LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, FL— The FilAm Music Foundation.
LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, FL— The FilAm Music Foundation. officially concluded its regional five-concert chamber music season on Saturday, May 23, 2026, with a final violin and piano recital at the Community Presbyterian Church.
The 6:00 PM performance featured Beijing-born violinist Qing Li, the Principal Second Violinist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and faculty artist at the Peabody Institute, alongside Filipino-American concert pianist Victor Santiago Asunción.
In exclusive on-the-scene interviews with theAsiana Postfollowing the performance, both artists addressed the cultural and systemic challenges facing classical musicians today.
Li reflected on her career trajectory as an immigrant musician working within elite American orchestral circles. Coming from humble beginnings, Li emphasized that competing at a high professional level requires a rigorous focus on continuous technical improvement rather than relying on external advantages.
“Coming from another country, you have to be self-made and truly earn your place,” Li said, noting that navigating numerous professional failures is an essential component of mastering the musical craft. She added that her violin holds profound emotional value, serving as a primary link to her journey and personal resilience.
Asunción, serving as the artistic director of the foundation, spoke candidly regarding the current market landscape for classical programming, which he argues is disproportionately overshadowed by popular commercial music genres. Asunción directly challenged the prevailing public perception that chamber music belongs strictly to an insular demographic.
“Modern music programming is heavily geared toward pop music, while the classical side is frequently sidelined due to the misconception that it is exclusively for the elite,” Asunción said. He stated that the foundation’s explicit operational mandate is to dismantle this barrier by establishing high-caliber classical series directly inside local municipal communities.
The venue, located at 4433 Bougainvilla Drive, hosted the duo as they performed a program selected from the core classical violin and piano sonata repertoire.
Operational details from the foundation’s event match the seasonal baseline:
- Series Context: The performance concluded the organization’s regional 2026 calendar.
- Production: The staging prioritized natural acoustics within the church sanctuary, balancing the projection of the stringed instrument against the dynamic weight of the piano accompaniment.
With the conclusion of the May 23 performance, the foundation officially wrapped operations on its five-concert regional series.
Reported by: Ed Mercado