FELIPE PADILLA DE LEON

Brief Biography:

Felipe Padilla de Leon was born on the 1st of May, 1912 in the barrio
of Papaya (now General Tinio) in Penaranda, Nueva Ecija. He is the
son of Juan de Leon and Natalia Padilla. He is the third of four children
by the second marriage of his mother. His elder, half-brother, Pedro P.
San Diego, helped his mother in taking care of them. Felipe de Leon
married pianist Iluminada Mendoza with whom he had six children.
Bayani and Felipe Jr., are two of his children; the former being a well-
known composer, and the latter, a writer. Felipe Sr.'s father died when
he was only three years old and his mother supported the family by
selling betel nut leaves. And when he was old enough, he held a
number of odd jobs ranging from that of a shoe-shine boy, a carabao
herder, a rig driver, a seller of vernacular weeklies, and an ice-cream
and pan de sal vendor.

Educational Background:

 He took up Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines

in 1927, but he had to stop schooling in order to make a living

 He decided to study formally and enrolled at the Conservatory of

Music, University of the Philippines, where he studied under
National Artists Col. Antonio Buenaventura and Antonio Molina
 He took advanced studies in composition under Vittorio Giannini of the
Julliard School of Music in New York, USA. De Leon received many
awards, such as Composer of the Year (1949), Manila Music Lovers
Society, Musician of the Year (1958), UP Conservatory of Music, and
others
 He was conferred an honorary degree, doctor of philosophy in
the humanities, by the University of the Philippines in
1991

Major Work:
Ernani Cuenco was a composer, film scorer, musical director, and
music teacher. He was hailed as a National Artist in Music in 1999. His
works embody the Filipino sense of musicality. The classical sound of
the kundiman is evident in some of his ballads. Up to this day, his
compositions are popular and well-loved.
 WILFRIDO MA. GUERRERO

Brief Biography:
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero was born in Ermita, Manila. At the Age 14, he
has already written his first play in Spanish, entitled, "No Todo Es
Risa." This play was produced at the Ateneo de Manila University when
he was 15.

Wilfrido grew up from a wealthy family. His father, Dr. Manuel, was
considered the most renowned doctor of his time, his reputation based
on his “clinical eye” which could diagnose a person’s illness by just
studying that person’s outside appearance. Among his clients were
some of Manila’s richest, like Brias Roxas, the Ayalas, Pardo de
Taveras, Zobels, Roceses, Osmeñas, Alberts, etc. Thus, his father
could afford to give them all the comforts of life.

Educational Background:
Wilfrido grew up from a wealthy family. His father, Dr. Manuel, was
considered the most renowned doctor of his time, his reputation based
on his “clinical eye” which could diagnose a person’s illness by just
studying that person’s outside appearance. Among his clients were
some of Manila’s richest, like Brias Roxas, the Ayalas, Pardo de
Taveras, Zobels, Roceses, Osmeñas, Alberts, etc. Thus, his father
could afford to give them all the comforts of life.

He was later a reporter and proofreader for La Vanguardia, and drama

critic for the Manila Tribune. He worked for some time in Philippine
Films (1939) as a scriptwriter. He organized and was the director of
the Filipino Players (1941-1947).

Major Work:
Twelve of his works are included in 23 college and high school
textbooks and anthologies, and are also included in the Russian
Encyclopedia. His plays have been the subject so far of seven Master
of Arts theses in English literature.
Guerrero has been the recipient of three national awards: the
Rizal Pro-Patria Award (1961), the Araw ng Maynila Award (1969), and
the Republic Cultural Heritage Award (1972)
Guerrero has the unique distinction of being the first Filipino who
has had a theater named after him in his own lifetime: The Wilfrido
Ma. Guerrero Theater of the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
 LUERECIA REYES URTULA

