Filipino Rondalla music | Los Angeles, California
The rondalla string ensemble was introduced in the Philippines through Spain’s 350-year colonial rule of the islands.
Consisting of guitar, 4-string bajo de uñas, 14-string bandurria, 14-string laud, and the original Pilipino-created instrument, the 14-string octavina, the rondalla has become an integral part of Pilipino cultural life.
Rondalla Club of Los Angeles (RCLA) is widely recognized as one of the leading rondallas in the United States. It has been a familiar fixture in the Los Angeles Pilipino community, performing in celebrations like fiestas, weddings, and other civic and social events. Combined, RCLA’s four core members have over 140 years years of exceptional rondalla playing experience between them, having toured, performed, and educated extensively.
Founded in 1991 by Nitoy Gonzales, renowned trailblazing maestro of Bayanihan, the National Dance Company of the Philipines, his son Leonilo “Boy” Angos and Tagumpay “Pi” M. de Leon, son of Philipine National Artist for Music, Felipe Padilla de Leon, RCLA continues to shape the Filipino-American rondalla musical narrative through an applied historical perspective intertwined with an entertainingly immersive aural experience, characterized by a signature, highly improvised style.
Each performance is a unique musical conversation.
The Alliance for California Traditional Arts has recognized RCLA’s contributions and has bestowed both the Apprenticeship (2002) and Living Cultures (2012) grants to the group.
In 2021, founding member Tagumpay M. de Leon was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) – the United States highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.