Alumni Update October 25 – 31, 2021
Silliman alumnus Ricardo C. Abapo, Jr., who graduated cum laude in 2013 with a Bachelor of Music, Major in Piano degree, was recently awarded as Third Place Winner in the Fall Season 2021 of the Royal Sound Keyboard Competition at Montreal, Canada.
His award was for the Advanced (Highly Competitive) Piano under the category of College Students and Professional Musicians aged 18 and above.
The judges for the competition were Prof. Maria Rybina (Russia), Laura Chambers (Canada), Dr. Roman Placzek (USA/Czech Republic), Dr. Lubov Laura De Valois (USA), Prof. Giuseppe Devastato (Spain), and Elena Starkova (Russia).
The competition supports musicians of different ages and expertise and helps them be recognized on an international level by building a worldwide awareness of their accomplishments and providing a live performance platform.
Abapo, a young pianist with roots from Pagadian City, Mindanao, was under the tutelage of Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, current dean of the Silliman University College Of Performing and Visual Arts.
In 2015, Abapo was a featured soloist of Ang Misyon’s Orchestra of the Filipino Youth under the baton of Olivier Ochanine. In the same year, Ricardo was a finalist in the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), Piano/Senior Category.
In 2016, Abapo was invited as a young artist-in-residence at the St. John School of the Arts in St. John, US Virgin Islands. Ricardo attended festivals: the Paris International Piano Summer Sessions (2017) and the Manila International Piano Masterclasses Festival (2018) through full scholarships given by Dr. Rene Limjoco.
He also took private piano workshops with the internationally-acclaimed concert pianist and co-founder of Ang Misyon, Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz from 2016 to 2017.
In 2018, Abapo joined the NAMCYA once again and won third prize and Best Interpretation of the Contest Piece.
In 2019, he was presented by the Cultural Arts Events Organizers and the HSTL Foundation for a solo piano concert in Steinway Boutique Manila in May. He also joined the same Manila Piano Festival and the first Jovita Fuentes and Jose Contreras Music Institute Festival both in August under full scholarships.
In early October 2021, he was also awarded First Place Winner in the 21st Century Talents Keyboard Competition in Ottawa, Canada.
