Winna Go book launch at The M

On July 29, there will be a launch of Winna Go’s monograph titled Seams of Memory, which is based on the artist’s solo exhibition of the same title. Bringing together the complete body of paintings and sculptures from Ms. Go’s exhibition, the volume offers detailed reproductions of each work, accompanied by jueju — the classical Chinese quatrain — written in dialogue with the artist’s visual language. The book also provides an intimate look into her creative process, extending the exhibition’s life beyond the gallery wall in a format that can be revisited by readers and collectors alike. The launch starts at 5 p.m. and will take place at the Groundspace of Metropolitan Museum of Manila. Interested attendees can register via this link: .

Panel discussion on literary translation

Instituto Cervantes de Manila, together with the Embassy of Spain and AECID, is inviting the public to a special panel discussion titled “Traducciones de ida y vuelta” (Round Trip Translations), scheduled for July 30, 5 p.m., at the Instituto Cervantes office in Intramuros, Manila. The event brings together Dr. Marlon James Sales, Marga Ortigas, and Dr. Alice Sun-Cua, who will form a panel of translators, scholars, and writers reflecting on the current landscape of literary translation between the Philippines and Spanish-speaking nations. The discussion will be conducted in English. Admission is free and open to the public, underscoring continuing interest in how translation shapes access to literature across languages and archives cultural exchange between the Philippines and the Spanish-speaking world. Interested attendees can register via this link: .

CCP brings apprenticeship to Tagum City

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Cultural Exchange is holding its 2026 Kaisa sa Sining apprenticeship program in Tagum City, ongoing until July 31. Now in its 8th edition, the City of Tagum Cultural Center is the official venue of the program, specifically at the Herminigildo Balayo MD Hall. This year’s apprentices total 24 from 17 organizations nationwide and will undergo training modules for regional cultural workers in technical theater, including sound and lights, as well as stage and production management. The program adds practical capacity-building to the country’s regional arts network by training workers whose roles are often less visible but essential to live performances and cultural programming.

Benilde stages play inspired by Filipino folklore

This August, the magic realist play Abay Ang Tropa Sa Kasal Ng Mga Tikbalang will be staged by Theater Arts students from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB). It follows a group of children whose game unexpectedly leads them to a mysterious mansion where creatures from traditional Filipino folklore — tikbalang, duwende, manananggal, and lamang-lupa — prepare for a much-awaited wedding. Directed by Anthony Peñaranda and co-directed by Erich Baldove, the play was co-written by YOJ and Laurence de Vera. With shows at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., it will be staged in the Fifth Floor Theater of the Design + Arts Campus, 950 Pablo Ocampo St., Malate, Manila. Tickets for the gala are priced at P499 while regular tickets are P299, with discounted prices at P239 for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs). Tickets are available at tinyurl.com/BenildeTheaterCompany .

Ja Amores mounts solo exhibit at BenCab Museum

In her first solo exhibition, Gorls Gorls Gorls, illustrator and visual artist Ja Amores is set to reflect on the emotional landscape of girlhood. The show opens on Aug. 8 at the Indigo Gallery of the BenCab Museum in Baguio and presents a new body of paintings. Her signature wind-swept figures appear suspended between movement and stillness, capturing the emotions that accompany the transition from girlhood to womanhood. The exhibit runs until Sept. 27. The BenCab Museum is located at Km. 6 Asin Road, Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet.

Jose to talk about visual artworks about WWII

This August, the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) is hosting a talk about visual art representations of World War II in the Philippines. It will be held in conjunction with the exhibition Between Two Worlds: A Philippine Diary, 80 Years Ago by Shinichi Komatsu, which runs until Aug. 16 at the Ayala Museum, Makati City. It also commemorates the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Japan friendship, with the support of the Toshiba International Foundation. Co-curated with Dr. Karl Ian Uy Cheng Chua and Shiko Komatsu and led by Dr. Ricardo T. Jose, the talk, “Visual Art Representations of World War II in the Philippines: Different Perspectives of a Shared Tragedy,” will be held on Aug. 15, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Ayala Museum. Tickets, priced at P300 with various discounts for students, educators, persons with disabilities, and seniors, include free one-day access to FHL, valid for one month after the event. The event places art scholarship alongside an exhibition tied to wartime memory and bilateral commemoration, offering audiences a chance to consider how historical trauma is interpreted through different visual forms.

Youth orchestra holds fundraising concert

A major fundraising concert by the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth (OFY) titled Music for a Regenerative Future is set for Aug. 16 at the Proscenium Theater at Rockwell, Makati City. The concert aims to celebrate nature, sustainability, and the shared responsibility to protect and regenerate the world. Under the baton of Gerard Salonga, its repertoire consists of orchestral music inspired by the natural world, such as Antonino Buenaventura’s By the Hillside and Takashi Yoshimatsu’s And Birds Are Still…. The featured soloist is Daniel Asis, a 16-year-old Filipino pianist, who will perform George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The evening will culminate in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major, “Pastoral.” Tickets, priced from P500 to P2,000, can be purchased via .

Nicholas Polonio directs The Notebook: The Musical

Theatre Group Asia (TGA) has announced that Filipino-American theater director Nicholas Polonio will direct its upcoming production of The Notebook: The Musical. Based in New York City, Mr. Polonio’s directing credits include The Self Improvement and Male Preservation Society, or S.I.M.P.S. (IRT Theater), Mary Stuart (The Lee Strasberg Institute), The Police (Hangar Theatre Wedge), and POV: U Run Joe Biden’s TikTok (ANTFest). Featuring music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson and a book by Bekah Brunstetter, The Notebook: The Musical is based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel and its film adaptation, which tells of the enduring love of Allie and Noah. It will run from Sept. 3 to 20 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Circuit Makati, Makati City.

MSO presents Opera at Kundiman

On Aug. 29 at the Far Eastern University (FEU) Auditorium, the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is set to stage Opera at Kundiman: The Legacy of Maestra Conching Rosal, which honors the soprano who sang Bizet’s Carmen in Tagalog. It is meant to celebrate Buwan Ng Wika as well as mark the 70th anniversary of MSO’s staging of Carmen, also at the FEU Auditorium. Bringing this music to life are four of the Philippines’ foremost opera artists — Rachelle Gerodias-Park, Michelle Mariposa, Arthur Espiritu, and Byeong-In Park. They will be joined by the MSO, the FEU Chorale, and the FEU Dance Company, under the baton of MSO music director Marlon Chen. Tickets, priced from P1,000 to P5,000, are available via TicketWorld. A 20% Early Bird Code (CONCHINGEB20) is valid until Aug. 14, 11:59 p.m.

Gajah Gallery joining Frieze Seoul 2026

The debut participation of Gajah Gallery at Frieze Seoul 2026 is set for Sept. 2 to 5 at Booth C31, COEX, Seoul. Conceived as “a constellation of encounters, diverse artistic practices will reflect the complexity and plurality of Southeast Asia’s contemporary art landscape,” the featured artists include Arin Dwihartanto Sunaryo, Dzikra Afifah, Erizal As, Ibrahim, I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih, Jemana Murti, Ridho Rizki, Uji Handoko Eko Saputro, and Yunizar from Indonesia; Kayleigh Goh from Malaysia; and National Artist Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera and Mark Justiniani from the Philippines.