National Artists for Music

National Artists for Music

• Antonio Molina is known as the dean of Filipino Composers due to his pioneering innovations of the whole-tone scale, vitality of dominant nights, and linear counterpoints.
• Jovita Flores Fuentes, the "First Lady of Philippine Music," became the first world-renowned Filipino opera star and was named "Embajadora de Filipinas a su Madre Patria."
• Honorata Dela Rama-Hernandez, also known as Atang dela Rama, was a star in Filipino vaudeville (bodabil), the "Queen of the Kundiman and Sarsuela," and the lead character in "Dalagang Bukid."
• Antonio Buenaventura transformed the Philippine Constabulary and Philippine Army Bands into ensembles that sounded like symphonic orchestras.
• Lucrecia Roces Kasilag, or "Tita King," infused indigenous Filipino music with Western elements.
• Lucio San Pedro's work with town bands provided a creative outlet for young Filipino artists.
• Levi Celerio created music using only a single leaf and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy of the Philippines.
• Felipe Padilla de Leon, known as the "People’s Musician," transformed Western music into Filipinized versions and expressed the Filipino aspirations for peace and hope in his songs.
• Jose Maceda conducted research and fieldwork in remote mountain provinces, creating numerous recordings that improved the understanding of Filipino traditional and ethnic music.
• Ernani Joson Cuenco's songs reflect Filipino musical sentiments, with the kundiman serving as the basis for many of his ballads, known for their commercial appeal and strong cultural identity.
• Andrea Veneracion founded the Philippine Madrigal Singers, a local choral group, and led initiatives to develop Philippine choral music.
• Ramon Pagayon Santos is the Philippines’ primary advocate of contemporary Filipino music.
• Francisco Feliciano spread awareness of Asian culture locally and internationally, using it as inspiration and celebration of Filipino ethnicity.
• Ryan Cayabyab is known for his religious songs, symphonic works, mainstream music, musical plays, opera, and ballet compositions.

National Artists for Dance

• Francisca Reyes-Aquino was a pioneer in Filipino folk dance, conducting research on Philippine Folk Dance & Games and contributing to cultural education.
• Leonor Orosa Goquingco, the "Mother of Philippine Theater Dance," was the first Filipino to choreograph ballet to the music of well-known foreign composers and stylized ethnic dances into unique performances.
• Lucrecia Faustino Reyes-Urtula founded and served as the dance director of the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company, promoting Philippine dances worldwide.
• Ramon Arevalo Obusan founded the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group (ROFG), with dance members referencing indigenous and historical roots.
• Alice Reyes popularized contemporary dance in the Philippines with the Alice Reyes Company, which evolved into Ballet Philippines, and staged the first modern dance concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

National Artists for Theater

• Daisy Avellana contributed to legitimate and dramatic theater, promoting excellence and professionalization in Filipino Theater by co-founding the Barangay Theatre Guild and using broadcast media to create awareness and appreciation of theater and dramatic arts.
• Lamberto Avellana, a "boy wonder" of Philippine movies, was the first to use a motion picture camera as a technique in film narration.
• Honorata Dela Rama, also known as Atang Dela Rama, was the first actress in the first Tagalog film, "Dalagang Bukid," based on the zarzuela of the same title and wrote and produced songs.
• Rolando Tinio was distinguished for his vision and talent as a stage director, revived Sarswela with contemporary innovation through Teatro Pilipino, and is known for his famous work "Rama Hari" in collaboration with various artists.
• Wilfredo Guerrero wrote over 100 published and unpublished plays in various media, from radio plays to stage plays.
• Severino Montano, the "Father of Theater Design in the Philippines," elevated theater and production design as an art form and profession, headed the Cultural Center of the Philippines Performing Arts Department, and created the Production Design Center.
• Salvador Bernal, a guru of Contemporary Filipino Theater Design, designed over 300 productions favoring local bamboo, rattan, and gauze, organized the Philippine Association of Theatre Designers & Technicians (PATDAT) to professionalize theater design, and introduced Philippine theater design to the world through the Philippine Center of Organization Internationale des Scenographers, Techniciens et Architects du Theatre (OISTAT).
• Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio, known as the "Grande Dame of Southeast Asian Children’s Theatre," founded the children’s theatre troupe Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas (Mulat Theatre), the official theater company and puppetry troupe of the University of the Philippines (UP).