Join us on Saturday, October 21st! Two shows, two perspectives on belonging, two Filipino Americans celebrating with their ensembles and the community: Noli Me Tángere by Matthew Muñeses and SIRENA by Leslie Damaso. Doors will open at 6:30 PM. Advance tickets will cost $20 for adults and $15 for students, plus Eventbrite fees. Tickets on the day of the show will be $25 for adults and $20 for students, plus Eventbrite fees.

Noli Me Tángere is Matthew Muñeses’ second album where he explores his heritage by paying tribute to the life, legacy, and compositions of the late 19th-century Philippine national hero José Rizal. Inspired by the novel of the same name (which means “touch me not” and a criticism of Spanish colonization) by Rizal, Muñeses began writing a suite of music in 2019 that would form the backbone of this album. Half-Filipino, but born and raised in America, the Chicago-based saxophonist wrestled with questions of identity and belonging; this is his response and his call for a more equitable society. 

SIRENA is an original story by Filipina singer and artist Leslie Damaso, set within new compositions and contemporary arrangements of kundiman songs of love and freedom with kulintang, a jazz ensemble and colorful visual art featuring pre-colonial Baybayin script. This musical narrative blends family secrets, a mythic love triangle ending in the beginning of a nation, the displacement of its people, and an individual’s search for identity and belonging. It is an act of weaving together pieces to heal what’s beneath our scars and a celebration of community.