Benefit Concert on May 5, 2013
Donnie Belleza Memorial Fund, in cooperation with Felipe Padilla de Leon Foundation, Inc., is presenting a special benefit concert on Sunday, May 5, 2013, at 5:00 pm at Kalayaan Hall, Philippine Center, 556 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The concert will showcase classical guitarist/conductor Michael Dadap, marimbist Dena P. Fernandez, cellist Sarighani De Leon Reist, pianist Cynthia Guerrero de Leon, violinist Diomedes Saraza, Jr., and pianist Robert Alcala.
This concert will help support young promising musicians chosen by the board of Donnie Belleza Memorial Fund to enroll in special music programs in highly recognized institutions--such as the Juilliard School, Interlochen and the Greenwood Music Camp--that are essential for the growth of talented musicians.
THE PERFORMING ARTISTS
This concert will help support young promising musicians chosen by the board of Donnie Belleza Memorial Fund to enroll in special music programs in highly recognized institutions--such as the Juilliard School, Interlochen and the Greenwood Music Camp--that are essential for the growth of talented musicians.
THE PERFORMING ARTISTS
Michael Dadap, classical guitarist, has been Artistic/Music Director and Conductor of the Children’s Orchestra Society since 1984. He graduated from the University of the Philippines, major in Philosophy, and pursued music studies at Mannes College of Music and The Juilliard School. As a classical guitarist, he made his Carnegie Weill Recital Hall debut in 1974 and has since performed in numerous concerts locally and internationally. He has numerous CD recordings, one of which was featured “album of the month” on WQXR in February 1990. As a conductor, he has performed in major concert venues in the United States and internationally. He is the Artistic Director and Conductor for the October 2013 performance of the opera Noli Me Tangere (libretto by Guillermo Tolentino and music by Felipe Padilla de Leon, based on the novel of Dr. Jose Rizal). He resides in Queens, NY, with his wife, Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma. He has two children, Daniel and Laura.
Dena P. Fernandez, marimbist, holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree major in marimba performance from St. Paul University in Manila. She was first-prize winner in the 1976 National Music Competition for Young Artists. She studied under Petra Molas, Ernestina Crisologo and Barry Dove. She attended the Orchestra Workshop of Maestro Franco Ferrara and took part in the First ASEAN Music Camp in Malaysia. She has given solo performances with the Philippine Youth Orchestra, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Ruggiero Barbieri, the International Music Festival in Cantonigros and Barcelona, Spain. She has given solo recitals in Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Dallas and at Merkin Concert Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Aside from playing marimba, Dena plays viola with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sarighani de Leon Reist, cellist, performs regularly with some of Nashville’s finest musicians on stage and in the recording studio. She is a member of the Grammy-nominated Alias Chamber Ensemble. She has played with the Nashville Symphony and Nashville Chamber Orchestra. In the popular realm, Sari can be heard on recordings by Lady Antebellum, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Ben Folds, Train, Carrie Underwood, and many others. Sari received her Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Irene Sharp. She pursued her Suzuki Certification at School for Strings in New York City, where she later joined the faculty. She has also taught cello at Mannes College of Music, Children’s Orchestra Society of New York, and the Governors School for the Arts in Tennessee. She maintains a private studio in addition to teaching at Lipscomb University. She resides in East Nashville with her husband, Joel Reist, her two daughters Nadia and Laela, and their African Gray Parrot, Ozzie.
Cynthia Guerrero de Leon, pianist, earned her double major degree in Mathematics and Music, summa cum laude, from Centro Escolar University. After a 20-year corporate stint as Director of Finance at Smith Hanley Holding Corporation, she now runs Golden Lotus, her own healing arts and management company, while simultaneously serving as Director of Finance of the Children’s Orchestra Society, Treasurer and Certified Pranic Healing Trainer/Psychotherapist at The Center for Pranic Healing, and President of the Felipe Padilla de Leon Foundation. She maintains a private piano studio and actively performs as a collaborative pianist. She is a published author of four books in Statistics and Business Mathematics, and has several collaborative CD recordings to her credit.
Diomedes Saraza, Jr., violinist, was awarded the Donnie Fernandez-Belleza Memorial Scholarship in 2012. Diomedes became the youngest member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra II and has been featured in Maestro Filipino I and Friends of Cultural Center of The Philippines (CCP) Concerts. He has won the Friday-Woodmere Young Artist Competition and the Mannes Concerto Competition, among other competitions. In 2009, his chamber group won the American Teacher's League Competition and was later featured in Carnegie Hall. He recently appeared with the Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, performing Tchaickovsky’s violin concerto. Diomedes studies under the tutelage of Prof. Stephen Clapp of the Juilliard School and will receive his Bachelor of Music degree from Juilliard in 2013. Read more about Diomedes here.
Robert Alcala, pianist, is a cousin of Donnie Fernandez-Belleza and member of the board of the Donnie Belleza Memorial Fund. Robert began piano studies at the age of six and was featured in the Paco Park Presents concert series in Manila at the age of seventeen. He performed with Donnie Fernandez-Belleza’s daughters, Catherine and Isabelle, at a memorial concert honoring Donnie in Makati City, Philippines in 2012. Robert received a juris doctor from Harvard Law School and doctorate in education from Harvard University. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University.
THE SPONSOR FOUNDATIONS
DONNIE BELLEZA MEMORIAL FUND INC. is a scholarship fund for young talented musicians established in memory of violinist Dionisia “Donnie” Fernandez-Belleza. Donnie was trained at the Juilliard Pre-College Division after arriving in the United States at age 8 from the Philippines. She later earned her bachelor and master degrees from the Juilliard School. She was a violinist in the U.S. Army String Orchestra and shared her gift of music with the world, performing for audiences around the country, as well as American presidents, heads of state, and other dignitaries.
FELIPE P. DE LEON FOUNDATION, INC. aims to encourage artistic creativity among Filipino artists by initiating projects for the documentation, publication, performance and dissemination of significant musical creations; to extend support and recognition through scholarships and grants of the artistic achievements of those who contribute to the Filipinos’ musical heritage; and to help facilitate and hasten the growth process of Philippine music as a creative contribution to world music.
