From shared dorms to the Goldenberg Mansion: A musical duo stuns audiences
Samuel Asistores and Adrian Ong reunite for ‘A Violin and Guitar Duo’ of the Goldenberg: The Concert Series under the auspices of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
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Samuel Asistores and Adrian Ong reunite for ‘A Violin and Guitar Duo’ of the Goldenberg: The Concert Series under the auspices of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
JEREMY Barns, Jose Mari P. Treñas and Lisa Guerrero-Nakpil.
CAMILLE C. Seechung
ARTEMIO Panganiban, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Maria Isabel Maribel Ongpin.
RENE Ann Lourdes, Melvin A. Matibag and Gamaliel A. Cordoba.
ALEXANDER Flores, Chris Tenorio, Sherelyn Dela Cruz and Naealla Bainto.
SERENA Choo and Bob Tan.
JAIME C. Laya
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos takes a selfie with Carlos P. Romulo Senior High School students.
From batchmates, they soon became roommates.
Samuel “Sting” Asistores learned from Adrian Ong, a contemporary at the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) — although with the evening’s spirited mood, I could not fully recall whether they were roommates here or abroad — on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the Interlochen Academy of the Arts.
What I do remember was that both young musicians had stints at the two prestigious arts institutions, and their paths have been intertwined since then.
With a strong foundation from the PHSA, they both enrolled at the Interlochen in Northern Michigan, which prepares young artists for rewarding careers while fostering academic excellence, with programs in music, dance, theatre, motion picture arts, comparative arts, visual arts, and even creative writing.
But more about them in detail.
Ong is an internationally recognized Filipino violinist who wowed the audience with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at age 17. In 2023, he debuted at Carnegie Hall and was a recipient of the New York City Recital Debut Award. A graduate of the Mannes School of Music, he is a faculty member of the Oscar Peterson School of Music at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada. He likewise mentors the Philippine Suzuki Youth Orchestra.
Asistores began studying classical guitar at nine years old under Lester Demetillo, a longtime faculty member of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Music and the director of the UP Guitar Ensemble. The young gentleman placed third at the 2015 Trattoria Poggio Antico Competition in Italy, while he clinched first prize at its Junior Master’s Competition. He likewise won a Special Prize at the Asia International Guitar Festival in Thailand. He received the silver medal and Audience Public Prize at the 2023 Groningen Guitar Festival and Competition in the Netherlands. He currently hones his talents at the École Supérieure Musique et Danse Hauts-de-France in France under the acclaimed Judicaël Perroy.
Today, the formidable duo has reunited once again — this time for A Violin and Guitar Duo of the Goldenberg: The Concert Series at the Goldenberg Mansion under the auspices of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
The evening’s anticipated repertoire was divided into four distinct phases: classical, kundiman and folk, Broadway and film, and Filipino pop music.
The classical portion opened with Paganini’s Centone di Sonate, Op. 64, No. 1, where both performers took turns under the spotlight. Paganini once again made his presence felt with Grande Sonata, MS 3, with a dreamy Romanza in which the guitar lifted the main melody. The section closed with Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango, wherein tango seamlessly merged with jazz and Brazilian bossa nova.
The kundiman and folk selections brought the music back to our shores. Manuel Velez’s “Sa Kabukiran,” originally composed in Cebuano, painted mental images of rural rolling hills and lush vegetation. National Artists for Music Ernani J. Cuenco and Levi Celerio’s “Nahan” carried a solemn longing, while Mike Velarde Jr. and Dominador Santiago’s “Dahil Sa Iyo,” nearly a nine-decade-old hit, was a tender declaration of love.
Broadway and film followed with the hopeful “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” — do you remember Judy Garland and her red shoes? — from the ever-booming The Wizard of Oz. How can you forget Julie Andrews’ rendition of the gentle Edelweiss from The Sound of Music? I finally discovered the name of the very hummable popular Brazilian tune “Tico-Tico No Fubá” by Zequinha de Abreu.
Then came Filipino music. “Inay” by Fr. Arnel de Castro Aquino, SJ, offered a prayerful tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary, while “Panalangin” by the legendary Apo Hiking Society spoke of a lifetime shared with someone dear. “Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin” by Vehnee Saturno was a cry for devotion, while Rey Valera’s obra “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko” was a tender letter to lasting love.
The musicians urged the responsive students to sing along, which they readily obliged — to the delight of the First Lady and all the other guests. The pupils hailed from Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School, San Francisco Elementary School, St. Patrick School Inc., Sauyo High School, Judge Juan Luna High School and Carlos P. Romulo Senior High School.
By the end, the entire room erupted in applause and cheers and yearned for more — an exceptional reception to two brilliant musicians — who enchanted us the whole night with their musical mastery and dexterity of their fingers — whose friendship began in school and has continued to grow through music.
¡Enhorabuena, Samuel Asistores and Adrian Ong!
