Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — No rain or gloomy weather could halt the festivities of the 21st Fête de la Musique in Manila, as people from all walks of life came together to celebrate music last Saturday and Sunday (June 20 and 21).
Fête de la Musique is an international music festival which originated in France and is celebrated in over 120 countries.
In Manila, French duo Vincent Dupas and François Gautreau kicked off Fête on Friday (June 19) — their first time of taking part in the festival outside their home country.
“We’re happier to be doing this Fête de la Musique in another country,” said Dupas.
The pair praised the organization of the festival in the Philippines and gave plaudits to the way it was carried out.
“Like everyone is on the street (in France), so basically you can walk down the street and have like 10 different concerts at the same time so it’s just like a musical storm,” said Gautreau. “Here it’s way more organized and it’s only organized by French Alliance, so it’s like nice stages, good bands, etc.”
The duo had the opportunity to listen to some of the Filipino performers on stage and were pleased to see so much talent in the country.
“It’s really surprising for us to see so many bands at the same time, and so many good bands,” said Gautreau. “We were pretty amazed by the quality of the music, even if you do not like the band it sounds really professional.”
Young blood and veterans
New and more veteran Filipino artists came out to take part in the festival in more than 17 stages all around the metro, filling the rainy and gloomy weekend with music of all genres.
“It’s good being here,” said acoustic icon Noli Aurillo.
Aurillo took the stage in Intramuros where he opened with a piece which he says “just happened.”
