Manila Symphony Orchestra Marks 100 Years with Centennial Concert
Written by Chantal Gapato | November 13, 2025
The Manila Symphony Orchestra will commemorate its 100th anniversary with a special concert on January 22, 2026, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. The centennial concert celebrates a century of musical excellence and service to the Filipino musical community, also highlighting the orchestra’s rich history.
The program features Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72, which was performed at the MSO’s inaugural concert exactly one hundred years ago. The overture, originally written for Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, is known for its dramatic intensity and themes of struggle, freedom, and triumph. Singaporean guest conductor Darrel Ang will lead the orchestra in this historic performance.
The concert will also include Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73, commonly known as the Emperor Concerto. Rising young Chinese pianist Muyu Liu will perform as the soloist, presenting the concerto’s majestic orchestration, virtuosic passages, and dialogue between piano and orchestra that reflect Beethoven’s mature mastery.
The second half of the concert will feature works by Philippine National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, including Misa 2000 and Te Deum. Misa 2000 unites Western liturgical form with Filipino musical identity, combining chorus, orchestra, and indigenous instruments. Cayabyab’s Te Deum is a grand choral-orchestral work that radiates joy, gratitude, and praise, setting the traditional Latin hymn to music with rhythmic vitality and harmonic richness. Both works will be performed alongside the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers under the baton of Professor Mark Anthony Carpio, offering a resounding tribute of gratitude to the MSO’s enduring faith and excellence.
Tickets for the centennial concert are available via Ticketworld, with prices ranging from P1,800 to P5,000. Special offers include a 50% student discount, 20% discount for senior citizens and PWDs, and a 20% early bird discount valid until December 1, 2025, with the code MSO100EB20.
The MSO’s centennial season will continue with a series of concerts throughout 2026, including performances such as The Sleeping Beauty, Centennial Rising Stars of the Philippines, Symphony of a Nation: 100 Years of Music, 80 Years of FilAm Friendship, Legacies in Song: MSO’s 100 Years and the Voice of Conching Rosal, and a gala celebrating Philippine master composers past, present, and future.
