Music Festival 1989

Rondalla (pronounced Rhon-da-lia) is not the name of a flower.

"It is Spanish for 'a group of entertainers'", said Joe Peters, founder of the NUS Rondalla, the first to introduce rondalla music to Singapore in 1981.

Although the string instruments found in a rondalla - the mandolin, banduria, laud, octavina, guitar, mandola, and double bass - originated from Spain, it was the Philippines which created an ensemble out of the various instruments at the turn of the century, explained Peters, the Assistant Director of the NUS Centre for Musical Activities.

Later this year, the group will be coming out with a book to promote rondalla music. Peters, who studied music in the Philippines, said: " The book adopts a group-teaching approach - it is basically a Do-It-Yourself kind of method, with recordings to accompany the text."

The views and opinions expressed on this web site are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of The Centre for the Arts. This webpage is last updated on the 18th June 2002. Content by NUS Rondalla.