A musical Christmas was celebrated at The Peninsula Manila as the hotel’s General Manager Mark Choon—with partners Store Specialists Inc., Citibank and Philippine Tatler and in cooperation with co-sponsors the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Lexus Philippines—assembled a stellar cast of the crème de la crème in Philippine popular and classical music that transformed the elegant and iconic lobby for two magical hours into a grand concert hall, revving the assembled guests’ festive spirits for the days of celebration ahead.
The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) under guest conductor Maestro Ruggero Barbieri (who flew in from Italy especially for this concert) led the way with special guest soloist Christine Allado who is currently starring in “HAMILTON: An American Musical” in London’s West End; soprano Rachelle Gerodias; tenor Arman Ferrer; University of Santo Tomas Singers; Pundaquit Virtuosi; and marimbist Benjamin Angeles who serenaded guests with classical, pop, and holiday-themed music.
The 2018 holiday musical program featured music by some of the best musical talent from the Philippines such as Philippine National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, and the world’s greatest composers like Vivaldi, Beethoven, Gounod, Rossini, Verdi, Bizet, and Tchaikovsky.
The annual Christmas Concert at The Pen—perhaps one of the most enduring holiday traditions in Metro Manila—doubled as a fundraiser for the Hope for the Philippines advocacy of the hotel that continues to benefit the educational and livelihood projects of the families living in The Peninsula – Gawad Kalinga (GK) Village in Tanauan, Leyte.