...the gifted child

Gifted child Dio Saraza wows CDO in violin concert

abs-cbnNEWS.com

07/03/2011

MANILA, Philippines – A world class young Filipino violinist wowed his kababayans during his recent solo concert held in Cagayan de Oro City.

Cagayanons were impressed by 21-year-old Diomedes “Dio” Saraza Jr. when he played the violin.  

Saraza is a full scholar at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. In 1998, he won in the National Music Competitions for Young Artists and is now considered a world class violinist.

Saraza was drawn to music at an early age since he was raised in a family full of musicians. He was only 3 years old when he showed interest in violin.

“Ang daddy ko talaga ang sobrang nag-inspire sa akin. Since I was a baby, nakikita ko siyang tumugtog ng violin, and my brothers too. My oldest brother plays the piano and my second brother plays the violin. So ever since, I was exposed to the world of music. And violin, I chose it because of its sound. Talagang nagustuhan ko,” he said. 

He said he and his family would jam and play together, especially in church.

“I’m very grateful kay God for giving me this wonderful talent. All I do is practice and the acknowledgement is bonus. I’m happy maraming natuwa sa akin. I’m glad to share my talent to them, to show them what God has given me,” Saraza, who plays mostly classical music, said.

The Liceo de Cagayan University (LDCU) brought Saraza to Cagayan de Oro to share “the beauty of art” with the Cagayanons.

“They say that art is life and you know art mirrors life and art is the icing of life. So, here at Rodelsa Hall we would like to showcase all the talents not just here in the Philippines but all over the world. And as much as we can, we would like to share this beauty, the beauty of art, to a lot of people and make it reachable to even students and even ordinary people because we believe that art is for everyone,” said Owen Jaen, program coordinator of LDCU’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

“Work, dedication, passion are needed in order to do something excellent and great,” added Rudolf Caesar Golez, LDCU’s vice president for External, Cultural and Alumni Affairs. -Report from Trini Velasco, ABS-CBN News Northern Mindanao