Vien Ignacio: Taking the Stage at 14 Years Old
The young Filipino harpist joins the PPO for an evening of orchestral works exploring nostalgia, national identity, and the places composers call home.
Words Mian Centeno
Photos courtesy of Cultural Center of the Philippines
October 16, 2026
Music can evoke a sense of place, carrying listeners from familiar melodies to distant landscapes, and on October 16, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) continues its 42nd concert season, Modulatio, with Concert II: Elegance at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila—featuring a repertoire that explores these connections.
At the center of the evening is a 14-year-old Filipino harpist Vien Ignacio, who joins the orchestra for George Frideric Handel’s Harp Concerto in B-flat Major, Op. 4, No. 6.
Introduced to the pedal harp at three and a half, Ignacio has since earned international recognition, including first place in the harp division of the 2025 Scandinavian International Instrument Music Competition, alongside special awards for romantic performance and child prodigy.
The program opens with Filipino conductor Redentor Romero’s Philippine Portraits, which weaves familiar local romantic melodies into a symphonic tribute to the country.
Handel’s harp concerto follows, bringing a more intimate sound to the evening before the orchestra closes with Zygmunt Noskowski’s The Steppe.
Composed in 1896, Noskowski’s symphonic poem draws inspiration from the vast Polish plains and reflects the composer’s patriotism during a period when Poland had lost its sovereignty. Its sweeping musical landscape offers a powerful counterpoint to Romero’s celebration of Filipino identity.
Conducted by Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, Concert II: Elegance brings together distinct musical traditions and expressions of belonging, showing how orchestral works can carry the histories, memories, and identities of the places that inspire them.
Concert II: Elegance at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through TicketWorld.
