With Culture and Development as its direction this year, the Yuchengco Museum is offering various programs and exhibits that show how culture is essential to addressing development issues. Through topics exploring local culture, art, design, and heritage, the museum hopes to share information that can help promote our distinct Filipino identity.

In line with the government's proclamation of the third weeks of March and October every year as Design Week Philippines, the Yuchengco Museum is presenting a talk on design, including recent trends, principles and elements, and writing about design. The talk is on February 11, Saturday, at 3:30 p.m., and is the first in a series of writer's workshops and public talks through the museum's Culture and Media program. The talk is free with museum admission.

Thursday, 23 February GALA NIGHT
Friday, 24 February

CONCERTATE
Music for Double Choir

The 37th International Bamboo Organ Festival, celebrates the 400th death anniversary of Giovanni Gabrieli. He was an important Italian composer who popularized  the “concertate” style, literally, the competition between two or more instrumental groups, what we now call: a concerto.  His music will be featured in a setting similar to the practice in Venice: two, three or four ensembles (choral or instrumental) facing each other. Among the works to be performed are  his “Omnes Gentes” , “Plaudite” and “In Ecclesiis” , a canzone for two organs, and a canzone for two or three ensembles. G. Gabrieli had an enormous influence on the next generation of composers, as will be demonstrated in works for double choir by Heinrich Schütz and Johann Sebastian Bach.  To perform this program are Jennifer Pascual (USA), Armando Salarza, Gerardo Fajardo , Manu Mellaerts (Belgium), Sherla Najera, Ily Matthew Maniano, Malvin Beethoven Macasaet, Arjay Nuas Viray, UP Music Education Chorale, Las Piñas Boys Choir and Las Piñas Mens Choir, accompanied by the Manila Symphony Orchestra led by Eudenice Palaruan.

The AFM Ciné-Club presents Fable of Fish - Isda on Wednesday, February 1- 8.30pm, at the Alliance Française de Manille

Isda is a film by Adolfo Borinaga Alix, Jr., starring  Cherry Pie Picache, Bembol Roco, Anita Linda, Rosanna Roces, and Evelyn Vargas

Synopsis

Lina and Miguel are a poor married couple who are trying to survive. When they move to a nearby slum, Lina and Miguel have no choice but to join the local scavengers digging through a garbage dump in order to survive. Advancing in years, Lina still dreams of becoming a mother despite Miguel's lack of enthusiasm. Somewhat magically, her prayers are answered and she becomes pregnant. In her flooded house during a storm, she gives birth to a son. However, when her son turns out to be a fish, Lina's love for her offspring, as well as her marriage to Miguel, are tested by the strange and surreal moments that surround them.