KAPWA: Music for Connection to Self and Other

Nashville-based composer Larissa Maestro will present KAPWA at the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) on Saturday, June 29th, at 7:00 PM following a public reception at 6:00pm

This performance explores the Filipino concept of kapwa—the interconnectedness of all beings—and invites audiences to reflect on how our identities are shaped in relation to one another and to the world around us.

The concert, centered on themes of shared identity, empathy, ancestry, and community, is produced in collaboration with chatterbird, a Nashville-based chamber ensemble. The evening’s music features a new Kundiman song cycle for chamber ensemble and Philippine bandurria, reflecting Maestro’s Filipinx-American heritage, their neurodivergent identity, and their rich inner world

Kapwa is a Tagalog word with no direct English equivalent, but at its heart is the idea that the self is not isolated—we are all connected through a shared inner self. This concept serves as the foundation for a concert that blurs the boundaries between the personal and the collective, the ancestral and the contemporary, the seen and the felt.

Partnering with TIRRC, the performance will take place in their Eloisa Salazar Event Center in Nashville, TN. The music and the setting together affirm a belief in shared humanity and collective care.

Maestro’s compositions weave together original works and traditional Filipino musical forms, drawing on generational memory, myth, and the sacred act of witnessing one another. The concert includes performances by members of chatterbird and a special guest on the traditional Filipino instrument, the bandurria.

Tickets are offered on a Pay-Your-Wage system. Pay-your-wage is a progressive, honor-system based sliding scale admission model for live events. The notion: pay what you make in an hour. With this model, artistic revenue rises as average wages rise, but performances remain accessible and affordable for all.

Free parking is available onsite at TIRRC and in the surrounding area. The venue is ADA accessible.

This concert is made possible thanks to support from Metro Arts, the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, and New Music USA's Organizational Development grant.

Larissa Maestro is a composer, cellist, vocalist, and arranger based in Nashville. Their work spans pop, chamber music, scoring, and live performance. In 2022, they made history as the first cellist and first AAPI musician to be named Instrumentalist of the Year by the Americana Music Awards.

Since moving to Nashville in 2007, Maestro has co-founded a community orchestra, created numerous string arrangements, performed across a wide range of genres, and collaborated with artists including Hozier, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, and more. They are currently developing a solo pop/chamber music project under the name MZTZA.

As a composer, their works have been performed by ALIAS Chamber Ensemble, the Nashville Ballet, and members of the Nashville Symphony. Their music explores themes of neurodivergence, Filipinx identity, and the sacredness of community.

Info: We are planning on having local Nashville Filipino restaurant Maemax come to cater this reception.

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