"Ingrid: Grand Finale"

CEBU, Philippines - International concert pianist Ingrid Sala Santamaria is giving a concert on February 25, at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Lahug, Cebu City.

Dubbed "Ingrid: Grand Finale," it is Santamaria's retirement concert, the first in a series of three grand performances.  The other two concerts are to be staged in Manila.

The Cebu concert will be participated in by the Cebu Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Peace Philharmonic Philippines together with the alumni and scholars of the Salvador and Pilar Sala Foundation, where they previously trained for 10 years to be musicians.

Hazel Magdadaro-Sanchez, the event organizer and one of the alumni of the Foundation, says that Santamaria's concert in Cebu is their group's tribute to the woman whom they considered as their "mother" in music. "We are always grateful of what she has done for us," Sanchez adds.

In a press conference yesterday, Santamaria announced that the Cebu concert consists of a very good lineup of classical music to inspire and stimulate for the brain. Santamaria started playing the piano at age five. She celebrated the golden anniversary of her music career in 2012. In explaining her music, she said, "My music is classical. A music that is timeless, it elevates the human spirit that inspires and unites the world and culture."

While this is to be her final major performance, Ingrid promises to continue playing the piano and performing by invitation. Tickets for the Cebu leg of "Ingrid: Grand Finale" are available starting today. (FREEMAN)