Concert focuses on music of Troy Laureta
AWARD-winning Filipino-American musical director and record producer, Troy Laureta, presents a multi-singer concert that features performers from the US and the Philippines. Loren Allred stars alongside Regine Velasquez in the concert, East Meets West: A Troy Laureta Experience, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 8 p.m. Also performing at the concert will be Matt Bloyd and Cheesa, Ogie Alcasid, Jona, Jed Madela, and Adah Leosala. Tickets are available at TicketWorld.
Tony Hadley takes 40th anniversary tour to Manila
TONY Hadley, the former lead singer of Spandau Ballet, revisits his biggest numbers and hits live on-stage at the Newport Performing Arts Theater on Sept. 28, 8 p.m. Mr. Hadley is celebrating four hit-making decades performing his most memorable tunes including “True,” “Gold,” and “Through the Barricades.” Tickets are available at TicketWorld.
Phil-Korean festival returns onsite
THE 31st Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival returns onsite on Sept. 30 at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay City. Presented by the United Korean Community Association (UKCA), the Korean Embassy, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the festival returns to the stage after two years of online celebration. The audience can experience some of the best of Korean and Filipino culture and its collaborations through special performances and booths featuring Korean food, beauty, and different industries. The performers include the Korean group Jinmyung, a traditional Korean percussion quartet, Filipino musician Celso Espejo, P-Pop girl group KAIA and Filipino singer MONA. The 2021 Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival winner will also perform live on stage for the first time since winning the title. Nine finalists composed of Filipinos and Koreans will also showcase their talents on stage in vocal and dance performances. Gates will open at 1 p.m., performances will start at 6 p.m.
EastSide performs at Newport
MINDANAO’s EastSide Band will have a two-night concert at Newport World Resorts’ The Grand Bar and Lounge and Bar 360. The six-piece band take the stage of The Grand Bar and Lounge on Sept. 30 at 10:15 p.m. and at Bar 360 on Oct. 1, 11:15 p.m., for a minimum cover charge of P1,000 consumable on food and drinks. Since uploading their first cover video in 2018, the EastSide Band has steadily grown its online audience, earning them a performing stint at ABS-CBN’s ASAP Natin ‘To, and a back-to-back concert with the band Music Travel Love in Cagayan De Oro City.
Indie film platform for accessible movies launched
INSPIRED by watching indie films in class at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde then the University of the Philippines Film Institute, Karen Jane Salutan was motivated to create EdukSine, an independent Filipino film platform and social enterprise, which was recently launched at the Cine Adarna at UP. With a grant from the Department of Science and Technology, it serves as an avenue for independent filmmakers to highlight local films which strengthen cultural roots and narratives. Co-founded with Romae Marquez, the project is an alternative to the sad fate of indie films that get abruptly pulled out of mall cinema theaters after low turnouts. EdukSine proposes a different way to promote these films to the right audience: through pre-arranged physical screenings in schools and universities, government offices and private companies, to include barangays and villages in the provinces. This is in addition to an online website and even hybrid setups. The team wishes EdukSine to be a sustainable avenue for independent film producers and directors. Today, EdukSine carries over 40 films accessible through their website eduksine.com, while others are available in physical screenings. For more information, visit EdukSine at https://eduksine.com.
CCP Met Opera in HD returns to Greenbelt
AFTER two years of silence due to the pandemic, operatic arias will once more resound in at the theater this September as the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) relaunches the Met Opera in HD series in cooperation with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., and Ayala Cinemas. Season 7 of the CCP Met Opera In HD Season 7 will be launched on Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m. at the Greenbelt 3 Cinema 1 with a private screening of Georges Bizet’s Carmen. The series will feature one Met Opera in HD production every month until February at Greenbelt 3 in Makati. Forthcoming are Carmen on October 4, featuring mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine and tenor Roberto Alagna; La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi on Nov. 15, featuring soprano Diana Damrau and tenor Juan Diego Flórez; Dialogues Des Carmélites by Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc on Dec. 6, with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard and Karita Mattila; La Fille Du Régiment by Gaetano Donizetti on Jan. 10, with Bel canto stars Pretty Yende and Javier Camarena; and, Samson Et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns on Feb. 7, with mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča and tenor Roberto Alagna. All screenings are at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
5 Seconds of Summer releases 5th studio album
POP rock band 5 Seconds of Summer has released their fifth studio album, 5SOS5. The 19-track album showcases their pop-punk sound paired with reflective and intimate lyrics, with the majority of the new album written by the band and Michael Clifford leading on production. Released alongside 5SOS5 is the new single “Bad Omens.’’ Previously released tracks from the album are “Blender”, “Take My Hand”, and “Me, Myself & I.” This is the band’s first album to be released independently via BMG. The deluxe CD and digital versions of the album include 19 tracks, with cassette and vinyl formats also available.
Lil Nas X releases League of Legends Worlds anthem
FRESH from sold out shows at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall, multiplatinum recording artist Lil Nas X, has joined forces with League of Legends Esports to unveil his new single and this year’s Worlds Championship anthem, “Star Walkin’ (League of Legends Worlds Anthem).” The song arrives alongside an animated official video that highlights landmarks in San Francisco, the destination city for the World Final, and League of Legends pros past and present. Lil Nas X will take the stage at the Worlds Opening Ceremony leading into the World Final at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Nov. 5.
Drag Playhouse PH celebrates music of Beyonce
DRAG Playhouse Philippines recently celebrated the music of Beyoncé through a thematic show that highlighted the star’s contribution to queer pop culture. House 628 Live: The Renaissance Ball featured the queens of Drag Playhouse Philippines sashaying to Beyoncé’s club-thumping 2022 album, Renaissance, and classic hits. Aside from drag performances by OV Cunt, Marina Summers, Prince, and Eva Le Queen — three of them currently contestants on Drag Race Philippines — the drag show also hosted contests in several categories. Watch the Facebook video for the roundup of House 628 Live: The Renaissance Ball, Category: A Night of a Thousand Beyoncé.
OPPO collaborates with Spotify
GLOBAL technology company OPPO recently announced its partnership with audio streaming platform Spotify. Through this collaboration, they created an all-new simple and customizable listening experience on OPPO smartphones with its latest ColorOS 13 Operating System. Spotify users can now enjoy music, podcasts and audiobooks with easier access and convenient controls on the home screen of their OPPO device. Spotify users can now know what Spotify content is currently playing, without having to unlock their device. Smart Always-On-Display supports Spotify controls and information display.
DJ Alesso performing in Manila
OVATION Productions is bringing in DJ Alesso for a performance on Dec. 17 at the SMDC Festival Grounds. Hailing from Stockholm, his second single as the lead artist, 2012’s “Calling (Losing My Mind)” with Swedish House Mafia’s Sebastian Ingrosso and Grammy award-winning OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, was certified Platinum twice in Sweden while also reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s US Hot Dance Club Songs. Alesso was featured on Vai Anitta, a Netflix original docu-series which highlighted his work on the “Is That For Me” record and video shoot. He also released “Tilted Towers,” an ambitious crossover blending the dance music world with the gaming community. He debuted his song on a Twitch livestream with Ninja, the gaming world’s biggest star, premiering it for nearly 50 thousand fans at once. Alesso at SMDC Festival Grounds is presented by Ovation Productions in partnership with Spade Empire Events and TAPGO TV. Tickets will be out soon via ovationtickets.com and smtickets.com.
