Heroic Symphony

The UP Office of the President, the UP College of Music, and the UP Symphony Orchestra, in cooperation with Orkestra ng Bayan, Inc., present Heroic Symphony.

Led by conductor Rodney Ambat, the orchestra brings to life a selection of works that capture the essence of courage, national pride, and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit over destiny. The performance opens with the dramatic weight of Verdi's La Forza Del Destino Overture, paired with the local pride and cinematic grandeur of Santos's Lapu-Lapu Overture. The orchestra then features trumpeter Jon Roi Mendones in the brilliant Arutunian Trumpet Concerto.

The centerpiece of the evening is Beethoven's monumental Symphony No. 3, Op. 55, "Eroica", a work that fundamentally changed symphonic history with its massive scale and revolutionary fervor. To bring the night to an energetic finish, the orchestra performs Moncayo's rhythmic, celebratory masterpiece, Huapango.

What does it mean to be a hero? This concert uncovers the answer through music that faces fate head-on and transforms struggle into celebration. From the historical valor of our own shores to the fiery battlefield of Beethoven's imagination, every note reflects the passion, defiance, and resilience that define the heroic journey.