What hope do we have in suffering? Under the baton of guest conductor Dr. Joel Navarro, Aleron explores that question in their upcoming concert, To Where I Wait. Dr. Navarro, Aleron resident conductor Karl San Jose, manager Kevin Maske, and vocal trainer Paul Ryan Arcolas share how this theme came about, and what Aleron has planned for the future, on MAESTRO FILIPINO. DZFE’s Daniel is the host.

Ballet Philippines will make history when it mounts the first Philippine staging of the first Romantic ballet, La Sylphide. What should we expect from a ballet that isn’t quite the more familiar Tchaikovsky? BP Artistic Director Misha Martynyuk and President Kathleen Liechtenstein talk about that, and what is in store for the company’s 55th season, on MAESTRO FILIPINO with DZFE’s Daniel.

Violinist Matias Mercurio is no stranger to long commutes—he has to travel all the way from his native Quezon Province to play with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth. It will be an even longer commute to play with the Asian Youth Orchestra, but one that’s definitely worth it. Before he flies abroad, Mercurio performs in a send-off recital with Jascha Decena. And before that, he spent time with DZFE’s Daniel to share his story, and why he does what he does.

Flautist Mark Kennedy Rocas is back in the Philippines to share what he has learned after the first year of his master’s degree at the Longy School of Music. This he did in the recent concert, Summer Solstice, mounted by Manila Pianos Artists Series and Cultural Arts Events Organizer. Before that, he spoke with DZFE’s Daniel to share how he started out as a musician, and why he chose to take his master’s degree at Longy.

All roads lead to Vienna for the concert, Harmonies of the Heart—mounted by the non-profit organization, Hearlife Verein, whose headquarters are in the Austrian capital, and featuring soprano Isabela Madero, who will soon be joining the Vienna Opera Academy as an understudy. Isabela and Hearlife program director Tosh Jacob-Soliven join DZFE’s Daniel on MAESTRO FILIPINO to share what went into Harmonies of the Heart, the fruit that it bore, and the Vienna stint that is just around the corner for Isabela.

Cellist, composer, arranger, and now, conductor—Glenn Aquias, the first recipient of Casa San Miguel’s Ruggero Barbieri Conducting Fellowship, joins DZFE’s Daniel on MAESTRO FILIPINO to share why he set off on this new path, and what it takes to wield what he describes as the heaviest instrument—the conductor’s baton.

Established fifteen years ago by Japanese expats, the Manila Chamber Music Ensemble makes its concert debut in Blooming, mounted by Manila Pianos Artist Series. DZFE’s Daniel is joined by members, violist Hideki Nagae, pianist Mariko Okeda, and cellist Paul Natividad, who talk about the origins of the ensemble, their upcoming concert, and how they maintain their musicality despite the members having day jobs. All that and more on the next episode of MAESTRO FILIPINO.

Those who know about soprano Evelyn Mandac know she is the first—and so far, only—Filipino to grace New York’s Metropolitan Opera Theater. Besides that, we find little else written about her online. Driven by the scarcity of information—and drawn by Mandac’s rich, crystalline voice—art historian Chiara Cox set about uncovering her many astounding achievements to discover who Evelyn Mandac truly is. And what has she learned so far? That Evelyn Mandac does not define herself by her operatic success.

They join DZFE’s Daniel to talk about Evelyn’s career, Chiara’s research, the short documentary it produced, and more, on MAESTRO FILIPINO.

Fatal love binds the works featured in the Manila Pianos Artist Series recital, Amore Fatale. But more importantly, Krissan Manikan-Tan, with tenor Nomher Nival and pianist Gabriel Paguirigan, explore the repertoire of the operatic mezzo-soprano. On MAESTRO FILIPINO, they join DZFE’s Daniel to share the story and reasons behind Amore Fatale, and how the mezzo repertoire can be just as challenging and dazzling as any.

Make the piece your own—that is the philosophy that helped Zildjian Viray win in last year’s Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition, and in two categories in the recent PTGPFI piano competition. He speaks with DZFE’s Daniel to share his story and his music on the next program of MAESTRO FILIPINO.