BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 22 DECEMBER 2020 – The Sentro Rizal Brunei Rondalla brought the spirit of the holidays by performing traditional Filipino and Christmas carols at an event entitled “A Festive Night of Music” on 18 December 2020 at the Lanes Hotel in Tutong District.

Organized by the Brunei Music Society (BMS), with the support of the Philippine Embassy, the musical event was attended by invited Ambassadors and High Commissioners and members of the diplomatic corps, government officials, members of the BMS and music aficionados in the Sultanate.

“The performance of the Sentro Rizal Brunei Rondalla heralds the beginning of the Embassy’s goal of creating greater awareness of rondalla instruments in Brunei, in the hope that we will be able to form groups that will perform Filipino music not only for activities organized by the Philippine Embassy but also in mainstream cultural events,” Ambassador Christopher B. Montero said.    

The Sentro Rizal Brunei Rondalla was recently formed under the auspices of Sentro Rizal Brunei and is composed of young students aged 11 to 17 years old from the district of Kuala Belait. The play a full set of rondalla instruments that was acquired by the Philippine Embassy early this year comprising of 5 banduria, 3 octavina, 3 laud and 1 double bass or bajo de arko instruments.

During the event, Filipino musician-members of the BMS (a pianist and three violinists) also played Christmas carols and classical music compositions to an enthralled audience. END