Rosalina Abejo
Rosalina Abejo (July 13, 1922 – June 5, 1991) was a Filipino composer, pianist, conductor, and a nun of the Religious of the Virgin Mary. She was born in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, in Northern Mindanao, Philippines, and died in Fremont, California. Abejo is known as the first Filipina to compose music and to conduct orchestras. Her aunt, Sister Maria Rosario Madroñal, was her first music teacher. She studied at the Philippine Women's University, and in 1977 she moved to the United States to study at Eastman School of Music and The Catholic University of America.
She was the first nun to direct and conduct symphony orchestras, with permission from Pope John XXIII. She taught composition and music theory at the University of Kansas and at St. Pius Seminary in Kentucky. She also traveled widely to fundraise and attend international music conferences. In 1972, Abejo wrote Overture 1081 as martial law was declared in the Philippines under Proclamation No. 1081.
Abejo received several honors, including the Republic Cultural Heritage Award (1967), the Philippines’ Independence Day Award (1973), and she was elected President of the Philippine Foundation of Performing Arts in America in 1980. She composed more than 400 works. She is buried at Irvington Memorial Cemetery in Fremont, California.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:34 (CET).