Luis Eduardo Aute Tribute Concert Announced for November

This article is available in Spanish.

MANILA, Philippines — A tribute concert for Spanish singer-composer and painter Luis Eduardo Aute will take place this month.

The renowned musician was born in Manila in September 1943, when it was still under Japanese control. During the Spanish era, his grandmother, who was born in Valencia, was brought to the Philippines when she was just three years old. The family owned a house on Roxas Boulevard, then known as Dewey Boulevard, which was also used as the Japanese army’s and, later, the American army’s headquarters.

In 1954, they relocated to Spain, where Aute would later establish himself as one of the leading figures in Spanish music during the second half of the 20^th century.

In honor of the late singer’s 80^th birthday, Instituto Cervantes de Manila and the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines will present a tribute concert titled “Born in Manila: A Tribute to Aute” on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza.

The concert will include a documentary produced in 2021 by Instituto Cervantes de Manila, in which Filipino singers such as Bituin Escalante and Mark Anthony Carpio perform some of Aute’s songs.

Then, Sheila Ferrer, a Filipino soprano opera singer, and Toma Cayabyab, the son of National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, will perform live. The younger Cayabyab has arranged the new renditions and versions of Aute’s songs, both those heard in the documentary and those that will be part of the live set at the RCBC.

Spanish singer Rosa León will also make a special appearance at the concert. She was closely associated with Aute during the early years of her singing career in the 1970s because she helped make songs like “Las cuatro y diez” and “Al alba” more widely known.

The event is free, but seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.