Maynard de Guzman: His Incidence towards Incidental Music and Beyond
An engineer by profession and an imaginative artist at heart, Mr. Maynard De Guzman is truly a talented person to be proud of. As the Musical Director of the critically acclaimed “Ang Pitong Gunggong” of the Ateneo ENTABLADO, he was very instrumental in adding color and vibrance to the play. With the help of amazing lyricists and scriptwriters such as Dr. Christine Bellen and Tyron Casumpang, Mr. De Guzman highlighted the mutualistic relationship of music and theatre through his thematic and intellectual compositions.
His musical journey started when he was young. He took formal piano lessons and used to dream about being a concert pianist. A diligent musician at heart, he used to train a lot and even joined a couple of bands when he was in high school. By playing in a lot of gigs, he was able to explore different genres and expand his knowledge in music. During his college days at the Ateneo de Manila University, one of his blockmates invited him to become part of the Ateneo ENTABLADO. He has always been a huge fan of theatre, but since his focus back then was to become a concert pianist, he never really thought of joining a theatrical production. However, he was really drawn by the complexities of theatre, especially by the way it integrates several art forms such as music, visual arts, architecture, dance, and acting. He also acknowledged the amount of hard work and cooperation required to make a production run as smoothly as possible.
Cast and production team of Ang Pitong Gunggong Photographer: Genesis Gamilong
His talent and dedication made him one of the recipients of the annual Loyola Schools Awards for the Arts under the “Music: Arrangement” category. He then worked as a technology consultant for a multinational company until he decided to resign last year. He used his resources to produce music by himself, and just a little while later, he was invited to go back to the Ateneo ENTABLADO as the Musical Director of their production. As an experienced musician, he was able to produce an equivalent of a full-length album in just a limited amount of time. He mentioned that his approach was “very theoretical, but without forgetting that the entire play has a soul” and that his music “weaves through a story and the characters in it.”
The future looks definitely bright for Mr. De Guzman. He is currently working on a film and a television series, and his talent is sure to give him more projects in the future. His excellent musical scoring in “Ang Pitong Gunggong” proves that he is really proficient in what he is doing. With that kind of knowledge and skill, Mr. De Guzman is sure to enhance any scene through the power of his music.