On February 24, a young cellist will perform with legendary Filipino pianist Carmencita Sipin Aspiras in Silliman University in Dumaguete.
His name: John Paolo Aronico.
It’s a dream come true for Aronico who started playing the cello 14 years ago.
At St. Scholastica’s College Manila, where he graduated Magna cum Laude with a degree in Bachelor of Music Major in Cello Performance, he was under the tutelage of Giuseppe Diestro and Antoni Josef.
He considers the Angono Chamber Orchestra led by Prof. Agripino Diestro as his inspiration why he has decided to make music as a career.
He joined the Manila Symphony Orchestra in 2013 . As an MSO cellist, he took home 1st place in 2018 and 2nd place in 2017 in the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival held at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.
He was also with the MSO’s first International Concert in the 5 th Hunhe River Symphony Art Festival held in Shenyang, China in 2019.
John Paolo says through music, he is able to go to places he never thought he could go. It’s an avenue where he meets a lot of people who inspires him to grow and develop. He shares, “It’s always been a privilege for me to play, and I look forward to more experiences and learnings as there is always room for improvement.”
He is full of dreams. He dreams to be able to experience high-level ensemble playing. He dreams of performing in world-class music concert halls and theatres.
He shares another dream of his: “I dream that the people in our community support and appreciate classical music for it to be part of our culture.”
At the February 24 concert in Silliman University, he will be playing chamber music works of Haydn, Brahms and Piazzolla. Aside from Aspiras, he will also be performing with Sara Maria Gonzales, the principal violinist of Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra and principal second violin of the Manila Symphony Orchestra.
On March 1 Aronico will perform at the Manila Pianos and on March 3 at the University of the Philippines Visayas.
The Aronico concerts are made possible by HSTLFoundation, Holiday Inn & Suites Makati, DZFE.FM The Master’s Touch and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. For more information, please call 0920-954-0053.