Insider Spotlight
Why it matters
The season-opening concert underscores how structured youth training and long-term mentorship can translate into professional-caliber performances, positioning young Filipino musicians to meet global artistic standards.
Under the baton of Maestro Gerard Salonga, the program centers on the works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose compositions are known for their emotional intensity and orchestral rigor. The repertoire reflects OFY’s focus on discipline, expressive depth, and professional readiness as its musicians continue to mature on the classical stage.
The concert’s centerpiece is Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, to be performed by OFY violinist Gavril Tiburcio. A homegrown talent, Tiburcio began his musical journey in 2016 at the age of eight through Ang Misyon’s youth initiatives. He later served as concertmaster of the Ang Misyon Children’s Orchestra before continuing his musical training abroad.
What’s notable
Now 17, Tiburcio is a NAMCYA 2024 Salinlahing Musika Junior Strings First Prize winner, a recognition that led to a solo performance with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.
He also represented the Philippines as a delegate to the Asian Youth Orchestra in 2025, carrying forward a trajectory shaped by early access to mentorship and opportunity.
Since its founding in 2012, OFY has focused on nurturing exceptionally talented yet underprivileged young Filipino musicians through intensive orchestral training, mentorship programs, and exposure to international performance platforms.
The 2026 season continues Ang Misyon’s mission of transforming potential into possibility through sustained investment in youth and the arts.
What they’re saying
“The ELEVATE season is both a celebration of how far our musicians have come and a promise of how much higher they can soar. Triumphs of Tchaikovsky challenges our young artists to rise to some of the most demanding repertoire ever written, and it invites audiences to witness the next generation of Filipino classical excellence,” the organization said in a press release.
The bottom line
ELEVATE Triumphs of Tchaikovsky positions the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth not just as a performing ensemble, but as a platform where talent, training, and purpose converge to elevate young Filipino musicians onto the national and global stage. — Princess Daisy C. Ominga |Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
