The stage is all set for the highly anticipated regional music showcase of the year. Fourteen (14) artists from the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) will be performing live on November 14 at the Ayala Triangle Gardens for the ASEAN Music Festival 2017.
With one shared identity, and one vision, the free concert aims to highlight cross-cultural exchange and ASEAN’s regional competitiveness in the global market.“We want to promote the ASEAN identity and the artistic wealth of the region,” Head of International Office for National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Annie Luistold the media in a recent press briefing.
Gracing the grand festivity are celebrated music icons from ASEAN member states, headed by modern-rock outfit D’Hask of Brunei Darussalam, indie pop duo Nimith and Sophea of Cambodia, classically trained pop songstress and violinist Mia Ismi Halida of Indonesia, alt-rock band Sack Cells of Laos, ethnic ensemble Nading Rhapsody of Malaysia, pop superstar Eint Chit of Myanmar, jazz-fusion act Asia 7 of Thailand, and pop-rock darling Tuan Anh of Vietnam.
“We’re going to have ASEAN bands. Two or three will be solo acts, but the rest will be bands,” Maribel Legarda, Director of ASEAN Music Festival and the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) said in a statement. “We really brought a wide array of talent for this concert.”
Our very own Parokya Ni Edgar, Franco, Silent Sanctuary, The Ransom Collective, Ben&Ben, and Sandwich will also represent the country with their respective brand of contemporary, alternative, rock, and indie music.
Aside from the individual performances, the participating music acts will take part in performing the rearranged version of ASEAN Spirit the theme song for the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship that coincides with the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN this year.
Penned by National Artist Virgilio S. Almario, current chairman of the NCCA and concurrent chairman of Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, and composed by music Professor Josefino “Chino” Toledo, the festival anthem reflects the core message of this year’s Philippine chairmanship of ASEAN: “a champion of positive change in the community to produce a unified voice in the world.”
2010 Ms. Universe 4th runner up Venus Raj will be joining the ASEAN Music Festival 2017 as host. The renowned beauty queen, which finished fifth in the Ms. Universe pageant, will walk through various musical and cultural highlights of the ASEAN celebration from past to present.
The music festival is expecting more than five thousand attendees. Guidelines will be implemented on entry and exit points to ensure the security of the audience and the performers.
For more information on the concert guidelines, please check/follow our event page: bit.ly/aseanmusicfest2017, and contact us at 0956-591-3367.