Pianist Cecile Licad: Playing through a blackout, dreaming of Banaue

THOSE who watch a classical music performance may think that it is all about never-ending practice, calculated moves, and absolute perfection.

- Brontë H. Lacsamana

PIANIST CECILE LICAD

For Cecile Licad — a piano prodigy who had her first concert at the age of seven and was one of the youngest recipients of the Leventritt Gold Medal in 1981 at the age of 20 — it is the unexpected that pushes her music to its very best.

In a group interview with various media outlets last week, Ms. Licad told Business World about the importance of adversity in coaxing the best performances out of a musician.

“When something unexpected happens, when my hands become painful or stiff, during adversity, those are the times when my playing, my music... comes out the best,” she said.

This openness to surprises has allowed her to continue doing concerts with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and going on countrywide tours in venues of varying sizes. Her upcoming concert in Manila will be held on Sept. 24 and will be followed by an outreach tour.

The PPO concert, titled The Pianist’s Pianist, is presented by Rustan’s and will be conducted by Grzegorz Nowak at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila. It will have Ms. Licad perform Chopin’s Concerto No. 2, which earned her the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque from the Chopin Society of Warsaw, and Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 2.