Pasko sa Amerika Program Notes

List of Performers

Christi-Anne Castro, Bandurria
While serving as musical director for the group, Christi-Anne has tried her hand at teaching, composing, and arranging traditional and non-traditional songs for rondalla. She has played octavina, piccolo banduria, banduria, bamboo flute, piano, and saxophone with the Ensemble; and although during an emergency she once played the upright bass in performance, nobody could see her standing behind it. Currently, Christi-Anne is a Ph.D. candidate in ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles and has conducted field research in the Philippines for her dissertation.

Trish Endriga Brown, Bandurria
After 12 years as a student at Iskwelahang Pilipino, Trish graduated in 1989. Originally a dancer and vocalist, she transitioned to playing in the Ensemble in 1987. She has performed numerous concerts across the country and traveled with the Ensemble on two international tours playing the banduria and octavina. Trish plays laud and bandurria for IP Rondalla West. Between performances, she enjoys cold bowls of ginataan and long runs around her neighborhood in Tracy, CA. Trish works at Commerce One in human resources and was recently married in June 1999.

Paul Castro, Octavina / Guitar
Paul toured extensively in the early 90s with the Ensemble - as a roadie carrying his sister's saxophone. Inspired by the music around him, he taught himself to play guitar and octavina and has since performed in various venues on the east and west coast. He made his performance debut with the Ensemble in 1995 and joined the group for its 1998 tour of the Philippines. He still happily carries his sister's instruments along with his own. Paul finally finished his doctorate in Computer Science from UCLA and is currently a researcher at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York.

Cynthia Endriga, Bandurria
Originally from Grafton, MA, Cynthia relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1996. A former folk dance teacher at Iskwelahang Pilipino, Cynthia coaches the rondalla on the choreography that IP Rondalla West incorporates into its performances. Cynthia has played banduria II for 15 years. She currently lives in San Francisco and works at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA as a Publications and Multimedia Services Specialist.

Edward Endriga, Guitar
Eddie literally grew up in the Iskwelahang Pilipino community. Beginning as a toddler and eventually graduating from the school in 1993, Eddie has spent many years as a student, a dancer, and a musician with the group. A rondalla guitarist since 1988, Eddie has performed throughout the East Coast and joined the Ensemble for all three of its international tours. He currently lives and works in Northern California playing basketball in his spare time.

Eric J. Liwanag, Bass / Bandurria
Eric began playing banduria in 1987. In 1990 and 1998, he accompanied the group on concert tours of the Philippines playing banduria II. In 1994, Eric toured Europe with the Ensemble playing octavina. He taught beginner rondalla at Iskwelahang Pilipino in 1995 before moving to California in 1996. Eric currently plays bass with IP Rondalla West, but still periodically sneaks in and plays banduria or octavina on occasion. While working in software sales in San Francisco, Eric is also the Music Director for the community a cappella group, San Francisco Harmony, a project of the Urban Harmony Movement.

Other names pending.....