Brief Biography:
A choreographer, dance educator and researcher, she spent almost
four decades in the study of Philippine folk and ethnic dances.
Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula was born on June 29, 1929 in Iloilo City. She
spent four decades in the discovery and study of Philippine folk and
ethnic dances. ... In 1988, she was bestowed the title "National Artist
for Dance" because of her contribution to the enrichment of Philippine
folk and ethnic dances.
Educational Background:
While in Baguio, Reyes enrolled in a ballet class run by a Russian
immigrant. She later obtained a degree in Education, specializing in
Physical Education. She was asked by Francisca Reyes-Aquino, a
pioneer in the revival of folk dance, to assist in documenting folk
dances.
Upon graduation, she taught at her alma mater, the Philippine
Women's University. During this period, Reyes worked to collect and
document tribal and ethnic dances, which she believed were a great
cultural treasure waiting to be tapped and adapted to the stage. She
used her knowledge of choreography and creative touch to transform
these tribal dances into stage performances. At PWU she organized the
Filipino Folk Music and Dance Committee, which concentrated on
choreographed folk dances and their performance at fiestas and
special occasions.
She enrolled at San Francisco University (graduate studies in dance
drama), Martha Graham School of Modern Dance at the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Hanyagi School of Dancing of
Japan.
Major Work:
 Dance workshops in Sarawak and Malaysia (1986)
 UNESCO Workshop on the Preservation of Traditional Performing
Arts in Modern Environment (Indonesia, 1982)
 Third Festival of Asian Arts (Hong Kong 1979)
 Workshop on Philippine Dance (Hawaii 1975)
 LUCRECIA ROCES KASILAG

Brief Biography:
Lucrecia Roces Kasilag (31 August 1918 – 16 August 2008) was
a Filipinocomposer and pianist. She is particularly known for
incorporating indigenous Filipino instruments into orchestral
productions.
Lucrecia “King” Roces Kasilag was born in San Fernando, La
Union,Philippines, the third of the six children of Marcial Kasilag, Sr., a
civil engineer, and his wife Asuncion Roces Ganancial, a violinist and a
violin teacher.:87–88She was Kasilag's first solfeggio teacher. The
second was Doña Concha Cuervo, who was a strict Spanish woman.
Kasilag later studied under Doña Pura Villanueva, during which time
performed her first public piece, Felix Mendelssohn's May Breezes, at a
student recital when she was ten years old.
Educational Background:
Kasilag grew up in Paco, Manila, where she was educated at Paco
Elementary School and graduated valedictorian in 1930. She then
transferred to Philippine Women's University for high school, where in
1933 she also graduated as valedictorian. For college, she
graduated cum laude in 1936 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in
English, in the same university. She also studied music at St.
Scholastica’s College in Malate, Manila, with Sister Baptista Battig,
graduating with a Music Teacher's Diploma, major in piano, in 1939.
She completed a Bachelor of Music in 1949, and then attended
the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, studying theory
with Allen I. McHose and composition with Wayne Barlow. Kasilag
returned to the Philippines, and in 1953 she was appointed Dean of
the Philippines Women's University College of Music and Fine Arts.

Major Work:
Kasilag wrote more than 200 compositions which include folksongs,
opera, and orchestral works. Her orchestral body of work includes
“Love Songs,” “Legend of the Sarimanok,” “Ang Pamana,” “Philippine
Scenes,” “Her Son,” “Jose,” “Sisa,” “Awit ng mga AwitPsalms,”
“Fantaisie on a 4-Note Theme,” and “East Meets Jazz Ethnika.”
As educator, composer, and performer, Kasilag was known for
incorporating indigenous Filipino music with Western influences, thus
paving the way for more experimentation among Filipino musicians.
She also did pioneering research on Filipino ethnic dances and culture.
In 1989, she was the lone addition to the roster of National Artists.
She was conferred honorary doctorate degrees by the Centro Escolar
University, PWU, and New York’s St. John’s University. Fondly called
“Tita King,” Kasilag died on August 16, 2008