Sarah Geronimo holding 20th anniversary concert
POPSTAR Sarah Geronimo returns to the concert stage at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on May 12 to celebrate her 20th showbiz anniversary. This is the 15th concert to be staged by the multi-awarded pop icon who has built a stellar career in TV, film, and music over the past two decades. The event is being co-produced by Viva Live, G Productions, and MQuest Ventures. MQuest Ventures is the creation and creatives hub that is wholly owned by Mediaquest Holdings, Inc. G Productions is the production firm owned by Sarah Geronimo and Matteo Guidicelli, while Viva Live houses talents and produces live entertainment for Viva Communications, Inc., headed by Boss Vic Del Rosario.
Mayonnaise ends 20th year with free show
FILIPINO alternative rock band Mayonnaise wraps up the celebration of their 20th anniversary in the Philippine music scene with a concert on May 20 at the QC Circle, from 5 p.m. onwards. Dubbed MAYO 20: The Finale, the anniversary concert serves as the culminating event in a series of shows that aim to give back to the music fans who have supported the band since day one. Late last year, Mayonnaise held a 20th anniversary tour, performing at some of the largest venues in the country, from Luzon to Mindanao, and have continued to do so this year. Presented by Yellow Room Music and Killer Bear, and supported by Minsan Studios and Araw Sa Gabi, the finale show will feature a long set by Mayonnaise, with the special participation of their music industry peers such as Barbie Almalbis, Champ Lui Pio of Hale, Sud Ballecer of Sud, Argee Guerrero of I Belong To The Zoo, and Josh Villena of Autotelic. General Admission to MAYO 20: The Finale is free, but a #Mayo20 Official shirt comes with a VIP pass, available for P1,000. It can be pre-ordered through this link: bit.ly/mayo20vip. Limited #Mayo20 Official shirts will be available for sale at the venue with a free VIP pass.
MOMpreneurs Club PH holds bazaar
MOMPreneurs Club PH, in partnership with Ayala Malls Manila Bay and Inspired Events Management 8 Services, celebrates Mother’s Day with “MOM-mentos with MOMpreneurs Club PH” on May 12-14, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay Activity Center, Parañaque City. The event includes a three-day bazaar featuring products from mother-owned businesses. There will be demos on mental health art, beaded accessory-making, bath bomb-making, and other interactive workshops. There will also be a series of talks from inspiring mothers about balancing motherhood and insights on generating income through ecommerce business, influencer and affiliate marketing, and social media utilization. Visitors can also watch a fashion show which showcases local brands crafted by mothers. Raffle prizes await attendees. MOMpreneurs Club PH also partnered with a mother-owned business that will provide childminders during the event so that mothers can enjoy the program. For more information, visit MOMpreneurs Club PH’s Facebook group.
Instituto Cervantes holds lecture on San Nicolas District
ON TUESDAY, May 16, at 2 p.m., Instituto Cervantes is presenting a lecture on the historical value of San Nicolas, “Trade and Revolution: Historical notes on the Jeopardized District of San Nicolas in Manila,” and an exhibit, San Nicolas through the eyes of the Urban Sketchers, depicting the neighborhood today. Scheduled during the Heritage Month, the events will be held at Instituto Cervantes’ center in Intramuros (at Calle Real, Plaza San Luis, Intramuros, Manila). The district of San Nicolas, an area of Manila’s Historic Chinatown, was where the confluence of Spanish and Chinese interaction in the Philippines largely took place, a process that to a high degree contributes to the Filipino identity. Historically, its relevance is in its role in the Philippine revolution. Architecturally, its 19th-century buildings and its streets are evidence of this interaction and are the last vestiges of a bygone era. Regretfully however, the district has decayed. The good news is that there is a growing awareness of the value of the district. The exhibit, which consists of some 50 artworks, will be available for viewing every day, including Sundays, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. until July 31. Admission is free and open for all on a first come, first served basis. For more information, visit http://manila.cervantes.es or www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.
