“This string quartet’s title is derived from Filipino composer and ethnomusicologist José Maceda, who asked the question, ‘what does this have to do with coconuts and rice?’ when he observed how the Filipino classical music scene consistently preferred Western and Western-stylized music rather than music Indigenous to the Philippines or works that take inspiration from Indigenous Philippine concepts. Maceda’s goal through his compositions was to fuse Western and Filipino characteristics to both spotlight the qualities of traditional Philippine music and showcase how Western music can be expanded upon by embracing the ideas and concepts evident in Southeast Asian music. Maceda’s combination of Filipino and Western music has inspired me to also incorporate elements from both styles into my own writing, such as with this string quartet.

Maceda’s fusion of Southeast Asian and Western styles is also a testament to the equal significance of both the pre-Hispanic and Westernized aspects of Filipino culture and history in relation to the Filipino identity, which resonated with me as a Filipino-American who has chronically struggled with having one foot in both cultures but seemingly no welcomed place in any. Maceda also inspired me to embrace the multiple aspects of my heritage and to come to terms with the fact that being a Filipino-American does not make me less of a Filipino or an American. So when my mind transforms Maceda’s wondrous inquiry, ‘what does this have to do with coconuts and rice?’ into an internalized jab at my place in Filipino culture, I now answer back, ‘It has to do with everything!’”

—AJ Francisco