Mr. Hartmut Fromm, Philippine Honorary Consul for Saxony-Anhalt welcoming guests to the concert in celebration of the anniversary of Philippine independence
13 June 2016. Philippine Honorary Consul for Saxony-Anhalt, Mr. Hartmut Fromm and Dr. Inge Groth-Fromm in close cooperation with the Philippine Embassy in Berlin celebrated the 118th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence with a concert featuring Filipino concert pianist Dr. Raul Sunico at the Piano Salon of the Coselpalais in Dresden. The concert was also supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Dr. Sunico in concert overlooking the famous Dresden Frauenkirche
Ambassador Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek and officers and staff of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin were in attendance, along with a mixed crowd of Filipino community members, State officials and Germans from Dresden and the surrounding areas.
Dr. Sunico presented an extensive repertoire which featured works of Schumann, Chopin, Albeniz, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Chopin, Liszt, and Filipino composer, Abelardo. The historic concert venue was built in 1762 by Julius Heinrich Schwarze. It was completely destroyed in 1945 during the second world war, and reconstructed in 2000.
Some of Germany’s most distinguished composers and pianists, including Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Marie Wieck, have played in the same baroque ballroom located in the Coselpalais at the Frauenkirche.
Philippine Honorary Consul Hartmut Fromm thanked and acknowledged Dr. Raul Sunico as the audience gave a loud and long ovation
Dr. Sunico graduated from the University of the Philippines with degrees in Bachelor of Music (cum laude), Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, and Master of Statistics. A scholarship through the Young Artists Foundation of the Philippines enabled him to obtain a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York and a Doctor of Philosophy degree, Major in Piano Performance from the New York University. He is concurrently the President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Dean of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music. END
Concert Pianist Dr. Raul Sunico (third from right) and Ambassador Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek (fourth from right) with embassy personnel and guests from the Filipino community.
