FASO History
In 2008, a group of musicians and community leaders founded the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra.
FASO’s founders recognized the necessity to celebrate the booming Filipino American community, one of the top five largest immigrant groups in the united states, through music.
Many musicians have migrated from the Philippines to the United States. Their musical lineage can be traced – from the multiplicity of musical traditions indigenous to the Philippines’ many islands, to the country’s colonial past that includes Spain’s imposition and the United States’ reinforcement of Western musical traditions, all the way to our globalized present. With this rich heritage, FASO is uniquely positioned to showcase a cultural synthesis of international musical traditions.
Guided by the passion to cultivate musical artistry and to present its unique cultural heritage, FASO, led by Musical Director Robert Shroder, made its debut on May 17, 2009, at the historic Saban Theater in Beverly Hills, California. FASO has gone on to perform at many venues and events across California: The Wilshire Theater (2009), the Pasadena Civic Auditorium (2009-2010), the San Diego Rock Church Auditorium (2010), LA Cathedral of Angels (2011), the Ford Amphitheater (2012), the Annual Festival of Philippine Culture (2012-2014), the Alex Theater (2014-2018), the John Wayne Performing Arts Center (2016-2017), the Arcadia Performing Arts Center (2017), White Memorial Church (2019), and the Walt Disney Concert Hall (2019).
With its diverse body of musicians from all walks of life, FASO continues to embrace, redefine and celebrate its multicultural musical legacy. FASO has received multiple awards for its work — the Los Angeles City Council honored FASO for its “great contribution to the City of Los Angeles” in a public presentation at City Hall on Sept. 28, 2018. FASO also received the 2019 National Federation of Filipino American Associations Trailblazer Award for uplifting future generations of Filipino Americans and the global Filipino community, and the 2016 Historical Heritage Excellence Award from the San Diego Filipino American Humanitarian Foundation.
In 2016, FASO launched its Education & Outreach Program, which empowers new generations of Filipino Americans to develop love and pride in their music, as well as in their identities. This music education program that is open to all includes instrumental, songwriting, vocal, and Philippine music appreciation workshops. In 2018, the program introduced an annual International Composition Competition for Philippine Folk Music, which challenges emerging composers to incorporate Philippine folk music material in their work. That same year, the orchestra established its College Scholarship for high school seniors.
In September 2018, the Education & Outreach Program founded the FASO String Ensemble, which serves over 40 young musicians from underserved communities between the ages of 8 and 15. Ensemble members receive free access to instruments and affordable music instruction from professional musicians.