Symphonic Rides by UPSO
Medical school memory (perhaps in internship year?): I remember walking along Pedro Gil St. towards the College of Medicine’s entrance gates, and talking to forever block mate Lyanna about my future practice in Performing Arts Medicine. In particular, how I would get an “ex-deal” with tickets… get to watch performances for free in exchange for providing healthcare. I think that’s what just happened tonight! I mean, technically we haven’t provided any healthcare yet, but we did start a series of talks about musicians’ health. That counts.
Symphonic Rides, the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) concert featured a program of Filipino and Western music. First time for me to see and hear a timpani (kettledrums) concerto – fascinating how many sounds you can make with a set of six (?) timpani, multiple differently-sized mallets and even the timpanist’s bare hands.
The last time I was in this theater was during graduation from medical school. Many years later, our Performing Arts Medicine core group from the Philippine General Hospital Department of Rehabilitation Medicine (UP Manila) are grateful to the UPSO for this immensely enjoyable experience. The concert ended with an orchestral rendition of the school song, UP Naming Mahal (UP Beloved) – wow, all the feels!
