On April 23, acclaimed composer and musician Conrado “Titus” del Rosario III was featured in a special workshop-performance by the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO), where he conducted four of his original compositions: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉, 𝑴𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒍, (new full orchestra version), 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑪𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒔, 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓, and 𝑺𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏 – 𝑨 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒛.
All four pieces were performed for the first time and received warm applause from both musicians and audience members.
Earlier that day, the MSO held a press conference to announce its 2025–2026 concert season, which celebrates the orchestra’s rich legacy while ushering in new talent. Featured MSO scholars and rising soloists EJ Villarin, Monica Bacus, and Domador Das Castillo will be part of the season, which also includes collaborative concerts with the Embassies of Brazil and China, and the return of conductor Darrell Ang.
Following the press conference, the orchestra premiered a newly re-orchestrated version of del Rosario’s early work ‘Meditation’, composed during his college years.
The day also marked the official announcement of del Rosario’s new commission: an orchestral piece for children’s choir to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and China. The work is set to premiere on September 7, 2025, at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex.
Born in 1958 in Angeles City, del Rosario is an award-winning composer, conductor, flutist, and jazz musician. He studied at the University of the Philippines College of Music under National Artists Lucio San Pedro, Francisco Feliciano, and Ramon Santos, among others, and pursued further studies in Germany at the Berlin University of the Arts.
His international accolades include the 1985 Hambacher Composition Prize, 2nd prize at the 1988 Hitzacker International Composition Competition, and finalist at the 1995 IRINO International Composition Competition in Japan. He also received multiple cultural grants from the Berlin Cultural Senate and represented Berlin at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris.
Now based in Pampanga, del Rosario continues to mentor young musicians through local groups such as the KapaMu Jazz Collective and Sunlag Bamboo Ensemble. He was named Most Outstanding Kapampangan in Arts in 2017 and received the Aliw Award for Best Performing Group in 2022.
