Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

A benefit concert featuring Wilfredo C. Pasamba, Cello with the Mater Dolorosa Hallelujah Chorale and Angelita C. Pasamba, assisting artist

Mater Dolorosa Music Ministry presents internationally renowned cellist, Wilfredo C. Pasamba, in a summertime benefit concert on July 11, Saturday, 7:30pm at the Mater Dolorosa Church, 307 Willow Ave., South San Francisco. The illustrious Filipino soloist and chamber musician makes a return visit to the Bay Area while taking a break from his latest stints as current member of the Omaha, and Des Moines Symphony Orchestras.

Educated at prestigious music schools such as Juilliard, and the Moscow State Conservatory, Pasamba will include in his repertoire works of Cassado, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Chopin, Rimsky-Korsakov, among others, and Filipino composers, Abelardo and Cenizal.

The Philippine born cellist has been a recipient of top prize awards such as the Jennings Butterfield Young Artist Competition, National Music Competition for Young Artist, Reno Chamber Orchestra Competition, Juilliard Cello Concerto Competition and a semi-finalist in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

The New York Times hailed him for his “..audacity and brilliance..” after his New York debut at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall.  Since then he has appeared in concerts at the Merkin Hall, Metropolitan Museum, and Alice Tully Hall.  He has attended music festivals in Tanglewood, Norfolk Bowdoin, Ithaca Viloncello Institute and a conducting fellowship in South Carolina. Pasamba has performed in cello master classes of Colin Carr, Bonnie Hampton, Aldo Parisot, Bion Tsang, Lawrence Lesser, Michael Grebanier, Carter Brey as well as orchestral conducting with Donald Portnoy and Paul Vermeil. He has collaborated with conductor Basilio Manalo, Michael Palmer, Pierro Gamba, Ruggero Barbierri, and Vaher Kochayan among others.  As an active chamber musician, he has performed and collaborated with Peter Wiley, Ani Kavafian, and Benny Kim and with artist members of the Beaux Arts, Argenta Trios , and with the Alexander, Orion and Ying String Quarters. He was the cellist and founder of the Battig Piano Trio.

Pasamba received his degrees from Moscow State Conservatory, University of Missouri Conservatory of Music and at Juilliard. Trained by master cellists Natalia Shakhovskaya, Carter Enyeart, Einar Holm and Fred Sherry. Previously, he has served as an adjunct faculty member of Pittsburg State University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Music and Dance Academy, and as an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines College of Music.

Pasamba performs on a cello made in 2001 by renowned Chicago violinmaker Bronek Cison, with a bow by Paul Martin Siefried.

Musical Director of the Hallelujah Chorale, and of Mater Dolorosa Church, Angelita Pasamba, will assist Mr. Pasamba at the piano. Mrs. Pasamba, an extraordinary teacher, pianist, arranger, conductor, last but not least mother of the musical Pasamba family, is well known in the Bay Area and New York for her many years of involvement with parish choirs. And the way she is able to extract from non-professional singers high quality voices and choral performances. Mrs. Pasamba holds a Master’s degree in Music Education from Centrol Escolar University (Manila), and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of the Philippines. She is a memer of the Mu Phi Epsilon International Professional Music Fraternity and the Washington, DC-based National association of Pastoral Musicians.

Tickets are $15 at the door, children 5 and under are free.  For ticket information please contact the Parish Office at (650) 583-4131, the Event Committee (650) 994-3214 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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