Victor Santiago Asuncion President, FilAm Music Foundation NFP

By: Ryan Tejero

 

Making waves in promoting classical musicians of Filipino descent through performance and scholarships is the FilAm Music Foundation, NFP. This organization was founded in 2018 as a way of giving back & paying it forward.

This year, the foundation recently concluded its summer music festival at Dawes House with an all-Filipino American roster of artists, all classical musicians that are upcoming in their chosen field.

With the pandemic fading out, the foundation has started staging come-back performances in New York City (NYC). Three FilAm musicians is scheduled in Carnegie Recital Hall on November 6, 2022 at 7:30PM, presenting Margarita Gomez Giannelli, soprano; Nathaniel Pasague Taylor, cellist; Jeanne Marquez, violinist. On May 12, 2022, the foundation will present its first New York Recital Debut awardee in Carnegie Recital Hall in the person of Adrian Nicolas Ong. Adrian is a violinist, and he will be graduating from the Mannes School of Music in NYC.

The foundation had held major fundraisers in NYC, Chicago and Evanston in Illinois. Foundation’s President Victor Asuncion said, “We were all well attended and very much appreciated by everyone involved because it was a sort of healing and comforting event while everything was in lockdown (during the pandemic).” He added that “this past May 2022, the foundation played concerts in London, Belgium, and The Hague. We were well received most especially in The Hague where we got media coverage by GMA and ABS-CBN news.”

The main goal of FilAm Music Foundation is to champion Filipino representation and recognition as an Asian nationality in an otherwise European, American and non-Filipino Asian led field of classical music.

Foundation lead person Victor Santiago Asuncion is a Concert Pianist, Steinway Artist, Artistic Director of the Evanston Chamber Music Society; Founder and Director of the Board of FilAm Music Foundation, NFP. His portfolio also includes: Professor of Piano at University of Memphis; Pianist for numerous classical music superstars including Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey & Antonio Meneses; Pianist for The Evanston Chamber Music Society; The Serafin Chamber Musicians, and The Rembrandt Chamber Musicians.

Victor’s talent and passion is backed by his exemplary training and outstanding educational background from the following institutions: Hartt School of Music (Artist Diploma); Harid Conservatory (Undergraduate-Summa Cum Laude); Manhattan School of Music (Master’s Degree), and University of Maryland College Park (Doctor of Musical Arts)

Victor is married to Dr. Ariel Porcalla, who is the Executive Senior Medical Director ABBVIE. He has been in the US for 29 years. He hails from Manila in the Philippines. He went to the Philippine High School for the Arts, and completed his undergraduate degree from the University of the Philippines College of Music.

To donate to FilAm Music Foundation, please contact Victor at Victor@FilAmMusic.Foundation or visit the website, FilAmMusic. Foundation.

Victor Santiago Asuncion President, FilAm Music Foundation NFP

FilAm Music Foundation Recital