Matthew Muñeses with Zubin Edajli, Darwin Noguera, Clark Sommers & Dana Hall, Leslie Damaso with Ben Ferris, Jon Irabagon, Mike Koszewski, Jason Kutz & Janice Lee

media release: Join us for two celebrations of Filipino heritage in one on Saturday, October 21 at 7:30 PM. Saxophonist Matthew Muñeses will perform his second album Noli Me Tángere and Mineral Point resident Leslie Damaso and band will perform SIRENA. Doors will open at 6:30 PM. Advance tickets will cost $20 and tickets the day of the show will be $25, plus Eventbrite fees. Friends of the MPOH will have access to purchase tickets on July 10 and the general public will be able to purchase tickets on July 24. 

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. 

Matthew Muñeses – saxophone

Zubin Edalji – trumpet

Darwin Noguera – piano

Clark Sommers – bass

Dana Hall – drums

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. 

Leslie Damaso – vocals, kulintang

Ben Ferris – bass 

Jon Irabagon – saxophone 

Mike Koszewski – percussion 

Jason Kutz – piano 

Janice Lee – violin