Maestro Gerard Salonga: A man of his own

Gerard Salonga with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra

Gerard Salonga maintains that his choice of career in music was not influenced by his internationally acclaimed sister, Lea Salonga.

He told Bulletin Entertainment, “If she had chosen to become a doctor, I probably would have still become a musician,” though quickly adding that he’s not sure if he would have the same ease in entering the industry.

And while there are people who think that his last name determined his success, Gerard points out that “blood relation will not write the notes for you.”

Gerard studied music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated summa cum laude in 1998. He then worked for Sony Pictures in Los Angeles as orchestrator and

proofreader.

Upon return to the Philippines a couple of years later, he started carving a niche in the local music scene, which resulted to getting Aliw Award Best Musical Director plums in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2008.

These days, Gerard is busy leading the 42-piece ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra. He shared that working with a big group is challenging and that he has to work double time.

Maestro Gerard Salonga

“The hardwork is in learning the material, training yourself and rehearsing it with them, always knowing as much as I can about everything that we play,” he said. “It takes a lot of time and

energy to know as much information about the piece of music, its history, why it was written, who inspired it…”

The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra has just released its debut album “Decades of OPM,” which pays tribute to greatest OPM masterpieces including “Kapalaran,” “Hawak Kamay,” “Mula Sa Puso” and “Be My Lady.” Instead of purely relying on orchestral sound, the album features well-known singers like Gary Valenciano, Yeng Constantino, Daniel Padilla and Abra.

Gerard said, “Although it’s a wonderful idea for an album of orchestra without singers, there will always be a need for some combination. There’s always the fear in the side of the producer, like, ‘Are people gonna get these?’ Especially when there’s no attraction, which, in this case, are Gary V and Daniel.”

What are his other goals for the orchestra?

“To be able to perform around the Philippines then to perform around the world for Filipinos…”

Maestro Gerard Salonga: A man of his own

Source: Mb.com.ph (August 29, 2014 at 01:34PM)

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