Critically-acclaimed guitarist Florante Aguilar is considered one of the leading proponents of Philippine harana music in America today. He is comfortable playing traditional western classical music as a virtuoso and also ventures into contemporary music and other genres with ease. But his true love and affinity belongs to the music he grew up with in the Philippines - the music of a bygone era called the harana.

Florante was recently awarded a grant by the San Francisco Arts Commission to compose a brand new work in the harana style titled Lalawigan - A Tagalog Song Cycle to premiere in Spring of 2009.

Born in Manila, Florante grew up in Cavite province where he learned to play the octavina in a rondalla group. At an early age, he picked up the guitar by way of rock and roll and by sixteen was enrolled at the University of the Philippines College of Music where he was trained as a classical musician. In 1985, Florante toured Europe, United States and Asia for 6 1/2 months performing in major cities both as a soloist and ensemble player.

Later, he moved to New York under a scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music with Sharon Isbin, Grammy Award winner and current guitar department chair of the Juilliard School. Florante also studied with internationally-recognized Filipino guitarist Michael Dadap and has performed in masterclasses of guitar luminaries such as David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, David Starobin, Frederic Hand and Benjamin Verdery.

Florante later accepted a position with the pioneering Buffalo Guitar Quartet where he toured and recorded the critically acclaimed CD New Music for Four Guitars (New World 384-2). Florante received his Bachelor of Music Degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1996 under the tutelage of David Tanenbaum.

One of Florante's fondest memories of his boyhood was playing octavina and guitar in a rondalla ensemble led by his neighbor's gardener. Francisco or Ti Ikong, a septuagenarian at the time, was a virtuoso of the banduria and octavina and have kept his band of equally virtuosic (and equally vintage) rondalla players. At the age of 9, Florante found himself "jamming" with the most authentic and experienced practitioners of rondalla music as well as the art of harana.

The harana, though the name of this particular musical style, also refers to the traditional practice itself of courtship whereby a maiden is serenaded beneath her window at night. Although the practice has since died out, the music survives, preserved and even elevated to an art form worthy of a concert piece. Florante champions Philippine music not only through solo guitar but with singers and ensembles performing throughout the United States.

Some links on the web about Florante:
UCSF Online Magazine • Web Concert Hall • Barbary Coast Guitar Duo