Fides Belza Cuyugan-Asensio (born August 1, 1931) is a Filipino

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...

, actress, director, librettist, translator, and teacher.Gatchalian, E., Tan, A. (2019). ''CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art'' (Vol. 7: Music). Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Biography

Fides Belza Cuyugan is born on August 1, 1931 in

Lucena, Philippines Lucena, officially the City of Lucena ( fil, Lungsod ng Lucena), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines. It is the capital city of the province of Quezon where it is geographically situated but, in ...

. She is the daughter of Gervasio Santos Cuyugan and Jacinta Belza. During the war she directed, wrote, performed, and designed short musicals and plays. She studied at the

Philippine Women's University The Philippine Women's University (PWU) is a tertiary education school which has its main campus in Manila, Philippines. An institution exclusive for girls from its inception until the 1970s, the PWU admits both women and men as its students. ...

and finished two courses - a Bachelor of Arts in English, specializing in Drama in 1950 and a Bachelor of Music, Major in voice and minor in piano in 1951. Her graduation recital in 1951 was well-received. It appeared in the front page of

The Manila Times ''The Manila Times'' is the oldest extant English-language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. (formerly La Vanguardia Publishing Corporation) with editorial and administrative offices at 2/F ...

declaring "A star is born.” More significantly, she was praised by the grand dame

Jovita Fuentes Jovita Flores Fuentes (February 15, 1895 – August 7, 1978) was a Filipina soprano singer. Background She was born in Capiz (now Roxas City) to a well-off couple named Canuto and Dolores Fuentes. At an early age, she displayed interest in music ...

(who was in the audience), who proclaimed that the young soprano would “inherit my mantle someday.” After graduating she received a scholarship from the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

where she graduated in 1955 with an Artist's Diploma, major in voice with special studies in stage movement and eurhythymics. She married Manuel D. Asensio, Jr. in 1954 and after graduating from Curtis Institute she returned to Manila. Since 1955, she has become one of the leading performers and producers of opera in the country. She made her operatic debut in 1955 singing as Adele in Strauss' '' Die Fledermaus.'' She also performed in many world premiere performances of Filipino operas, like in Rosendo Santos' ''Mapulang Bituin'', Eliseo Pajaro's ''Binhi ng Kalayaan'',

Kasilag Lucrecia Roces Kasilag (31 August 1918 – 16 August 2008) was a Filipino composer and pianist. She is particularly known for incorporating indigenous Filipino instruments into orchestral productions. Biography Lucrecia “King” Roces Kasilag w ...

's ''Dularawan,'' and most notably as Sisa in Felipe de Leon's ''Noli me Tangere'' in 1957. She has also sung lead roles in Menotti's ''

The Telephone ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', Donizetti's ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoo ...

,'' Mozart's ''

Die Entführung aus dem Serail ' () ( K. 384; ''The Abduction from the Seraglio''; also known as ') is a singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's ''Belmont und Constanze, oder Di ...

'',

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the ...

's ''

La Traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on '' La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his ow ...

'',

Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

's ''Turn of the Screw'', and

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...

's ''L'Enfant Prodigue'' and many more. She also directed productions of several Filipino and Western operas. In 1969-1974 she appeared as one of the hosts in the TV show ''Sunday Sweet Sunday'' and in 1989-2002 in the TV show ''A Little Night of Music.'' She also appeared in four films: in ''Oro Plata Mata'' (1982), ''Niño'' (2011), ''Aparisyon'' (2012), and in ''Mana'' (2014). In 1986, Fides Asensio formed the ''Music Theater Foundation of the Philippines'' (MTFP), a non-profit organization dedicated to promote, stage, and give scholarships to young classical performers. In 1988, she was appointed Chairman of Voice and Music Theater Department at the U.P. College of Music, a position she held until she retired in 1997. After her retirement, she was granted the title of Professor Emeritus by the U.P. Board of Regents. She is the artistic director of the Opera Guild of the Philippines and the president of the MTFP since 1987.

Honors and awards

Asensio is among the people listed in the 1999 book ''Outstanding Woman of the Philippines'' by Victoria Paz, She was also awarded the ''PAMA-AS Gintong Award for the Musical Arts'' by the NCCA in 2005 and the ''Gawad CCP Para sa Sining Award'' in 2015. She was also recognized as a National Artist for Music in 2022.

Librettos

Fides is also known for writing opera

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

s for several Filipino composers. Some of the librettos she wrote are listed here: *

Lucrecia Kasilag Lucrecia Roces Kasilag (31 August 1918 – 16 August 2008) was a Filipino composer and pianist. She is particularly known for incorporating indigenous Filipino instruments into orchestral productions. Biography Lucrecia “King” Roces Kasilag w ...

's ''Larawan ng kababihan: Maskara at Mukha'' (1981) * Lucrecia Kasilag's ''Why Flowers Bloom in May'' (2008) * Francisco Feliciano's ''La Loba Negra'' (1984) * Ryan Cayabyab's ''Spoliarium'' (2003) * Rey Paguio's ''Mayo - Bisperas ng Liwanag'' (1997)

References

External links

* YouTube
Fides Cuyugan-Asensio Gawad CCP para sa Sining Musika
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuyugan-Asensio, Fides 1931 births Opera librettists Philippine Women's University alumni Curtis Institute of Music alumni Academic staff of the University of the Philippines Diliman 20th-century women opera singers Living people 20th-century Filipino women singers Women opera librettists Filipino operatic sopranos People from Lucena, Philippines