RODEL F. COLMENAR

Known for his “clear baton technique”, young and dynamic Rodel F. Colmenar is consistently getting glowing reviews and is singled-out as one of the country’s top rising conductors.  No wonder, the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, which he is the Founder and Music Director, has been consistently recognized through its greatest asset --- versatility.

             Colmenar has been successfully involved in the Kurt Masur Conducting Workshop in Detmold, Germany on August 29 to September 10 of 2004 in which he was chosen as one of the only six (6) active participants from different countries for the said conducting course.  In October 2005, he was invited to conduct the Romanian Philharmonic Orchestra.

             He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music Major in French Horn and was a long time Principal Horn of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.  He was the country’s only horn soloist and has performed extensively both in local and international music arena.  He was the most sought-after soloist at the “Concert at the Park” and “Paco Park” both of which were aired on national television.  He has been featured as soloist during the ASEAN tour of the Camerata Manila, a chamber group of the best instrumentalists of the country.  He was a prizewinner of numerous music competitions and held the principal post in the ASEAN Music Workshops held in Manila, Singapore and Thailand. 

            1990 was a landmark for Colmenar.  By some mistake, he was made to sit under the Master Class of French Conductor Jean Sebastian Bereau in Manila.  He also took instructions from Pierro Gamba of Italy.  And the rest as they say is music history.  Since then, he has served as a guest conductor of the Kuala Lumpur Symphony Orchestra, the Penang State Orchestra of Malaysia, the Twilite Orchestra of Indonesia, the University of Santo Tomas Orchestra and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.  In 1995, he founded the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra and has collaborated with several outstanding local and foreign classical artists such as French soprano, Corrigne Sertillagnes, Romanian violinist Alexandru Tomescu, Korean Tenor Greg Yoon, international concert pianist Cecile Licad, conductor and violinist Oscar Yatco, to name a few. 

            He was recognized as the first Filipino conductor to hold the baton in two major concerts in six days without using any musical scores.  Those performances with French pianist Alexandre Tharaud in the 2002 French Spring in Manila and with internationally acclaimed Filipino pianist Cecile Licad, gave Colmenar the limelight as a conductor.  The concert with Licad was undeniably victorious after she continuously played despite of the five-minute power interruption; Colmenar yielded the baton competently, which ensured tight rapport between him and the great pianist.  There, they truly proved themselves as music geniuses.  One critic noted that the standing ovation and the applause given to both of them were the wildest and the most tumultuous in the history of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theatre. 

            Colmenar’s boldness has been the driving force of the orchestra.  He has successfully prepared the musicians in a lot of aspects and that has been the reason why they have collaborated with the great Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in his first major concert in Manila as well as in Hong Kong and Singapore.