Music

Dr. Santos is a National Artist of the Philippines for music, and University Professor Emeritus of the composition and theory department at the College of Music of the University of the Philippines, Diliman. His expertise in contemporary Philippine music is backed by a lifetime of studying traditional music, delving into the musical repertoire of the Ibaloi, the Mansaka, Bontoc, Yakan, and Boholano. He was made Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1987, and was inducted into the roster of National Artists of the Philippines in 2014.

In creating work for the Bangkota, Dr. Santos was drawn to the “illusion of the sea, and all its manifestations and in relation to our Filipino race.” He immediately thought of the different indigenous instruments he could use, before giving it a contemporary twist.

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