On April 23, acclaimed composer and musician Conrado โTitusโ del Rosario III was featured in a special workshop-performance by the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO), where he conducted four of his original compositions: ๐ป๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐, ๐ด๐๐๐๐, (new full orchestra version), ๐ณ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐, ๐ณ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐, and ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ โ ๐จ ๐พ๐๐๐๐.
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 2025โ2026 concert season, which celebrates the orchestraโs 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 Rosarioโs early work โMeditationโ, composed during his college years.
The day also marked the official announcement of del Rosarioโs new commission: an orchestral piece for childrenโs 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 Citรฉ 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.
