Gerard Salonga

Gerard Salonga
Born October 11, 1973[1]
Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines
Occupation(s) Composer, singer-songwriter, record producer,
Instruments Trombone, violin, guitar, percussion, vocals, piano, keyboard
Years active 1982–present
Associated acts FILharmoniKA, Lea Salonga

Gerard Salonga (born October 11, 1973)[2] is a conductor, musical arranger, orchestrator and musical director from the Philippines. He is also the founder, musical director and conductor of FILharmoniKA, a symphony orchestra in the Philippines.[3][4]

Biography

Gerard began his musical education, taking piano lessons, at the age of 5. He later collaborated with his sister, the Tony award-winning singer-actress Lea Salonga, singing duets in her first album, Small Voice ("Happiness"), as well as taking part on the eight Metro Manila Popular Music Festival as interpreters for the second placer song entry "Musika, Lata, Sipol at La La La" by Tess Concepcion in 1985. Gerard is naturally associated with Lea throughout the length and breadth of her distinguished singing career, but had since successfully established his own stature and identity in Manila's music scene.

Education

Gerard completed his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1994. He subsequently went to the United States to pursue formal musical studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he graduated summa cum laude and received Berklee's Contemporary Writing and Production Achievement Award. Gerard worked briefly at Sony Pictures as an orchestrator and music copyist before returning to the Philippines in 1999.[5]

Musical career and achievements

Upon his return, he embarked on carving his own niche in the local musical landscape. He initially guest-conducted and arranged music for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and Manila Philharmonic Orchestra; and by 2005, he had garnered his third consecutive Aliw Award for Best Musical Director. He won his fourth, in 2008.

Among his stints as musical director, foremost of which are his projects with his sister Lea, Gerard Salonga had arranged and conducted music for distinguished Filipino artists like Lani Misalucha, Martin Nievera and Regine Velasquez, amongst others. He is also the musical director of Carmel House Studio, a recording studio coupled with a film scoring and post-production facility, in the suburb of Alabang, outskirt of Manila. Back in 2005, it was then known as the Global Contact Center, and this is where he formed the Global Studio Orchestra (later known as FILharmoniKA), as the in-house orchestra for the facility.[6]

In 2004 and 2005, he arranged and produced compelling station IDs for The Filipino Channel, both of which won the Promax World Silver Award in New York City ("Best Use of Music/Post Score with or without lyrics"). In 2006, he scored the musical soundtrack for the supernatural horror-thriller film, Ang Pamana, which had its world premiere at the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival.

In 2006, together with FILharmoniKA, Gerard embarked on a series albums of titled "Musika Natin"[Our Music], highlighting works by great Filipino composers, some of which have been forgotten and some, never been performed.[7] Recent releases featured compositions by the teacher-composer Lucio San Pedro, works by jazz maestro Angel Peña[8] and works by the martial bandleader, Col. Antonio Buenaventura. Gerard Salonga also collaborated in the contemporary album "Eastern Skies" with jazz guitarist Johnny Alegre. A fifth album release, "Kumpas" featured orchestral renditions of anthems by guest Pinoy Rock icons, Ely Buendia, Sampaguita, Noel Cabangon and Wally Gonzales. The latter anthology largely caught the imagination of the young Filipino listening audience, fostering possibilities for the orchestra as a commercial vehicle in OPM.

He now leads the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra as resident conductor and musical director.

Personal life

He is married with two children; a son and a daughter.[9][10]

Awards

Year Award-Giving Body Category Work Result
2010 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Original Theme Song (with Ria Osorio - "Kaya Mo") RPG Metanoia[11] Won

References

  1. ↑ Salonga, Lea. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, @Gerard_Salonga!!!". Facebook. Lea Salonga's Official Facebook Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Salonga, Gerard (12 October 2012). "Thank you for the birthday wishes everyone! the next one is the big four oh". Facebook. Gerald Salonga's Official Facebook page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Gerard Salonga. David Belenzon Management, Inc. Retrieved on 2010-12-2.
  4. ↑ Hila, Antonio C. (26 April 2010). Bravo! Gerard Salonga and FILharmoniKA. Inquirer Lifestyle. Retrieved 2010-12-2.
  5. ↑ Matias-Pizarro, Shirley (8 December 2009). Gerard Salonga conquers the international scene. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. Retrieved on 2010-10-03.
  6. ↑ Matias-Pizarro, Shirley (15 January 2010). More of FILharmoniKA in 2010. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. Retrieve on 2010-12-2.
  7. ↑ About Us Musika Natin. Retrieved on 2010-12-2.
  8. ↑ Peña, Angel (2007). A man and his music. Ateneo de Manila University Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-971-550-509-3. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  9. ↑ Salonga, Gerard. "pizza with wife and kiddies = priceless". Facebook. Gerard Salonga's Official Facebook Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  10. ↑ Allan Policarpio, Allan. "Gerard Salonga started out as Lea’s unexpected pianist at 7". Inquirer.Net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Metro Manila Film Festival:2010". IMDB. Retrieved 2014-04-09.