MAESTRO Grzegorz Nowak, the new music director and principal conductor of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), led the orchestra in the opening of its 39th Concert Season at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati.

Maestro Nowak brings to the table 40 years of international conducting experience. He was the music director of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Poland, as well as the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and was the principal associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.

We had a very engaging interview with Maestro Nowak and here is that conversation.

Why did you decide to audition for the post of music director and principal conductor of the PPO?

At first it was curiosity to get acquainted with an orchestra of this populous country with such a rich and colorful history and cultural tradition.

Now that you got the post, how will you make PPO the best orchestra in Asia and, possibly, the world?

That’s very ambitious goal. A short answer would be ‘practice, practice, practice.’ We need to become an excellent ensemble of musicians performing as a team. I bring to the table my talents, musicianship, experience, hard work and dedication to strive to achieve our goals of beautiful and profound interpretations.

What makes an excellent orchestra?

It must be a perfectly tuned ensemble with musicians who are both excellent individual players and form a great team that works together in perfect harmony and understanding. One could compare it to sports team, i.e football; an ad hoc created group made up of the most famous superstars will usually lose a game when playing with a regular club team. We will work hard to make our orchestra an excellent team.

To the Filipino audience that watched you for the very first time, what message do you want to relay?

Music takes us into a different world, higher dimension that unites people. Join us in that world of peace and harmony, unite with us through music.

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Visit the CCP website (www. culturalcenter.gov.ph) for more information. Follow the official CCP and PPO social media accounts in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates.