Gerard Salonga points out misconception on orchestral music

• 
  
• 
  

The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra's music director Gerard Salonga (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN)It is common knowledge that orchestral performances are only for the elite or to be more blunt about it, just for the rich who can afford to wear formal suits and understand technically what seems to be a complex sound.

For Gerard Salonga, a famed local conductor and brother to international thespian Lea Salonga, that is a common misconception.
"There are people who think you have to be cultured to appreciate this music. In reality there is no such rule. Everybody can listen to an orchestra and clap when they feel like clapping to it," he said during a recent special performance by the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra at the Dolphy Theater.
The 40-piece orchestra plays off Salonga's baton and that of executive director Mickey Munoz.
The public can catch its inaugural concert at the BDO Francisco Santiago Hall in Makati on August 18.
Educating the public
Salonga made sure the selected audience at the Dolphy Theater that rainy Friday night gets a warm welcome from him and his mates -- all