Filipina Guitar Trio “Triple Fret” Wins Top Prize in the 27th Japan Guitar Ensemble Festival
“Triple Fret” members Jenny de Vera, Iqui Vinculado and Marga Abejo at the Philippine Independence Day reception at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo on 12 June 2015
The “Triple Fret”, an all-female classical-contemporary guitar trio from the Philippines composed of Jenny de Vera, Iqui Vinculado and Marga Abejo, won first prize at the 27th Japan Guitar Ensemble Festival held on 28 June 2015 at the Kyurian Hall in Shinagawa, Tokyo. In addition to winning the top prize, the trio also won the Japan Guitar Association Award, the Kohno Guitar Award and the Harumi Award for Best Performance of an Original Contemporary Composition for Guitar Ensemble.
The “Triple Fret” was formed in 2011 by its members who were products of the University of the Philippines College of Music and the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music. The only all-female guitar trio of its kind in the country, the “Triple Fret” stands out with its extensive repertoire of Spanish guitar pieces, tangos, jazz standards, Filipino traditional music, and classical pieces, all infused with a style uniquely their own.
The “Triple Fret” has performed in various countries in Asia and Europe. Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel M. Lopez invited the trio to perform during the Philippine Independence Day reception held on 12 June 2015 at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, where they delighted guests with their renditions of “Asturias”, “Hamabe no Uta” and “Pandangguhan”.
