BERLIN, 29 October 2026 – The Philippine Embassy in Berlin supported the European premiere of Sky Islands, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composition of Filipino-American composer, percussionist, and sound artist Susie Ibarra, at Berlin’s iconic Pierre Boulez Saal on 28 October 2026.

The performance drew a full house, including the Philippine Embassy’s invited guests from the Federal government, the diplomatic corps, and Berlin’s cultural institutions.

Joining Ibarra on stage were Filipino-American percussionist Levy Lorenzo, flutist Claire Chase, pianist Alex Peh, and the Exira Quartet. Their performance brought the nature and musical traditions of the northern Philippines to a Berlin audience through a contemporary work inspired by sounds of Luzon’s elevated rainforests and spectacular biodiversity.

Sky Islands takes its name from mountain habitats separated from one another by lower-lying terrain. Inspired by the rainforests of Luzon, the composition combines Philippine gong and bamboo instruments with other instrumental sounds. The piece premiered at Asia Society in New York in 2024 and earned Ibarra the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Ambassador Maria Teresa Torres Almojuela said that “the Philippine Embassy in Berlin celebrates with honor and pride Susie Ibarra’s achievements and contribution to contemporary music.  Her works create profound touchpoints for societies and cultures to connect in the common ground of music and – in that place – to ponder together on our relationship to nature and our responsibilities in climate action.”  

She noted that the European premier of Sky Islands in Berlin adds a new facet to the many milestones between the Philippines and Germany in the field of music.

On performing at the Pierre Boulez Saal, Ibarra said: “It has been a beautiful experience and an honor to present Sky Islands in Berlin at a most incredible acoustic hall and historic hall, Pierre Boulez Saal. All the performers including myself could feel the energy of attentive listeners in the hall. I was deeply honored to have the Ambassador Maria Teresa T. Almojuela of the Philippines and her colleagues Ambassadors of Indonesia, Malaysia, Honduras and Lebanon, with the Embassy and both diplomats and Philippine community attend as well as DAAD head director, director of music and sound, and literature attend alongside the Federal Foreign Office diplomats including the Foreign Office Director for Culture, Frau Cristina Beinhoff. ” 

Ibarra and her fellow artists will next perform Sky Islands at De Singel in Antwerp on 31 October 2026. 

The performance at Pierre Boulez Saal followed the launch on 26 October of Bureau de Passage, an artist residency initiative of the German Federal Foreign Office and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which named Ibarra its inaugural artist-in-residence. 

During her residency, which runs until December 2026, Ibarra will collaborate with European artists on work focusing on the Arctic and its glacial ecosystems. The project continues her exploration of environmental change through music and recorded sound. In her collaboration with glaciologist Michele Koppes, Water Rhythms: Listening to Climate Change, recordings made in Greenland, the Himalayas and other locations became material for a sound-based work about water and climate.

 

When asked about her residency, Ibarra commented that it “connects artists with diplomats in dialogue around uncharted territories. In this season these conversations for the residency are focused on freshwater, oceans, and glaciers around the Arctic, and the fragile state of the environment and culture in a changing climate and increasing geopolitical frictions. I hope very much to find ways to communicate and share different perspectives as this can be valuable to everyone’s practice and to the conservation of the earth’s water sources.”

Top: Ibarra speaking at the inauguration on 26 October 2026 of the new studio for Bureau de Passage, an artist residency initiative of the German Federal Foreign Office and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD); Bottom: a view of the studio at the Federal Foreign Office compound.

Ibarra’s concert and Bureau de Passage residency highlight the contributions of artists of Filipino heritage to international cultural life. Ibarra’s work brings an environmental dimension to these exchanges, connecting her interest in Philippine mountain forests with her forthcoming artistic work on the Arctic. 

Ibarra (second from left) with Vice Consul Dana Michelle Del Rosario (leftmost), Amb. Maria Teresa Almojuela (second from right), and Consul Benjamin Celedio, Jr. (right) at the inauguration on 26 October 2026 of the new studio for Bureau de Passage.

The Embassy thanks Susie Ibarra and the artists, Pierre Boulez Saal, DAAD, the Federal Foreign Office, and all who attended the concert, and looks forward to a sustained and enriched cultural exchange between the Philippines and Germany. –END

BERLIN, 20 October 2026 – A stand-out concert performance of University of Santo Tomas Singers Alumni International (UST-SAI) in Berlin marked the commemoration of the 72nd anniversary of formal Philippines-Germany diplomatic ties, established on 8 October 1954. 

Entitled “Music, Love, and Friendship”, the concert held in Berlin’s iconic Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche on 19 October 2026, mesmerized a crowd of over 500 attendees, including members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives of German public and cultural institutions, and the Filipino-German community.

In her welcome remarks, Her Excellency Maria Teresa Torres Almojuela, Ambassador of the Philippines to the Federal Republic of Germany, said the concert was “a special evening of remembrance” of the long journey of the friendship of the Philippines and Germany, which presently enjoys a high level of confidence and trust most recently affirmed by the visit of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the Philippines last June. 

She recalled the remarkable history of human connection between the Filipino and German nations, predating the establishment of formal diplomatic ties. She cited the unique footprint of Philippine national hero Dr. José Rizal, who studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas before pursuing further studies in Germany. Dr. Jose Rizal who referred to Germany as his “scientific motherland” lived in Berlin, the bustling capital of the then German Empire and published his seminal novel Noli Me Tangere in 1887.  These abiding ties are expressed today in a diaspora of 48,000 Filipinos in Germany and over 4,000 German nationals in the Philippines.

Ambassador Almojuela also highlighted the musical traditions connecting the Philippines with Germany, known as the cradle of musical geniuses such as Johann Sebastian Bach,  Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Wagner.   

Under the baton of renowned Maestro Professor Fidel Gener Calalang, Jr., the 53-member international ensemble of UST SAI delivered a breathtaking repertoire, moving the crowd to multiple thundering applause and standing ovations.  Blending the soulful depths of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) with German songs, the twice-crowned “Choir of the World Luciano Pavarotti Trophy” alumni ensemble showcased their signature global excellence.  The choir graciously extended the evening with three off-repertoire encore pieces, to the added delight of the audience.

The concert was the maiden reunion of global UST-SAI choristers spanning multiple generations since the choir’s founding in 1992.

Formed in 2006 to bridge UST choristers residing across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, the UST-SAI chose Berlin as the grand finale of their maiden world tour, spanning the major cities of Valencia and Barcelona in Spain, alongside Freiburg and Weilburg in Germany, from 4 to 21 October 2026.  Adding a distinct touch of homegrown pride, the Embassy’s very own Cultural Attaché, Mylah Ann Rubio, alongside her husband Jomari Rubio, performed as active members of the ensemble during the Berlin concert.  The UST choir has performed nine times in Berlin since 1995.

The successful event served as a resounding testament to the enduring cross-cultural and human connections that define the Philippines and Germany relations.

The Philippines and Germany formalized their diplomatic relations on 8 October 1954 with the initial opening of a first Philippine consular representation in Hamburg that year. Shortly after, the Philippines opened a legation in Bonn in 1955, which was upgraded to an embassy in 1962. –END