In her signature yellow terno, Michelle Mariposa on the staircase of the 140-year-old Pastor ancestral home, with sister Anne, mom Terrie, and brother Jason
A world-class mezzo-soprano. A 140-year-old ancestral house. A roomful of music lovers leaning in, captivated. Michelle Mariposa usually sings to thousands in the world’s grandest opera houses. But on this late afternoon in Batangas City, she brought the discipline of the Metropolitan Opera to arm’s length —turning a rare tertulia, a salon-style musical soirée where music is shared closely rather than from a distant stage, into a performance of quiet, immediate magic.
Mariposa—a Grand Finals Winner of the 2025 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition and currently a Cafritz Young Artist with the Washington National Opera—was home for the holidays when she became the centerpiece of this uncommon gathering. While the spirit of the afternoon was born within the storied walls of the 1883 Acosta–Pastor ancestral home, the event was moved just steps away to the Pastor Art Center to accommodate the unexpectedly large turnout of more than a hundred guests. In a gesture of true patronage, the musical event was offered to the public free of charge.
Tony Pastor plays Mozart and Chopin pieces.
The tertulia was hosted by Atty. Antonio “Tunying” Pastor, 97, a lifelong music advocate, pianist, and custodian of heritage. A graduate of the UP Conservatory of Music and New York University, Pastor was once part of the New York Philharmonic Church group under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. He continues to practice law.
Tony Pastor sings a duet with Michelle Mariposa.
Mariposa shaped the afternoon as a musical journey titled The Voyager Longs for Home. She opened with art songs by Henri Duparc, Franz Schubert, and Hugo Wolf, before moving into operatic territory, showcasing her dramatic range through Mozart’s Voi che sapete from Le nozze di Figaro and selections from Carmen by Georges Bizet.
The set culminated in A Piece of Sky from Yentl by Michel Legrand, dedicated to her father, who always believed she would sing on the world’s great stages. The moment carried particular poignancy: Mariposa’s Met Opera victory came on the fifth anniversary of his passing.
Throughout the program, she spoke directly to the audience in Filipino, demystifying the operatic form and inviting listeners into her process.
“After the glamour onstage, the artist goes home,” she reflected candidly, “and continues to practice—in a small room.”
Witness to tradition
On the piano was Gabriel Allan Paguirigan, a two-time First Prize winner of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) and a graduate of the Philippine High School for the Arts and the UP College of Music. Paguirigan’s sensitive accompaniment allowed the music to breathe, supporting both silence and song.
The audience reflected the cultural weight of the occasion. Among those present was Dr. Patricia Brillantes Silvestre, dean of the University of the Philippines College of Music, who once taught Mariposa.
“It’s so heartwarming to see a student starting to conquer the world stage,” Silvestre said, adding that she hopes Mariposa will soon perform at the University of the Philippines.
Tony Pastor thanks the audience.
Also in attendance were soprano Rachelle Gerodias and baritone Byeong-In Park, global artists themselves, listening not as performers but as witnesses to a tradition being renewed. The gathering was facilitated by Tata Pastor Medado, an executive at Asia Pacific College, who helped bridge the introduction between singer and host.
The afternoon also revealed Pastor not merely as host but also as musician. During intermission, he returned to the piano himself, offering works by Mozart and Chopin—a quiet affirmation of the tertulia’s spirit of shared music-making.
Originally intending to pursue medicine, Mariposa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of the Philippines, graduating summa cum laude. She later pivoted fully to music, completing a second bachelor’s degree in Voice at UP (also summa cum laude), before earning a Master’s degree in Voice and Opera Performance from Northwestern University in Illinois, USA, once again with highest honors.
Mariposa now stands with a new generation of Filipino artists gaining international recognition
Praised for her “rich, powerful mezzo” by Parterre Box, a New York City–based online opera magazine, Mariposa now stands among a new generation of Filipino artists gaining international recognition. In the 2025–2026 season, she makes role debuts as Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), and Rebecca Nurse (The Crucible) with the Washington National Opera.
Golfers from Tagaytay Highlands took time off from the fairways to listen to Michelle Mariposa in Batangas City. With stage mom, Terrie Mariposa (second from left) and music advocate, Atty. Antonio A. Pastor, are Malen Balina, Roni Wuson, Rosalind Wee, Charito Barter, and Dionne Cu.
As the final notes faded in Batangas, the room lingered in applause—not only for vocal excellence, but for the rare closeness the afternoon allowed. In an age of grand stages and global careers, the tertulia proved that opera, at its most powerful, can still thrive at arm’s length.
Gabriel Allan Paguirigan, two-time First Prize winner of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists, provided a sensitive accompaniment for Michelle Mariposa, creating a seamless backdrop for their selection of pieces.
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