ENSEMBLES 2024

Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra

The Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra (MSJO) is a multi-award-winning string orchestra training program of the MSO Foundation and the First Prize Winner in the 2018 Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival in Vienna, Austria, under the baton of Prof. Jeffrey Solares. It is composed of the most advanced students of the MSO Music Academy and other qualified students ages 9 to 26 years old. MSJO Scholars receive free lessons, travel allowances, solo recital opportunities, support for competitions and masterclasses, support for international tours, and access to high-quality instruments. They regularly rehearse a varied repertoire with a special focus on Classical and Baroque masterworks, as well as specially arranged modern and Filipino compositions. Between 2017 and 2019, the MSJO toured Austria, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Korea, and Myanmar. Several of its members are top-prize winners of the Philippines’ National Music Competitions for Young Artists and international competitions. A significant aspect of the MSJO training program is identifying and supporting committed and deserving scholars to pursue music studies in important centers abroad. To date, several MSJO members are now studying in top music schools in the United States and Europe such as the Juilliard School in New York, the Cleveland State University, the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, and the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. The MSJO is principally supported by Standard Insurance Inc. under its corporate motto “In Pursuit of Excellence.”

Jeffrey Solares

Conductor

Jeffrey Solares is the executive director of the Manila Symphony Orchestra Foundation and is one of the most active figure in promoting classical music in the Philippines through his multiple roles as arts advocate, violinist, conductor, educator, music arranger, concert annotator and builder of orchestras. Since joining the MSO in 2008 he has helped develop a network of support for this orchestra and help it reach higher levels of artistic excellence and audience reach through its annual MSO Gala Concert Series in major concert venues in Metro Manila and the MSO Rush Hour Concerts at Ayala Museum. In 2014 he helped establish the MSO Music Academy and started its youth orchestra project, the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra (MSJO). He trains the violin teachers for the MSO Music Academy and he has also helped establish various orchestra programs Tacloban, Naga, Lipa, Cagayan de Oro City, Calamba and Makati City. He has been invited to conduct the Korea Suzuki Association (KSA) Teacher’s Orchestra since 2017. He is also a faculty member at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music as well as the St. Paul University School of Music.

Sara Maria Gonzales

Conductor

Sara is the associate concertmaster of the Manila Symphony Orchestra and is one of the leaders of the MSJO. She is a certified Suzuki violin teacher and is regularly invited to teach music camps in Korea and Malaysia, as well as a regular guest musician at the Sun Symphony Orchestra in Vietnam. She is a first prize winner of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in both the solo violin and chamber music categories. She is a dedicated mentor that has led many of her pupils to win in both local and international music competitions. Sara is also a faculty member of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, Centro Escolar University School of Music and the Philippine High School for the Arts.

Competition Program

Additional Concerts Program