This year is a special one for the Center for Philippine Studies. Aside from a lecture on Mindanao, we are fortunate to have two distinguished resource persons on Philippine music to deliver lectures and conduct workshops in January and February 2024. Dr. Marie Jocelyn Marfil and Dr. LaVerne David de la Peña, both professors from the University of the Philippines and UH alumni, will come to Honolulu and share their expertise on the rich and varied music of the Philippines from north to south.

Please come and listen to these rare presentations, featured in two parts.

Lecture and Workshop on Philippine Music – 1, by Marie Jocelyn U. Marfil, PhD. Details are found in Marfil-Lecture. The flyer, a shorter version, is also available Here.

Her lecture will be on January 22, 2024, Monday, 3:00 pm (Moore Hall 319) while two workshops will be conducted on January 24, 2024 and January 26, 2024, Wednesday and Friday, also 3:00 pm (Moore Hall 119 ). The lecture is titled “An Overview of Philippine Music.” It covers Philippine Indigenous Music/Instruments in Northern and Southern Philippines, Art Song/Kundiman, Filipino folksongs, and Philippine Rondalla.

The workshops, titled “Learning the Basics of Rondalla Music,” will be conducted starting at 2:00 pm at the UH Music Department room 09. They are about playing the Philippine rondalla and other musical instruments. Nine participants can join the workshops (others with their own instruments can also join). Registration is required for attendees with or without instruments by clicking Link to Register.

Lecture and Workshop on Philippine Music – 2, by LaVerne David C. de la Peña, PhD. Details are found in Pena-Lecture. The flyer is available Here.

On the other hand, Dr de la Peña will give his lecture on February 13, 2024, Tuesday, 3:00 pm at Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room). The lecture, entitled “Kabataan Pinoy: Mapping trends in Philippine popular music in the 20th century,” will deal with the Filipino youth’s fascination with genres of Philippine music (particularly modern) through the years. Dr. de la Peña will also navigate through diverse subcultures, including urban gangs from the 50s to 90s.

His workshop will be presented on February 17, 2024, Saturday, 2:00pm at the UH Music Department Room 09. It is titled “The Cordillera Interlocking Rhythms: A workshop on Bamboo Instruments.” It is a hands-on event introducing the bamboo instruments of Northern Philippines.

Philippine music lovers, hop in!

Contact: For details, please contact at cps@hawaii.edu ; or Dr. Pia Arboleda at pca62@hawaii.edu.