Kulintang Dialect Performs Traditional Music at Livermore Library for Filipino Heritage Month

Acclaimed traditional Filipino percussion ensemble Kulintang Dialect will perform a live commemorative concert at the Livermore Civic Center Library on Sunday, October 25, in celebration of Filipino American History Month across the East Bay. The scheduled afternoon performance offers Tri-Valley residents and music enthusiasts an extraordinary cultural encounter with the ancient gong-chime music traditions of the southern Philippines.

The educational concert provides local families, students, and community members throughout Livermore, Pleasanton, and Dublin an immersive window into ancestral Asian musical traditions. Recognized statewide in California since 2006, Filipino American History Month honors the profound cultural, economic, and civic contributions of Filipino Americans. Attendees will experience intricate rhythmic polyphony performed on authentic bronze gongs, wooden xylophones, and traditional drums that have been preserved through generations of oral history.

Kulintang Dialect honors the master lineage of the late Danongan Kalanduyan, an internationally celebrated artist and National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow who pioneered kulintang instruction in the United States. Ensemble director Conrad Benedicto, who served as Kalanduyan's apprentice through the prestigious Alliance for California Traditional Arts apprenticeship program, guides the ensemble's performance practice. Benedicto received a composition fellowship from the San Francisco Arts Commission in 2018 to compose original kulintang suites, which culminated in the ensemble's acclaimed studio album, "Kulintang Dialogue."

The performance will begin promptly at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, inside the Community Storytime Room at the Livermore Civic Center Library, located at 1188 South Livermore Avenue. Admission to the concert is completely free and open to the public, with open seating provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Community members seeking further details regarding parking accommodations, accessibility, or library programming can contact the civic center information desk by telephone at (925) 373-5500.

Following the musical presentation, ensemble artists will host an interactive question-and-answer session demonstrating their traditional instruments and discussing the cultural preservation work behind contemporary Philippine folk music. The library system will concurrently display a curated collection of Filipino American literature, historical memoirs, and cultural studies available for checkout. Additional details on upcoming community arts programs and heritage month events are accessible through the Livermore Public Library online calendar.