Filipina Opera Legend Evelyn Mandac Mentors Young Artists in Special Kundiman Masterclass at New York PCG
NEW YORK, 29 May 2025 – The Philippine Consulate General in New York commemorated National Heritage Month with a stirring evening of music, mentorship, and cultural pride through the Kundiman Masterclass with Evelyn Mandac, held at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center in New York.
The masterclass featured Evelyn Mandac, a living legend in Philippine music and the first Filipina to perform major roles at the Metropolitan Opera. Ms. Mandac mentored four rising vocal talents—Aretha Angcao, Carlo Bunyi, Lauren Florek, and Ramon Tenefrancia—in interpreting and performing the kundiman, a classical Filipino song form rooted in themes of love, patriotism, and resilience. Accompanying them on the piano was Ms. Fides Cutiongco.
Opening the program, Consul General Senen T. Mangalile emphasized the importance of initiatives like the Kundiman series, especially as interest in Filipino language and culture grows among the diaspora communities. “The Philippines has its own art forms that deserve to be recognized alongside Western classical traditions,” he said, noting the masterclass builds on the success of the Kundiman Seminar-Workshop and Gala Concert held at Manhattan School of Music in October 2024.
The event also included the screening of The Filipina Soprano Who Broke Opera Glass Ceilings, a documentary chronicling Ms. Mandac’s trailblazing international career. Produced by Filipino-American multidisciplinary artist Chiara Cox, the documentary served as a powerful prelude to the masterclass. A Q&A session with both Ms. Mandac and Ms. Cox followed the film screening.
Participants and audience members alike were visibly moved by the evening’s celebration of Filipino artistry. Through expert coaching, storytelling, and shared passion, the masterclass reaffirmed kundiman’s enduring relevance and beauty. END
