Berlin-based Filipino Pianist Abelardo Galang II learned his early piano skills from his mother, Carmen. Later, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance (1992) from the University of the Philippines. In the first and only piano competition Galang participated, he was awarded the Grand Prix in the 1992 Philippine Piano Competition along with a scholarship from Japan Solidarity Committee for Asian Alumni (JASCAA). Through this grant, he obtained two Master's degrees in Music (Piano Solo Performance and Chamber Music) from Musashino Academia Musicae, Tokyo, Japan (1996) and the Hochschule fuer Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin, Germany (2000) where he trained with the German Pedagogue, Klaus Bäßler, a former jury and chairman of the  Robert Schumann International Piano Competition. He was also a recipient of the Alfonso T. Yuchengco Foundation scholarship. Galang obtained his Doctorate degree in Music with honours from the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany (2010).

 

Galang performs regularly in solo recitals, chamber concerts and as Lied pianist in Europe and Asia. He was featured in the All Nation's Festival in Rome (Italy), the International Piano Concert Series in Oberkirchen (Germany), the Artists' Festival in Berlin (Germany). He has worked with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (Philippines), Manila Symphony Orchestra (Philippines), and the Otto Symphoniker (Germany) and collaborated with international artists including Jonathan Kelly (Solo Oboist, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), Juan Pechuan, (Solo Oboist, London Symphony Orchestra), Arthur Hornig (Cellist, Rundfunk Symphonic Orchestra Berlin), among others.

 

A recording artist under the German label -Tobios Records, Galang's discography include Schumann and Chopin (2004), an audiobook CD entitled "In Vino Veritas" in collaboration with German TV Personality, Jürgen von der Lippe, (2006 - Emons Verlag) and Kundiman, Philippine Art Songs (2008) with acclaimed Filipino bass-baritone Jonathan de la Paz Zaens. In  2010, Galang recorded a three-CD album containing 12 Sonatas of Italian–German Baroque composer Giovanni Benedetto Platti. Galang is the first pianist to record the first 12 sonatas of Platti on a modern instrument, earning praises from famous German music critic, Klaus Geitel and German Music Magazines.

 

His pedagogic accomplishments at the Berlin Piano School include his student Mr. Kon-Ui Pak, who won at the Ettlingen International Piano Competition in 2010 and was awarded the Baerenreiter Urtext Prize. Galang teaches at the Berlin Piano School since 2010 and is currently the Director of Music Performance and Chairman of the Piano Department of the Philippine Women's University. He is also a senior lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Music.