Violinist Sazara joins PPO in first concert of 2017

Violinist Diomedes Sazara Jr. is set to join the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), under the baton of Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura, in its first concert of the new year, which will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater) on January 20 at 8 p.m. 

The concert’s program features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 28 in C, Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, and Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto.

Sazara started his musical career at an early age, when he performed as a soloist of the Philippine Research for Developing Instrumental Soloists and served as the concertmaster of the Children’s Orchestra in the country. He later became the youngest member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra II. When he was eight, he became a delegate to the 45th Suzuki Music Convention in Tokyo.

In 2002, Sazara won first place in the National Music Competition for Young Artists and later made his concert debut with The Gift at the CCP. In 2005, he moved to New York to pursue his violin studies at the Mannes College Preparatory Division under the tutelage of respected violin pedagogue Dr. Chin Kim.

In 2006, Sazara joined the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and played the Khachaturian Violin Concerto for its opening concert in Burlington, Vermont. In 2007, he won the Friday-Woodmere Young Artist Competition in Hewlett, New York, and was featured in WQXR 96.3’s Rob Sherman’s “Young Artist Showcase.”

In 2008, Saraza won the Mannes Concerto Competition and performed with the Mannes Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Michael Adelson. Later that year, he became the concertmaster of the Mannes Philharmonic.

In 2009, his chamber group, called the Mannes Chamber Initiative, won the American Teacher’s League Competition and was featured at Carnegie Hall in New York. Later that year, he had his homecoming concert in the Philippines, titled Symphonic Virtuosity and played the Paganini Violin Concerto with the Manila Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Christoph Poppen of the German Radio Philharmonic.

Today, Saraza continues to perform extensively not only in the Philippines, but also in Asia. He completed both his undergraduate and masteral degrees in music at the Juilliard School, where he was also awarded the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship and C.V. Starr Scholarship. He is taking up a master’s degree in musical arts at Yale University.

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