Way back in 1985, several cultural and educational activities were lined up in the Windy City to commemorate the inaugural flight of Philippine Airlines (PAL) from Manila to Chicago, which was everything we could have wished for and more. If memory serves me right, there was a curated never-seen-before Filipiniana dinner supplemented by globally acclaimed Filipino entertainers, all for valued patrons. There was even a string of seminars and workshops conducted by members of the tourism and travel trade delegation.

Now National Artist for Visual Arts Federico Aguilar Alcuaz had an on-the-spot painting at the metropolis’ prime park, to capture the breathtaking scene of the Chicago skyline, which we understand, was donated to the city’s top official. We likewise witnessed the turnover of some Philippine tarsiers from Bohol to the renowned Chicago Zoo. Am I right to recall then-president of PAL took the baton of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra briefly and conducted a few numbers?

And then there was Rowena Arrieta, a rising star in the classical music world, who left a lasting impression as she performed with the same orchestra. Suffice to say, Arrieta was a sensation!

We learned that she had privately visited Manila on several occasions. But this year heralded the very first time she returned to our shores to perform professionally.

Her long-awaited homecoming was marked by her headlining Concert VI: Homecoming, part of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s (PPO) Forte concert series. This concert celebrated the 35th anniversary of Lithuania’s restoration of independence and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Lithuanian artist Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis.

As a child prodigy, Arrieta started to play the piano by two, read musical notes by three, and composed by five. She was one of the first graduates of the Philippine High School for the Arts and continued her education at the Moscow State Conservatory, where she graduated with highest honors.