Felipe Padilla de Leon

Felipe Padilla de León (Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija, 1912 – Manila, 1992) was a Filipino composer and conductor whose work belongs to a current of musical nationalism that incorporates indigenous traits within an impressionistic idiom.

He studied at the Conservatory of Music of the University of the Philippines, where he obtained his teaching diploma in composition and conducting in 1939, and afterwards remained as a teacher of theory and composition. He later directed the music school of Union College in Manila and, during the war, founded his own academy. In parallel he worked as a music critic for the Manila Times and Taliba, and as director of cultural affairs for the City of Manila.

In 1972 he served as state cultural adviser and presided over the National Music Council of the Philippines until 1973, as well as the Philippine Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award (1971) and the Araw ng Maynila Cultural Award (1972). He was named National Artist for Music posthumously in 1997.

His catalogue includes the operas Noli me tangere (1957) and El filibusterismo (1970), symphonic poems such as Banyuhay and Cry of Balintawak, and chamber works such as Night Dreams and Fantasy.