In Search of the Great Luis C. Valencia (Violinist)

 

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In late 1936, Luis C. Valencia came to the attention of Austrian violin pedagogue Gottfried Feist—it was mainly due to his triumph in Manila in a contest that would determine who would represent the Philippines in the 1937 Eugene Ysaÿe Violin Competition, named after the Belgian violin virtuoso. Valencia, then under the tutelage of Ernesto Vallejo, topped the competition—thereby earning a trip to Brussels.
Luis Valencia was born in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija. In his teens, he went to Manila and enrolled at the UP Conservatory of Music, studying the violin under the freshly returned-from-U.S.-studies Ernesto Vallejo. In between, he became concertmaster of the Manila Symphony Orchestra under Austro-Hungarian conductor Alexander Lippay. Incidentally, it was Valencia who was one of the early popularizers of Kreisler pieces in Manila--Playing it in salon musicale and evening performance (soiree) around the city.
In 1937, upon arrival in Europe for the competition, he went straight to the Vienna Academy (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien), where Feist took him under his wing to prepare for the competition. The Austrian professor praised the rich and robust sound of Valencia and commented that there was more to be drawn out from such talent.
Incidentally, it was David Oistrakh who won first prize, with Ricardo Odnoposoff—who would later train Carmencita Lozada—placing second. Valencia did not place among the winners, but he was greatly praised by the Belgian crowd as a standout coming from the Far East. He stayed in Vienna for a couple of years, for his "Weiterbildung" (continued training) under Feist
Upon his return to Manila, he continued his career as concertmaster of the MSO. During the war years, he tried to relocate to Nueva Ecija but returned to Manila upon liberation. Valencia taught in music conservatories such as UP and PWU.
In the mid-1970s, upon the request of Imelda Marcos, Prof. Valencia formed the symphony orchestra of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, with most of his violin students occupying the string section. This ensemble would later evolve into what is now known as the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. (PPO)
Prof. Valencia died in 1982.
May be an image of 1 person, violin and text that says 'LUIS LUISC.VALENCIA C. VALENCIA'


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