National Artists Of The Philippines In Music

Here are some of the well-known national artists of the Philippines in the music industry.

NATIONAL ARTISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES – These are the contributions of some of the well-known national artists in music in the PH.

Last 2018, the famous Ryan Cayabyab, the multi-awarded music director, composer, conductor, and accompanist was named National Artist for music. And before Cayabyab, there have been several artists named under this category recognizing their great contributions to the country’s music industry.

Check out some of the national artists in music:

Antonino R. Buenaventura (1988) – He was the one who wrote marches such as “Triumphal March,” “Echoes of the Past,” “History Fantasy,” Second Symphony in E-flat, “Echoes from the Philippines,” and “Ode to Freedom” while some of his orchestral music compositions include Concert Overture, Prelude, and Fugue in G Minor, Philippines Triumphant, Mindanao Sketches, Symphony in C Major, among others.
Jose Maceda (1977) – He was a composer, musicologist, teacher, and performer. He deeply explored Philippine music, most especially the traditional ones.
Lucresia R. Kasilag (1989) – She was an educator, composer, performing artist, administrator, and cultural entrepreneur of national and international caliber. She pioneered in discovering the roots of ethnic music and eventually made one with Western influence. This has led other musicians to experiment with this kind of approach. Love Songs, Legend of the Sarimanok, Ang Pamana, Philippine Scenes, and Her Son, Jose, Sisa are just some of her orchestral music.
Ernani J. Cuenco (1999) – He was a composer, film scorer, musical director, and music teacher. He has a degree in piano and cello from the University of Santo Tomas.
Lucio San Pedro (1991) – He was a master composer, conductor, and teacher. He has produced band music, concertos for violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas, chamber music, music for violin and piano, and songs for solo voice. He conducted Peng Kong Grand Mason Concert Band, San Pedro Band of Angono, and the Banda Angono Numero Uno.
Antonio J. Molina (1973) – He was a versatile musician and composer. He introduced innovations such as the whole-tone scale, pentatonic scale, the exuberance of dominant ninths and eleventh cords, and linear counterpoints.
Francisco Feliciano (2014) – He was credited for bringing out the “Asianness” in his music. He is a composer, conductor, and educator.
Levi Celerio (1997) – He is not just a national artist in music but also in literature. He was also awarded Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy of the Philippines.
Ramon P. Santos (2014) – He is a composer, conductor, and musicologist. He had his master’s degree at Indiana University and doctorate degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo under a Fulbright Scholarship.
Jovita Fuentes (1976) – She was known for her performances in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, Liu Yu in Puccini’s Turnadot, Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme, Iris in Pietro Mascagni’s Iris, the title role of Salome, and many others.