PPO recreates its first concert for 50th anniversary
ESTABLISHED in 1973, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) looks back at its beginnings through the PPO 50th Anniversary Gala, slated on May 12, 8 p.m., at the Metropolitan Theater, Manila. For this milestone, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) resident orchestra recreates in part its very first concert, which happened on May 15, 1973. That debut concert, under the baton of Luis C. Valencia, its first music director, with Julian Quirit as concertmaster, featured Alfredo S. Buenaventura’s Bathaluman and National Artist Lucrecia Kasilag’s Divertissement for Piano and Orchestra. The concert also featured Manuel de Falla’s Noches en los Jardines de España and G. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with guest performer pianist Benjamin Tupas. Under the baton of Rodel Colmenar, the PPO will once again relive the first concert, performing the Buenaventura and Kasilag masterpieces, with young pianist Aidan Ezra Baracol as guest performer. In addition, Filipino tenor Arthur Espiritu will perform “Salut! Demeure e Chaste et Pure!” from Faust (Charles Gounod), “Che gelida manina” from La Boheme (Giacomo Puccini), and “Kundiman ng Langit” (Augusto Espino). The anniversary concert will culminate with a performance by renowned pianist Dr. Raul Sunico, playing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue under the baton of PPO resident conductor Herminigildo Ranera. Tickets to the concert are available at the CCP Box Office, located at Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, Vicente Sotto St., CCP Complex, Pasay City from Tuesday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and at TicketWorld via www.ticketworld.com.ph. Tickets range in price from P800 to P3,000.
Instituto Cervantes holds online film series
THIS month, Instituto Cervantes de Manila is presenting an online film series on its Vimeo channel, which explores contemporary rural life of Spain and the new migration trends between cities and rural spaces. Entitled “Geolocalizations and New Ruralities,” this series of four documentaries proposes new ways of understanding rural communities, and the challenges and opportunities brought by socioeconomic change. The series kicked off last Saturday, with the screening of Soñando un lugar (2018), by Alfonso Kint; and continues on May 13 and 14 with Os fillos da vide (2017), by Ana Domínguez, in which the director shows a piece of her childhood through the grape harvest and festivities of her hometown in Galicia. The film will be freely available for 48 hours on vimeo.com/799821212. The third film of the cycle, 150 i una Grossa (2020), by Aurora Sulli and Núria Deulofeu, goes to Ametlla de Merola, one of the smallest towns in Catalonia with just over 150 inhabitants. The town’s central core is its theater, but due to lack of resources, it must close down. Everything changes when the town wins the Christmas lottery, and the residents decide to use the winnings to refurbish the theater and prevent it from disappearing. The film will be freely available for 48 hours on May 20 and 21 through the link vimeo.com/799848938. The film cycle will come to an end on May 27 and 28 with Los saldos (2022) by Raúl Capdevila. The film tells the story of his return home and how he and his father face the forced industrialization of their town in the form of a Western-style tale. The film will be freely available for 48 hours on vimeo.com/800448839. The films, presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain, will have English subtitles. Admission is free. For further information and updates, visit Instituto Cervantes’ Facebook site (www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila) or the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1456518371820323.
Metrobank holds Travel and Lifestyle Fair
THE FIRST-EVER Metrobank Fair will be held at the Glorietta Palm Drive Activity Center from May 11-14. The event will feature offers from top airlines, retail, and dining brands for Metrobank credit and debit card holders for an entire weekend. The first day of the Metrobank Travel Fair, will be exclusive for Metrobank Credit and Debit Mastercard cardholders who will enjoy first dibs on the special promos offered, including discounted fares on select destinations, accommodation, tour packages, traveler insurance, and more. Credit card holders who will have a minimum single-receipt purchase of P15,000 at the event will also get a chance to win a trip for two to Hong Kong or cashbacks of up to P50,000. There will be a special Mother’s Day booth on May 14. Metrobank will be accepting credit card applications on-ground at Glorietta.