Luci Magalit, guest artist

LUCI MAGALIT began playing the piano at the age of four. Within a few months, she composed her first piano piece, “Raindrops”. At the age of twelve, she gave her debut recital while taking piano studies with Ms. Agnes Candole-Quimpo, after which she continued studies with Professor Jose R. Balingit. Ms. Magalit pursued a Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of the Philippines College of Architecture prior to pursuing a Bachelor of Music Degree at the U.P. College of Music under the tutelage of Professor Imelda Ongsiako. In February 1995, she won Second Prize in the school’s Solo Piano Competition and in the same year continued her studies with German-trained pianist Leonor Kilayko.

Ms. Magalit graduated summa cum laude from the University of the Philippines. Two years later she was featured in “Bravo! Filipino”, a radio program on 98.7 DZFE-FM dedicated to the promotion of Filipino Artists. In June 2001, she was the collaborating pianist of French violinist Frederic Pelassy in the French Spring in Manila, performing recitals at the RCBC Auditorium in Makati, St. Cecilia’s Hall at the St. Scholastica’s College in Manila, and for the Cebu Arts Council in Cebu City. Later that year, she won Second Prize in the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA, Category C).

In 2002-2003, Ms. Magalit attended the Amati Music Festival in New York, where she took lessons with Solomon Mikowsky, Yin Cheng-Zong, Yuan Sheng, and Mark Pakman, and was a recipient of the Outstanding Performance Award in both festivals. Currently a faculty member of the U.P. College of Music teaching Piano Performance and Music Theory, Ms. Magalit received her Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance under the tutelage of critically acclaimed Filipino concert pianist Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz.

Ms. Magalit is the recipient of the Lourdes L. Villanueva-Cruz Memorial Award of the Ultimate Pianist 2006 Competition, where she also swept the special awards for her performances of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Chamber Music & Vocal Accompaniment works, and the Filipino work.