Filipino harpist Lourdes Gregorio passed away on Thursday, Jan. 22, at the age of 91. Born on Feb. 27, 1934, Gregorio was the first Filipino to obtain an artist diploma in solo courses for harp and piano from the Vienna Academy for Music and Dramatic Arts. She was a member of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’s Philharmonic Orchestra at its founding in 1973, becoming principal harpist in 1982 when the ensemble was reorganized as the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Gregorio taught on the faculty of the Conservatory of Music at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, and started the harp program at the University of the Philippines College of Music in 2007. In 2013, Gregorio was named Best Instrumentalist at the 26th Aliw Awards, which recognize excellence in live entertainment in the Philippines.
—Based on a tribute article published online on Jan. 30, 2026, by The Varsitarian, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas
