Page 18 - UPAAA GRC '21 Souvenir Journal
P. 18
FELLOWSHIP NIGHT– Guest Artists
2021 UPAAA DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
MÝãÙÊ RÊÙã S«ÙÊÙ
Musical Director. Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO)
Maestro Bob is an award‐winning conductor and flau st who comes from a dis n‐
guished music lineage. He was first taught music by his grandfather, Augusto Samaniego
Sr., conductor of the Magdalo Band, and member of the world‐renowned Philippine
Constabulary Band that performed for the inaugural parade of US President William Ta
in 1909. Prior to the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra, Bob served as the principal
flau st of two major orchestras: the Manila Symphony Orchestra, one of Asia's first sym‐
phony orchestras, and the Manila Chamber Orchestra. In 2002, he was the founding
conductor for the Boyle Heights Youth Symphony, demonstra ng his crea ve vision and
leadership in a predominantly La no community as its first Asian member. In his youth, Bob won the grand prize of
the Na onal Music Compe on for Young Ar sts. He majored in flute, and minored in chamber music and con‐
duc ng at the UP Conservatory of Music where he became the principal flau st of the Philippine Youth Orchestra.
Bob has had extensive training under dis nguished musicians such as: Enrique Barcelo, principal flau st of the Phil‐
ippine Philharmonic Orchestra; Helen Quach, conductor of Manila Symphony Orchestra; and Lorenzo Palomo, pia‐
nist and conductor of Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1981 to 2004. With his outstanding academic achievements, Bob
became a life me member of the Mu Phi Epsilon Interna onal Music Fraternity. He received the UPAAA Dis n‐
guished Alumnus Award in Music at the 2015 UPAAA GRC.
C½Ê¥ GçĦ»Ê CÝÃÙ MD
Physician I Composer
Dr. Casambre was born in Cebu went to STC Cebu and the Philippine High School for the
Arts. At the UP College of Music, she majored in Piano and graduated Class Valedictori‐
an. She did her Masters in Piano minor in composi on then went to Germany. She and
her husband there then came to the US and decided to pursue her love for Medicine.
She completed her PreMed requirements at Ball State and was accepted at the IU School
of Medicine. She did her residency at Illinois Masonic Hospital and worked in Chicago as
an anesthesiologist. She has been composing songs for many years. She was asked to
compose for the musical, Rizal’s Sweet Stranger, in collabora on with Sir Anton Juan. Sir
Anton Juan. Their musical, Bayanbayanan, is hoped to be presented to “kababayans” one of these days…. Her top
favorite composi ons include Mi Ul mo Adios, Ave Maria, Taglagas na Naman, As I Sit In Heaven and the latest one,
May Tatlong Bituin Sa Aking Watawat. She loves life and is happy seeing friends and roommate(s) on Facebook en‐
joying life as well. She is especially proud of Ethel Rubio who has done very well in her career and as a mother and is
the recipient of the 2021 UPAA Dis nguished Service Award For An Alumna. She hopes everyone enjoys listening to
the World Premier of “Taglagas Na Naman”.
AÄãÊÄ JçÄ, P«D
Full Professor I Theater and Film Director & Playwright
Internationally recognized for his work that often challenges convention, stunning visual
poetry, and language in space, playwright and director Anton Juan is a Professor and Theatre
director at the University of Notre Dame. He completed his Ph.D. in Semiotics at the
Kapodistrian and Panhellenic University of Athens. To honor his contributions to the arts,
Juan has been knighted twice by the French government, receiving the Chevalier de l’Ordre
des Arts et Lettres in 1992 and the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de Merit in 2002. He
received the Alexander Onassis International Award for Theatre (Playwriting), and the
Special Jury Prize for Screenplay from the CineManila International Film Festival. Beyond his
work at Notre Dame, Juan is also the founding Artistic Director of the Step of Angels Theatre
in Athens, Greece and was the Director-General of Dulaang UP, University of the Philippines, where he has taught at the
Departments of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts, English and Comparative Literature, and European Languages.
He was also the Fellow for Drama at the Creative Writing Center of UP.
