LUCRECIA REYES-URTULA

BIRTH: JULY 29 1929

DEATH: AUGUST 24 1999
YEAR AWARDED: 1988
PLACE OF BIRTH: ILOILO CITY, ILOILO

LUCRECIA REYES-URTULA  Lucrecia Reyes-

Urtula, choreographer, dance educator and
researcher. She spent almost four decades in
the discovery and study of Philippine folk and
ethnic dances. She applied her findings to
project a new example of an ethnic dance
culture that goes beyond simple preservation
and into creative growth. Over a period of thirty
years, she had choreographed suites of
mountain dances, Spanish-influenced dances,
Muslim pageants and festivals, regional
variations and dances of the countryside for the
Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company of which
she was the dance director. These dances have
all earned critical acclaims and rave reviews from audiences in their world tours in Americas,
Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. She became the National Artist for Dance in 1988.
Major Works:
o Singkil (inspired by a Maranao poem)
o Vinta (showcasing the Filipinos’ maritime skills) Tagabili (tale of tribal conflict)
o Pagdiwata (based on a four-day harvest festival)
o Salidsid (mountain wedding dance ritual)
o Urtula

LUCRECIA R. KASILAG (1918 – 2008)

National Artist for Music
BIRTH: August 31, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH: San Fernando, La Union.
Went to Manila to pursue a degree in Music at the Philippine Women’s University. She then
obtained her Master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music in New York, USA. Her
compositions were influenced by her professors Irving McHose and Wayne Barlow.
Music Style: – compositions demonstrated a fusion of Eastern and Western styles in using
instruments, melody, harmony, and rhythm. Incorporating indigenous Filipino instruments into
orchestral productions.Former Dean, College of Music and Fine Arts, Philippine Women’s
University. President, Cultural Center of the Philippines. President and Music Director of the
Bayanihan Dance Company.
Chairman, Asian Composers’ League and the League of Filipino Composers. She is credited for
having written more than 200 musical works, ranging from folksongs to opera to orchestral
works, which she continued to compose for the rest of her life. National Artist for Music in
1989.Kasilag’s many compositions are:
 • Toccata for Percussion and Winds (1959), composed for indigenous Muslim instruments and
Western instruments
• The Legend of the Sarimanok (1963), composed for chamber orchestra and Philippine ethnic
instruments
• Divertissement and Concertante (1960), compositions for piano and orchestra combining Western
and Eastern forms, harmonies, and intervals
• Dularawan (1969), a musical drama combining a dance solo with a chorus and an ethnic
orchestra. Her other works include compositions for piano, instrumental ensemble, and chorus.