KULARTS PRESENTS

NEW MUSIC BY FLORANTE AGUILAR,

ASWANG-A TAGALOG SONG CYCLE AT BINDLESTIFF STUDIO, JAN 26-27, 2013, SF

(San Francisco, CA) – Composer Florante Aguilar creates ASWANG-A Tagalog Song Cycle, a music suite exploring the fantastic creatures of Pilipino legends and ghost stories. Performed by eight talented musicians and vocalists, Kularts presents this music in concert for two shows only: January 26-27, 2013, 8pm Saturday, 3pm Sunday at Bindlestiff Studio, 185-6^th Street @ Howard, SF,CA.

Tickets: $12 in advance; $15 at the door. Purchase now at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/308454

Florante Aguilar’s ASWANG is inspired by the ghost stories he enjoyed sharing with other children when they were growing up in the provinces of the Philippines. With this work, these creatures come alive to tell their own stories from their point of view. Written and sung in classic Tagalog, Aguilar’s composition innovates traditional Pilipino musical forms of the harana (romantic serenade) and kundiman (courtship songs of intense longing) into a contemporary framework. The concert features performances by Florante Aguilar (Guitar), Chus Alonso (flute), Sage Baggott (percussion) and Greg Kehret (double bass), with vocalists Giovanni Ortega, Leon Palad, Bryan Pangilinan, and Kristine Sinajon.

This production is made possible with generous support from the San Francisco Foundation and the San Francisco Arts Commission.

ARTIST’S BIO

Composer and Lyricist Florante Aguilar is considered one of the leading proponents of Philippine harana and guitar music in America today. He champions Philippine music through the medium of film, recordings and live performances. His arrangements and compositions reveal a sophisticated and deep understanding of the form, successfully crafting the right balance between respect and redefinition of a tradition. Born in Manila, Aguilar grew up in Cavite province where he learned to play the octavina in a rondalla group. He trained as a classical musician at the University of the Philippines College of Music. After touring internationally, he moved to New York under a scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music with Sharon Isbin, Grammy Award winner and current guitar department chair of the Juilliard School. Florante later accepted a position with the pioneering Buffalo Guitar Quartet where he toured and recorded the critically acclaimed CD New Music for Four Guitars (New World 384-2). Florante received his Bachelor of Music Degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1996 under the tutelage of David Tanenbaum. In 2012, Florante Aguilar joined with award winning director Benito Bautista to create the film Harana. Currently screening at the Dubai International Film Festival, Harana has toured several international film festivals, including a winning entry for the Audience Award at the Hawaiian International Film festival.

ABOUT KULARTS

Kularts is the nation’s premier presenter of contemporary and tribal Pilipino arts. Founded in 1985, Kularts proudly serves the San Francisco Bay Area, home to the largest number of Pilipinos outside of the Philippines. For more information, visit www.kularts.org.