User:Manilasymphony

The Manila Symphony Orchestra is the oldest symphony orchestra in the Philippines. Born almost 75 years ago, the MSO holds a very rich history in its hands.

A little more than half a century ago, when Manila was re-taken by the victorious American forces and ending three years of Japanese occupation, the Philippines held the honored distinction of being the only country in Asia that had its own orchestra. Proudly carrying with it the name of the city wherein it was established, the pages of MSO’s history are filled with a notable list of esteemed Filipino and foreign musical greats who performed and conducted with the orchestra through its glory-filled years.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra boasts of musician members whose talents have been nurtured, honed and developed through the Philippine Research for Developing Instrumental Soloists (PREDIS) and the Manila Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO). Co-founded in 1985 by Maestro Basilio M. Manalo and Sr. Mary Placid Abejo, Dean of the St. Scholastica’s College of Music, the PREDIS was founded to established an intensive training program to prepare very young musicians (as early as three years old) for careers as instrumental soloists and performers in chamber and orchestra groups.

The PREDIS members eventually moved on to become members of the MYSO when it was founded exactly a decade later in 1995. Led by the same co-founders of PREDIS, the MYSO served as a continuing venue for the maturing musical protégés. The MYSO has performed in a number of concerts and tours – each performance earning them more accolades and rave reviews. The MYSO takes pride that many of its members are winners of the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) and some have been qualified as members of international orchestral groups, such as the Sian Youth Orchestra and the World Youth Orchestra.

In 2001, just in time for the MYSO members to spread their wings and venture out into the professional world of orchestra, the Manila Symphony Orchestra II Foundation was founded to assist the MYSO in its transition to become the new Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO.