippines. She did on this homecoming: for Baguio Country Club’s 120th Anniversary, an invitation-only event at the Cordillera Convention Hall; at the Pinto Art Museum and Arboretum in Antipolo; at the Miranila Heritage House and Library in Quezon City; in Iloilo City, at Sta. Ana Parish in Molo, and at the UP Vargas Museum of Art and Cultural Heritage.
Anton and Nina Huang with family friend Babette Aquino Benoit
Cartier manager Mario Katigbak and Frannie Abad
Consul Marian Ong at post-concert reception sponsored by Cartier
But perhaps one with personal impact on her was the last leg of her outreach tour—in Virac, Catanduanes, the native province of her number one fan, impresario, documentarian, Pablo Tariman. Tariman followed, supported and chronicled Licad’s career from her early teens to today. Tariman helped organize the concerts of this homecoming.
However, he never got to see Licad perform in his native Catanduanes. He passed away last October 9, a few days before Licad’s outreach concert.
Indeed in a career overflowing with milestones, this must have been one homecoming and concert series that Cecile Licad will never forget, ever.
Business couple Joel and Joy Rustia at post-concert reception
Rustan’s vice president Michael Huang and wife Kathy
Annie Ringor, Carmita Francisco, Margie Moran Floirendo
Paolo and Ria Prieto, Charisse and Carlo Katigbak
Cultural Center of the Philippines vice president and artistic director Dennis Marasigan and TheDiarist.ph editor Thelma San Juan
Lifestyle columnist Cheche Moral, theater artist Leo Valdez, and editor/writer Thelma San Juan
Prominent mother-daughter team of interior design Maja Olivares-Co and Sonia Olivares
