LIST: Catch RJ Jimenez, Madge Reyes, The Basyang Kid, and more at CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026

Imagine an immersive event that lets you enjoy the different facets of the Philippines’ performing arts industry, with artists from other countries joining in. 

This is what you can expect at CREATEPhilippines x Manila International Performing Arts Market (MIPAM) 2026, which will happen from Sept. 11 to 13 at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls and the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez at the CCP. The event is co-presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

It’ll be more than just a performing arts festival, though. Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 will be a marketplace dedicated to the promotion, exchange, and internationalization of the Philippine performing arts sector. It promises to bring together various players in the performing arts ecosystem—artists, producers, presenters, cultural institutions, and other sector enablers—to generate leads and business opportunities for the industry as a whole. 

That means being part of CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 will not only give performing artists a platform to present a showcase to a wider audience, but it will also be a way to build stability and longevity in their creative practice.

Indeed, the market aspect sets CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM apart from other festivals. With the CREATEPhilippines-organized business-to-business (B2B) component as an integral part of its programming, the event aims to connect artists and performing arts organizations with potential investors. By pitching ideas and performances to the business delegates invited by CITEM, members of the performing arts sector can discover avenues to get their dream projects off the ground and even find long-term collaborators for multiple creative ventures.

Here are just some of the artists and organizations who will grace the event and are taking the chance to drive both their artistry and business forward.

 Madge Reyes

A former Ballet Philippines soloist and an Asian Cultural Council Fellow, Madge Reyes continues to expand her practice across both physical and digital spaces as a movement artist, choreographer, curator, producer, and director. As an extension of her personal practice, she founded Fifth Wall, an independent platform dedicated to presenting dance through multidisciplinary expression. The platform creates space for movement beyond conventional performance settings, bridging communities through performance, film, exhibition, discussion, and other collaborative forms. Photo from Madge Reyes’ Instagram account.

Leandro Reyes

The Basyang Kid, a.k.a. Leandro Reyes, has big dreams for the sustained growth of spoken word poetry in the Philippines. To foster new talent and bridge artists and pocket communities, he combines an academic perspective with an inclusive approach, producing events that make the art form more accessible to the public. Reyes has also integrated spoken word poetry with music through the band All Purpose Flower, merging jazz and Manila sound with lyrical lines that ride the groove as they unfurl an evocative narrative. Photo from Leandro Reyes.

RJ Jimenez

Since entering the entertainment scene 20 years ago via Pinoy Dream Academy, pop-rock musician RJ Jimenez has been working continuously, writing songs for film and TV commercials that feature his ear for chill melodies and penchant for catchy lyrics. He has also worked as a stage actor, a music producer, and a musical director. Jimenez is just one of the music artists that Spot Talent Management of the integrated brand experience agency Vantage will represent at CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026. Photo from Vantage.  

Banda Kawayan Pilipinas

Creating resonant rhythms and playing lilting melodies with bamboo instruments since 1973, Banda Kawayan Pilipinas has performed all over Asia, Europe, and North America. To foreign audiences, the Manila-based performing arts ensemble represents the richness and continued relevance of traditional Filipino culture and bamboo craftsmanship wherever they go. To fellow Filipinos, though, their music immediately feels like home. Photo from Banda Kawayan Pilipinas.

Darren Vega

An award-winning Filipino composer, arranger, pianist, and music educator, Darren Vega has gained recognition in the Philippine and international choral music scene through his practice and body of work, which span composition, arranging, performance, and collaborative music projects. He also founded the Darren Vega’s Music School in Los Baños, Laguna, where he mentors young musicians and contributes to the development of the next generation of Filipino artists. Photo from Darren Vega.  

Dimiao Children’s Rondalla

Hailing from Bohol, the Dimiao Children’s Rondalla has held concerts all over the country and abroad. In 2000, the school-based musical group won the Grand Prize for the National Music Competitions for Young Artists’ Children’s Rondalla category, and just last year, it participated in Central Visayas’ winning attempt at a Guinness World Record for the largest Rondalla ensemble. With its members’ ages ranging from 9 to 13 years old, the group is proof that love for music and symphonic excellence isn’t bound by age. Photo from the Dimiao Children’s Rondalla.

DrumStart

A pioneering drum circle facilitation company in the Philippines, DrumStart was founded by professional musician Ryan Peralta in 2006 with the intent to offer community rhythm and team-building events centered around drumming. It has since empowered and energized a variety of local and international companies and organizations, galvanizing as few as 20 participants to a 10,000-strong crowd. Photo from DrumStart.

The IllVstrado

Herbert Villanueva, known to his audience as The IllVstrado, blends close-up illusion, storytelling, and Filipino cultural identity to create intimate magic experiences where ordinary objects and moments are transformed into something strange, cinematic, and deeply personal. A performer who has graced the stages of various live entertainment venues, institutions, and cultural spaces across the country, as well as more intimate settings, The IllVstrado is a master of putting together a show that weaves themes of memory, folklore, nostalgia, and homecoming, designed to feel less like watching tricks and more like witnessing impossible moments unfold in real life. Photo from The IllVstrado.

RVERB

The Cebu-based label, production house, and music collective RVERB is elevating the Cebuano music scene with its efforts to integrate the local original music industry with the DJ scene. More than transforming local hits into club bangers, RVERB sees its work as community building, connecting artists and audiences on a singular platform and providing them both with opportunities to create fresh and exciting experiences. Photo from RVERB.

WhiteLight Creative Productions

The non-profit performing arts group WhiteLight Creative Productions harnesses the transformative power of theater to reach communities, particularly the youth, and inspire them to awaken to purposeful living. Its productions touch on social realities, approached through an evangelical lens, and offer hope and positive values. WhiteLight Creative Productions is composed of young volunteers, all of whom are committed to using the power of creativity in nation-building. Photo from WhiteLight Creative Productions.

Aside from artists, CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 will also have industry partners and sector enablers presenting the breadth of what the country’s performing arts industry can do.

One of them is the 1,710-seating Newport Performing Arts Theater. Located at the heart of Newport World Resorts, it has served as the stage for major musical productions such as Bituing Walang Ningning, The Sound of Music, The King and I, and Ang Huling El Bimbo. Elegantly designed and featuring state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, including a revolving stage, the theater is also a major venue for concerts, plays, exclusive productions, and more. 

The presence of the Newport Performing Arts Theater and more at CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026 underscores the necessary connection between artists and other sectors within the performing arts industry. By bringing together the different members of the ecosystem, the event hopes to open new pathways for artistic exchange, collaboration, and development.