Our Profile

Filipino Arts & Music Ensemble (FAME) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Brooklyn, New York, that contributes to the preservation, presentation, and promotion of the arts and musical heritage of the people of Filipino descent in New York and neighboring states. It was organized on August 8, 2003 by Maria Bella Locsin and Maria Ruth Manligoy, and formally incorporated September 7, 2007. It started with seven (7) children and has markedly increased its number to forty-eight (48) children. Its aim is to preserve a rich culture that can be handed from generation to generation while promoting better relationships between children and their Filipino-American parents within diverse ethnic communities.

The Filipino Arts & Music Ensemble provides a variety of programs that support musical growth and creative achievement.

• The FAME Rondalla String Ensemble is composed of five different 14-string instruments (Banduria, Octavina, Laud, Bass, Picolo). These are played by children, ages four to sixteen, under Musical Director Hector Martinez. Renditions of famous Philippine music as well as Western European symphonies make the ensemble unique, winning the admiration of politicians, dignitaries, and the community at large.

Origin of Rondalla

• The Folk Dance program instructs students in the folk dances that depict rich ethnicity of Philippine culture from different regions of the country. The mastery of this expression gives the children self-confidence, grace, and respect for their indigenous heritage.