THE PHILIPPINES WAS AGAIN A FEATURED COUNTRY IN THE 2023 SUMMER PROGRAMING OF THE TERRAS SEM SOMBRA FESTIVAL HELD IN MOURÃO, ALENTEJO, WITH A CONCERT BY WORLD-RENOWNED PIANIST DR. RAUL SUNICO
02 July 2023, Lisbon – The Philippines once again participated in the annual Terra Sem Sombra Festival with a concert by world renowned concert pianist Dr. Raul Sunico. The concert was held at the Igreja Matriz da Nossa Senhora das Candeias in Mourão, a town in the Alentejo region of Portugal on 24 June 2023.
Entitled “Anatomy of Beauty, a Personal Anthology” the concert featured a repertoire of pieces by Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Fragoso, Longas, and Liszt, as well as Filipino pieces by Miguel Velarde and Francisco Buencamino.
The Igreja Matriz da Nossa Senhora das Candeias in Mourão provided the serene backdrop for the piano performance which highlighted Dr. Suinco’s mastery of the piano.
The participation of Dr. Sunico at the Terras Sem Sombra Festival and his performance in Mourao exemplifies the Philippines’ commitment to fostering cultural exchange and promoting artistic collaboration on an international level. Dr. Sunico’s brilliant style on the piano shows the Philippines’ rich cultural legacy and our country’s contribution to the global music landscape.
During her remarks, Ambassador Feria cited the importance of the Philippines’ cultural diplomacy activities. She said, “We know that Portugal is more than Lisbon, and for the Philippine Embassy, it is a great achievement to arrive here and bring a bit of the Philippines to Mourão. I hope you feel the Filipino spirit through the music in the anthology selected by our pianist, Dr. Raul Sunico. We hope this will allow you to travel as we can take you to the Philippines through music”.
In attendance were national and local government officials, residents from Mourão and nearby towns in Alentejo, and followers of the Terras Sem Sombra Festival from all over Portugal who showed their appreciation for Dr. Sunico’s technical brilliance and passionate interpretations of the piano pieces.
This year marked the Philippines’ fourth consecutive year of participation at the Terras Sem Sombra Festival. In May 2019, the Embassy began its participation with a concert by Madrid-based Filipina soprano Manila Adap, in Cuba, Alentejo. Earlier that year, Ambassador Feria participated in by sharing the Philippines’ best practices in biodiversity conservation in April 2019 for the event entitled “Resist the Invader: The Water Hyacinth and the Guadiana Basin” in Elvas, Alentejo.
This was followed by an open-air piano concert featuring Mr. Lawrence Alinganga, a young Filipino pianist based in Madrid, at the Lagar de Herdade do Marmelo in Ferreira do Alentejo in September 2021. And last year, Dr. Sunico was also featured in another piano concert in the town of Odemira.
The Terras Sem Sombra Festival, now in its 19th year, is a yearly “itinerant festival” that brings together music, cultural heritage, and biodiversity in and about the Alentejo region of Portugal, The festival has created movement that transcends borders and brings together artists from around the world to perform in the various towns in the vast Alentejo region of Portugal. END.
