Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

"TEACHING children the language of music," the Children’s Orchestra Society, or COS, has always been about building bridges, and its executive and artistic/music directors, respectively, Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma and Michael Dadap, have been proof of that in their careers.

Whether it’s creating opportunities for young talents, providing them training and performances that foster interaction with peers and with recognized musicians, exposing both performers and audiences to different cultural and musical traditions, or networking with local communities, the COS, in a word, creates links and spreads the joy of music.

Indeed, the COS’ Masterworks Concert in March at the Bechstein Piano Centre in Manhattan served to usher in spring from a wearying winter with a diverse set of classical pieces. These ranged from Paganini’s Terzetto Concertante for Viola, Cello, and Guitar, to Enescu’s Violin Sonata No. 3 in A Minor, Reinecke’s Trio for Oboe, Horn, and Piano in A Minor, and Schubert’s perennial WQXR audience favorite, The Trout Piano Quintet in A Major, with performers that included those born in or with ancestries traced to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Taiwan, Russia, China, the Philippines, Russia, and more, and studied at institutions and performed with orchestras and chamber groups equally diverse, in a lead up to the organization’s major event, the annual Discovery Gala, at the Lincoln Center on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 7:30 pm.

In addition to being artistic director, Dadap has been a proponent of Filipino folk and rondalla music, and composed music such as the Four Visayan Serenades for Guitar and Song Cycle for Tenor, Cello and Piano, and has collaborated with other performing artists in dance or vocal performances. He was part of the January 2007 Galing ng Pinoy event co-organized by the Philippine Consulate and this writer at the Philippine Center in tribute to the first Filipino Mount Everest climbers and other accomplished Filipino and Fil-Am professionals. In addition, he was a Philippine Presidential Pamana awardee. As a developmental pediatrician, Dr. Ma also exemplifies bridge-building, as in her work exploring music in finding the ‘inner language’ of children with verbal communication challenges. She has toured as half of the Dadap-Ma Duo. She, along with Dadap, has headed up the COS since 1984.

The non-profit COS endeavors to provide education and training to students from beginner to most gifted, subsidizing the costs of tuition. Founded in 1962 by Dr. H. T. Ma, it boasts an advisory board composed of Emanuel Ax, Chee-Yun, Soovin Kim, Cho-Liang Lin, Yo-Yo Ma and Michael Tree, as well as the late Isidore Cohen.