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

BERLIN, 08 May 2026 – The Philippine Embassy in Berlin donated Philippine UN80 Commemorative Stamps and Official First Day Cover to the Museum for Communication Berlin, the oldest postal museum in the world, on 7 May 2026.  

Titled “The Philippines’ 80 Years in the United Nations: A Journey of Hope & Endeavor,” the se-tenant stamps were launched by the PhilPost and the Department of Foreign Affairs on 26 June 2025. It commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Philippines in the UN as one of its 51 founding members, and highlights the Philippines’ contributions and enduring commitment to multilateralism and international diplomacy. 

Amb. Maria Teresa T. Almojuela presents the UN80 Commemorative Stamps and Official First Day Cover.

Ambassador Maria Teresa T. Almojuela handed over the stamps to Ms. Anja Schaluschke, Head (Curator) of the Museum Foundation for Post and Telecommunications, and Director of the Museum for Communication Berlin; and Dr. Andreas Hahn, Head of the Philatelic Archive Museum Foundation-Bonn for Post and Telecommunications-Bonn.

In her message, Ambassador Almojuela thanked Ms. Schaluschke and Dr. Hahn for the excellent arrangements for the presentation of the Philippine donation and their openness to explore future collaboration with the Embassy on Philippine collections of the Museum and the Philatelic Archives in Bonn.

Amb. Maria Teresa T. Almojuela (center) with Ms. Anja Schaluschke (left) and Dr. Andreas Hahn (right) during the ceremonial donation.

Ambassador Almojuela highlighted that stamps tell a lot about the heritage and values of nations and peoples. She shared the story behind the UN80 Commemorative Stamps, and linked the Philippines’ advocacy for freedom, democracy, human rights and sovereignty in the UN to the Philippines’ historical ties with Germany.  She explained that the ideals were championed by our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, who lived in Heidelberg and Berlin and drew inspiration from Germany’s liberal and scientific traditions.  Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere was printed in Berlin in 1887.

Dr. Andreas Hahn presents Philippine stamps collection in cardboards from the Philatelic Archive Museum Foundation Bonn, which dates back the Spanish colonial period

Forming part of the program was a presentation by Dr. Hahn on the early Philippine stamps printed during the Spanish colonial era and Philippine post-independence period. Dr. Hahn said that Spain began to issue postal stamps in the 1850s, and by 1854 Spain shipped the first postal stamps to the Philippines. These were among the first stamps printed just over a decade after the United Kingdom issued the first stamp in 1840. –END.

20 November 2021, Hamburg – The Hamburg-based Federation of Filipino Organizations in Northern Germany (FFONG e.V.) held the induction of its new officers and annual Christmas party on 20 November 2021. The Philippine Embassy’s Chargé d’affaires,a.i. Lillibeth V. Pono administered the oath to the officers of the Federation led by its incoming President, Ms. Corazon Entapa.

Dr. Resurreccion R. Repotente, M.D., one of the founders of the Federation, in her Welcoming Remarks recounted the history of the organization, including the objective of creating a forum of exchange through the FFONG after the closure of the Philippine Consulate in Hamburg in 2008. She encouraged the new officers to continue to harness the potential of each organization into a common force and continue to be a light to each other.

On the other hand, former FFONG President Ms. Divina Gracia-Martens underscored  that the Embassy has always been supportive of FFONG and able to troubleshoot problems and address the concerns of Filipinos, especially  the undocumented ones.

Ms. Corazon Entapa, in her acceptance speech as FFONG President  emphasized the need for Bayanihan and  cooperation.  She appealed  to the members of  the Federation to continue upholding their mission and organizational objectives.

Ms.  Pono  conveyed  to the newly-inducted officers that they are  leaders,  with assumed responsibilities,  to advance the welfare of their communities.   She  assured the FFONG that despite the closure of the Philippine Consulate in Hamburg, the Embassy will always be a partner of the Federation, as it has always been, in promoting the interests Filipinos and Filipino-Germans in northern Germany.

The Federation was established in 18 April 2010 in the wake of the closure of the Philippine Consulate General in Hamburg and is a registered organization (eingetragener Verein e.V.) under local German laws. Its membership includes 17 Filipino community organizations from the States of Hamburg, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. There are around 5,000 Filipino-Germans in the Northern German area. (END)