Cebu’s Classic Youth Orchestra (CYO) participated in an international concert titled “Beethoven — Autumn of Creativity and Joy” at the Takasaki Grand Theater in Gunma City, Japan, on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, under the direction of Maestro Shinsuke Tajiri.
This all-Beethoven event marked the sixth invitation extended to CYO by Prof. Shinichi Minami of Japan. Five countries participated: Japan, Malta, Cambodia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
The Philippine delegation was led by Prof. Reynaldo Abellana (viola), founder of CYO and music director of the Hong Kong Adventist Academy Symphony Orchestra (HKAASO), and his wife Geraldine Abellana (flute). Members included Micah Luy (violin 1), Kesler John Ababon (violin 1), Rhian Jeuel Casinillo (violin 2), Charlotte Olivia Secapuri (violin 2), Bhaby Kemy Canama (violin 2), Jakob Emmanuel Yap (flute) and Bhaby Fate Canama (flute).
The program opened with an overture from Beethoven’s only full-length ballet, “The Creatures of Prometheus.” This was followed by “Romance No. 2 in F Major,” featuring violinist Haruji Ito, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music in New York.
Soloist Kakehashi Takeshi, a professional blind pianist, performed Beethoven’s “Emperor Piano Concerto No. 5, 1st movement, Op. 73.” Written in E-flat major, the same key as his “Eroica Symphony No. 3” originally dedicated to Napoleon, the work is regarded as one of Beethoven’s most heroic compositions.
For the finale, the 100-piece symphony orchestra, with soloists Suda Meiko (soprano), Hideshima Haruma (alto), Deguchi Hiroyuki (tenor) and Akimeto Ken (bass), performed “Symphony No. 9, Ode to Joy,” alongside a 200-member choir that included Julianne Clarice Secapuri of the University of San Carlos Choristers. The performance drew applause from an audience of 2,000.
The encore featured Strauss’ spirited Tritsch-Tratsch Polka and a choral number
CoMS Chamber and the HKAASO also performed in a sacred concert at Isesaki Filipino Church in Gunma. Earlier, on July 11, three CoMS Chamber members represented the Philippines at a General Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, accompanying a Prayer Praise Team led by Laarni Flores Brondo.
Ludwig van Beethoven, born on Dec. 16, 1770, in Bonn, Germany, is often credited with bridging the Classical and Romantic eras. His career is divided into three phases: early (until 1802), middle (1802 to 1812) and late (1812 to 1827). It was during the middle period, as he began to lose his hearing, that his unique voice emerged, moving beyond the styles of Haydn and Mozart. His late period is marked by innovations that reshaped Western classical music.
Among Beethoven’s most celebrated works are “Für Elise,” the “Moonlight Sonata” and “Symphony No. 5 in C minor,” with its famous four-note motif, described as “fate knocking at the door.” S
