September 13 marks the 79th birth anniversary of Luis Eduardo Aute, one of the most important Spanish artists of the 20th century, who was born in Manila. On this occasion, Instituto Cervantes and the Embassy of Spain present the video concert “Con tu latido: Filipinas canta a Luis Eduardo Aute. A tribute.” The event will be held at 2:00 PM on that date at the Instituto Cervantes (Intramuros branch). The video concert will feature Filipino singers covering select iconic songs by the celebrated musician.
Popular singer-actress Bituin Escalante will render one of Aute’s first hits, Rosas en el mar, which was released in 1966.
Mark Anthony Carpio, choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, will perform La belleza.
Toma Cayabyab, a member of the Ateneo Chamber Singers and the Villancico Vocal Ensemble, and leader of his own jazz sextet, Debonair District, will sing another famous composition by Aute, Libertad.
Julius Sinoy, who was a Tenor for the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus (UPCC) from 2013 to 2016, will offer his rendition of Aute’s piece Dos o tres segundos de ternura.
Fascinated by music at an early age, James Barbecho joined a relatively small church choir at 11 years old. Since then, his passion for music only grew and he has been performing everywhere, from cafés to college events. He will be covering Siento que te estoy perdiendo, a song made popular by Aute in 1981.
Sheila Ferrer is a Filipino soprano who has performed as a soloist in both local and international productions. She performed the role of Adina (L’elisir d’Amore), and Serpina (La Serva Padrona). Sheila will cover Slowly, a popular theme released by Aute in 1992.
Finally, Ella Castro, a graduate of BM-Music Education from University of the Philippines-Diliman, will render her version of Aute’s Sin tu latido. Ella is a composer, singer, conductor, and an actress who is currently taking her Masters of Music at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.
The concert will be completed by Spanish singer Rosa León’s rendition of Mirándonos los dos, a song released by Aute in 1980.
A respected artist and popular musician in Spain in the latter part of the 20th century, Luis Eduardo Aute was born in Manila in 1943. His father, a Catalan working for Tabacalera since 1919, married a Spanish Filipina. In his childhood, Aute studied at the De La Salle School, where he learned English and Tagalog.
His family had eventually settled in Spain in 1954. Aute’s musical career kicked off in the 60s, and he continued composing songs and recording albums until the 2010s. A multi-talented creator, Aute passed away in April 2020, leaving behind a vast collection of works in several fields, in literature, music, cinema and painting.
As a Manila-born Spanish artist, Instituto Cervantes de Manila decided to bring his legacy to the country. Last November 2021, a virtual concert was held, and due to its resounding success – a very good indicator that his music was well received by Filipinos – Instituto Cervantes now aims to reach a wider audience by presenting this concert once again, this time in its branch in Intramuros.
Luis Eduardo Aute’s avant-garde style, his beautiful lyrics, and his ability to write in an absolutely original way earned him a special place among Spanish singer-songwriters. As an artist born in the Philippines, it is but right that his legacy be shared with the Filipinos as well.
The concert Con tu latido. Filipinas canta a Aute is organized by Instituto Cervantes de Manila, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines and Intramuros Administration. For further information about the event, you may visit the website of Instituto Cervantes at https://manila.cervantes.es or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.
