There is more to conducting than directing an orchestra’s performance. “The real job of the conductor isn’t something you see during a performance, since it’s really the players who play and the conductor is just there, waving a stick,” says Gerard Salonga, resident conductor of the orchestra FILharmoniKA, and Lea Salonga’s brother. “You see it while the orchestra’s rehearsing, when everyone’s discovering the music, if they don’t know it already. A good conductor has to know that piece of music before rehearsing the orchestra, so he can relay the information to them.” Through his years of musical experience, Gerard Salonga has certainly learned not only the art and discipline of conducting, but also the art and discipline of conducting life.

Defining conducting through images

Musical conducting, according to Salonga, is composed of two aspects. There is the academic aspect, which involves three parts: before the actual conducting, there’s learning the music, and creating an interpretation of it. “A good conductor can relay information to the orchestra with minimal talking,” he describes. “It’s using your body to express to them how they should play the music that’s there. But that’s just the conducting part.

“And then there’s the part before that: learning the music. You have to know how to analyze a score, look at it, and without hearing it prior, understand what it’s trying to say. It’s like a puzzle,” Salonga elaborates. “The composer writes a piece of music, and [as the conductor,] you have to figure out what the composer is trying to say, what images he’s trying to conjure up, or which instrument he’s trying to highlight.

“And then you absorb that. It’s like a light that passes through a gel: the light is white, the gel is green, the light becomes green on the other side. That’s the interpretation part,” he explains further. “There’s this music, and then it passes through me, and the orchestra plays it the way I understood it. That has to be clear to me before I rehearse the orchestra. The conviction that I have about it should be just as clear and pure and adulterated as it would’ve been if I had composed that piece myself.”

Apart from these, conducting also has a human aspect. “There are always people involved. You’re trying to sell your ideas to these people, especially if you’re working with a large orchestra of very high stature,” says Salonga. “Sometimes you have to charm them. You have to find something that makes them want to do it your way. It’s about trust. Once you get their trust, it’s really easy.”

Music in their blood

“We’re very, very close!” Salonga shares excitedly of his relationship with his elder sister, Lea.

“There’s very strong support between us. She’s one of the most important parts of my support system. She always, always encouraged me.

“There was a time she was living in New York, and I got accepted into Berklee (College of Music) which was in Boston, a four-hour train ride or drive away. When I enrolled, she closed her apartment in New York and moved to Boston so we were all there together, which was great. Free apartment!” he says, laughing. “It was a 10-minute walk from school, this high-end place with a doorman, security system, hardwood floors, a washing machine and a dryer in the apartment—it was fantastic!”

To Gerard Salonga, his performances with Lea have always been good times for bonding. “It’s work, but then again, since we’re brother and sister, it strengthens our relationship,” he shares. “Just like when we’re getting ready for a performance, learning the music together, me teaching it to her in some cases, the pressure of the performance and going through that pressure together—those times. She relies on me a lot when we’re onstage. She really leans on me, especially when I’m playing [the piano]. When I’m conducting, it’s a little bit easier for her since she just has to listen more. But if I’m the one playing, she knows that I’m really the one listening to her, that I’ll follow her around wherever she’s going. It makes the relationship very strong.”

Conducting life

“Let’s look at what’s important in conducting,” says Salonga, organizing his thoughts. “The important things are: That you’re prepared, first of all; that you know your music (though that doesn’t really have anything to do with life); dealing with people. Handling people is an art, whether you’re a conductor, a manager or just a colleague, it doesn’t matter.

“Respect is also very important, and it’s not a unilateral thing. Respect them, and respect begets respect. You have to respect the players, and you all have to respect what you’re trying to do. Everybody has to have a sense of unity, and that’s also very applicable to the Philippines especially, where disunity is a way of life,” he adds, laughing.

“Everybody has to understand what we’re trying to achieve. We know what roles we’re trying to play, and we do that to the best of our abilities so that the common goal gets achieved. Everybody puts his/her own ego aside. Ego is the biggest killer of ‘em all. Everybody leaves his/her ego outside the door for this time that we’re working together, even me. I have to leave my ego outside the door because someone may have a better opinion than I do about a certain thing. I have to accept that because what I’m after is the music to be presented in the best possible way, and if it’s not all my idea, then that’s okay. If I think I’m already the shizz, I’m not going to get better. I have to allow myself to profit from the experience of others.”