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Violinist Chino Gutierrez to serenade music lovers in ‘Sentimientos Two’ in Intramuros

Fine music in the midst of history.

That’s what “Sentimientos Two” – a concert-soirée, featuringviolinist Joaquin Maria “Chino” Gutierrez, who is back from his studies in Germany – promises on Saturday, July 28, 6 pm at the 9Spoons restaurant, Bayleaf Hotel, in Intramuros,

“Allow me and pianist Mary Anne Espina to serenade you with some of the most enchanting violin music from Europe and the Philippines, with fine Spanish wine and cheeses to tease your palate, at an intimate venue above the walls of the historic Intramuros,” Gutierrez said in his Facebook page.

What to expect in Sentimientos Two? Gutierrez sets the bar high: “Be swept up in the fire and bravura of de Falla and Sarasate. Immerse yourself in the nostalgia and gemütlichkeit of Debussy and Kreisler. Get drunk on the rich, expressive folk melodies of Dvorak and Ravel. Enjoy sentimental Filipino kundimans.

Gutierrez belongs to the emerging crop of young Filipino virtuosos carving a secure place in the international arena of violin playing. Hailed as a young virtuoso at 15, and since described by the Philippine Star as “a phenomenal violinist”, he is the first Filipino violinist to have been invited to compete at the highly prestigious Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover, Germany. Last year, Chino represented the Philippines in the Singapore International Music Festival.

Chino began violin studies at 7 years old under Alfonso Bolipata. After only 2 years of instruction, he won second prize at the National Music Competitions for Young Artists, grade school division. At 12, he bagged the first prize in the high school division of the same competition. He was the youngest competitor in his category.

Chino made his orchestral debut at 10 years old in a performance of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole with the Metro Manila Community Orchestra, under the baton of Josefino Chino Toledo, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He has since performed with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, and Moscovia String Orchestra, under conductors Yoshikazu Fukumura, Oscar Yatco, Josefino Toledo, Francisco Feliciano, and Eduard Grach.

Chino is also an avid recitalist, having given his first solo recital at age 10, performing works of Bach, Mozart, Paganini, Sarasate, Wieniawski, and Kreisler to public and critical acclaim. He has collaborated with world-class pianists such as Mary Anne Espina, Najib Ismail, Corazon Kabayao, Aries Caces, Greg Zuniega, Johannes Umbreit, Andy Feldbau, Rohan de Silva, Petr Jirikovsky, and Evgeny Sinaiski. The past years have seen Chino giving back-to-back solo recitals in different venues in and outside of Metro Manila, in an effort to bring classical music to more audiences in the country. He has also given performances in Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Israel.

Chino’s performances have been described by many, including the Malaya newspaper, as “mesmerizing”. His first violin teacher, Alfonso Bolipata, described him as “unusually gifted, with a natural ability and a sense of music-making that is uncanny for someone his age.” Rosalinda Orosa of the Philippine Star wrote, “Chino’s performance was brilliant, manifesting an expressivity and sensitivity well beyond the soloist’s tender years. The most intricate and rapid configurations were hurled with agility and pizzazz…with virtuosity.”

After finishing first year at the Philippine Science High School, Chino left for Germany to train under the renowned violin pedagogue Jens Ellermann, who instantly recognized him as “a major talent of the violin”. He was admitted into the prestigious Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, where he studied violin while simultaneously attending a regular German high school. Multi-talented and gifted, Chino made splendid progress with the violin even while reaping success in math, science, and languages. At 14, he emerged Landessieger (champion) in the state math competitions in Bavaria. In addition, because of his linguistic abilities, he was handpicked to co-author a book on etymology in five languages.

Most recently, Chino was accepted into the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, to study with legendary French violinist and pedagogue Pierre Amoyal. His violin education has also flourished under the guidance of noted pedagogues Christoph Poppen and Olga Voitova-Bloch at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. He has received personal and intensive coaching from Paul Roczek, Ivry Gitlis, Chaim Taub, Zakhar Bron, Pavel Vernikov, Midori, Nam Yun Kim, Patinka Kopec, Qian Zhou, Alexander Vinnitski, Oscar Yatco, Gilopez Kabayao, Gina Medina-Perez, and Alexandru Tomescu. He is an alumnus of the Kronberg Academy masterclasses, the Keshet Eilon International String Mastercourse, and the Beijing Central Conservatory Masterclasses. He has been the recipient of scholarships and grants from Miriam College Music Center, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Dorian Stiftung in Stuttgart, and the Theodor-Rogler Stiftung in Munich.

Chino performs on a 1760 Vinaccia, a very fine,
expensive Italian violin by Gennaro
Vinaccia, Naples circa 1760, on loan from a business group.

For ticket inquiries and reservations, please call: (02) 218-1864, 0915 189-2998, or 0917 792-8810