Endorsing Artists

Hernan Manalastas is a classical clarinetist from the Philippines. To date, he is the youngest member of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), the country’s premier and one of the most sought-after ensembles in the Asia-Pacific region. He is also a clarinet faculty member of the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth of Ang Misyon, Inc. This orchestra is composed of classical music scholars, handpicked in various ensembles from all over the Philippines.

Raised in the tradition of concert band music in the countryside, he was a member of the 130-year-old Banda 88 in Sta. Maria town in Bulacan province, and he was a recipient of the Gintong Kabataan Awards in 2013. This recognition is given to outstanding and exemplary youths of Bulacan. He earned his Diploma in Creative and Performing Musical Arts at the University of the Philippines’ College of Music, incidentally also the country’s best. Here, he became a principal clarinet player, soloist and concertmaster of the college’s orchestra and symphonic band. Immediately after graduation, he worked as a principal clarinet player of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra.

At 18 years old, he won First Frize in a clarinet category of the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in 2008, an annual national event hosted by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in search of excelling young artists.

In 2015, Hernan was a participant of the Asian Youth Orchestra, an ensemble comprised of 100 of the best young Asian musicians that performed a series of concerts in China (Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin), Hong Kong, Taiwan (Taipei and Chiayi), and Japan (Osaka and Tokyo). In 2014, he was in Germany as part of the contingent of the ASEAN Contemporary Music Ensemble to attend a summer course on new music organized by Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt. He had also been to Singapore and Bangkok, Thailand performing with regional orchestras.