StageThe

THE UST CONSERVATORY OF MUSICSTUDENT JOURNAL

ISSUE NO. 4, MARCH 2010

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Stage Issue No. 4March 2010

EDITORIALBOARD:

Editor-in-ChiefElaine Sara Lim

Managing EditorsJoyce TanKim Villaflores

Associate EditorsKabaitan BautistaHomer Bravo Cabansag

Central Editorial PanelBruce Rivera, headManuel Miguel ConcepcionJeremiah TorresAyla Moredo

Layout EditorsJoyce TanElaine Sara LimKabaitan BautistaAaron Esma

CONTRIBUTORS:

StudentsJonathan CooPepe HerreraMedz Consunji

FacultyProf. Butch RoxasProf. Lyndon AguilarProf. Allan PastranaBb. Teresita Permejo

SPECIALTHANKSTO:

AdviserProf. Allan Pastrana

DeanRaul Sunico, PhD

RegentRev. Fr. Jose Ma. Tinoko, OP

PublisherMade ‘M Printing Services, Inc.

DesignerAislinn Kee

ELAINE JOYCE KIM KAAN

BRUCE MANNY JEREMIAH AYLA

HOMER

AARON

23 From the Soundbooth Editorial

24 Voices Opinion Section

26 Limelight Winners of Recent Competitions

27 Green Room Fun Page

28 Photo Exhibit Concert Pictures

30 Idiot Board Music Trivia

30 Ticket Booth Upcoming Concerts and Events

31 Soundcheck CD Reviews

03 Messages From the Dean, Regent, and Editor

05 Events Gallery News and Happenings in USTCM

09 Encore Concert Reviews

12 World on Stage World News

14 Center Stage Features

19 Special Features Articles by Professors

21 Lines Poetry Section

23 Behind the Velvet Rope Music Journals and Articles

ON THE COVER: MUSIC ACROSS BORDERS

There are no boundaries when it comes to music. It connects people from different parts of the world—knowing no culture, race, or nationality. Heliodoro Fiel’s German teacher Prof. Rolf-Dieter Arens shares his ideas and passion as a musician.

PHOTO BY DOMINIC VELASQUEZ

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ON THE COVER: 16

Contents

Message from the Dean Greetings!

I am pleased to congratulate once more the editorial staff of “STAGE” led by Elaine Lim for providing its exemplary coverage of the Conservatory of Music through interesting articles, anecdotes, and informative news updates. This type of magazine has long been awaited in the Conservatory, which constantly buzzes with many performances and activities by faculty, alumni and students alike. Through STAGE, these events are afforded with added focus and attention. Moreover, specially selected articles are provided for added insight, information, and much food for musical thought.

May publications like STAGE continue its mission of promoting arts and culture through the added angle of the literary. More power, and best wishes as always.

RAUL M. SUNICO, PH.DDEAN

Message from the RegentMy deepest congratulations and appreciation to the staff of The Stage. Your effort and determination to continue the publication of our college organ is admirable and comforting. This student paper was sort of forgotten for several terms until your group came and took over. With you the college organ was not only revived but had also undergone a very welcome transformation both in content and in format. I hope and pray that the next group who will take over will be as conscientious as you are if not as creative. Keep up the good work. I shall always pray for your success.

FR. JOSE MA. B. TINOKO, OPREGENT, UST CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC

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Message from the Editor Repetition is the act of emphasizing an idea or intention, and the third often connotes a great deal of insistence. Because of this, I really feel grateful for another issue that signifies the strong desire of commitment and dedication of our fellow musicians in communicating through this journal. One issue is not an easy task. Four issues are somewhat identical to four baby theses. The Stage is also fortunate enough to have more interested writers and contributors. This is indeed encouraging. I would like to thank all the people who have helped in keeping this publication going. Through different audition exams, we have found six highly qualified staffers to be a part of the new editing team. I am hoping that many will join and continue this “heritage” of music journalism. The search for staffers alone had revealed some hidden gold waiting to be heated and molded. Let us hope that the fifth issue will be a dream fulfilled in the next semester. So if anyone of you is itching to write, do contribute, and we will truly appreciate it. This issue contains articles that are all about integrity and passion. I do believe that any serious musician or artist can relate to these two themes. As the elections approach, we are bombarded with dirty politicking and crab-mentality; in such a context, these two powerful words are perhaps what we need to bring positive changes.

P.S. Let me also take this opportunity to ask if you are willing to become the next editor-in-chief. Auditions are now open. Please e-mail us at writer.thinker@gmail.com if you are interested.

Glad to be of service. Happy reading.

Signing off,

ELAINE SARA LIM

Guitar Week: 'Tara Na!Recounting the successful celebration of The USTCM Guitar Department's annual Guitar Week

El Sistema: Transforming Lives through MusicThe musical project by Jose Antonio Abreu that bridges social gaps and transforms the lives of the Venezuelan youth

Just SingingFeaturing the Korean soprano Yun-Kyoung Yi and her thoughts on music

Photo Exhibits: Love Unspoken and Sampung mga Daliri

Noch ein Besuch (Another Visit) Rolf-Dieter Arens returns to the Philippines and talks about his passion for music.

2010 sees the anniversaries of three great romantic composersHow the world commemorates Chopin, Schumann, and Mahler this 2010

WHAT’SINSIDE:

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Korean Soprano Yun-Kyoung Yi in Manila BY JOYCE TAN

Tour de Force Performances with 8 Maestros: Jae-Joon Lee, Yun-Kyoung Yi, Noel Azcona, and Randy Gilongo with the PPOAs a part of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert series, Tour de Force Performances with 8 Maestros, Jae-Joon Lee conducted the said orchestra last November 12, 2009 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Performing with him were Korean soprano Yun-Kyoung Yi, baritone Noel Azcona, and tenor Randy Gilongo.

The program featured the orchestra’s rendition of Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture Op. 9, Yun-Kyoung Yi’s solo performances of Delibes’ “Les Filles de Cadix” and Verdi’s “E strano!...Sempre libera” from La Traviata, Randy Gilongo’s solo performance of Giordano’s “Come un bel di di maggio” from Andrea Chenier, and Noel Azcona and Yi’s duet of Verdi’s “Tutte le feste al tempio-Piangi” from Rigoletto. Dvorak’s Symphony No.8 in G Major Op. 88, “The English”, was also performed as the concert’s finale.

Bel Canto: Korean soprano Yun-Kyoung Yi and pianist Najib IsmailOn November 16, 2009, Korean soprano Yun-Kyoung Yi and collaborating artist Najib Ismail performed in the concert “Bel Canto” held at the Philamlife auditorium at 7:30 pm. The concert also included performances by baritone Noel Azcona and tenor Randy Gilongo.

The programme included the arias of Mozart, Scarlatti, Handel, Rossini, Verdi, Delibes, Obradors, Gounod, and Meyerbeer. Throughout the concert, Yi’s performances were very well received with several standing ovations and resounding cheers from the audiences. Yun-Kyoung Yi and pianist Najib Ismail also performed Nicanor Abelardo’s “Mutya ng Pasig” as one of their encores. The last performance for the evening then came after a short speech delivered by the esteemed Korean conductor Jae-Joon Lee.

The concert’s opening remarks were given by Dr. Raul Sunico, dean of the UST Conservatory of Music, and Fidel Calalang, Jr., conductor of the UST Singers and head of the conservatory’s conducting department.

On the nights of the 30th and 31st of January, the UST Conservatory of Music held the Love Unspoken Concert at the CCP Main Theater. The concert, directed by Floy Quintos, featured the entire Voice Department Faculty, selected Conservatory alumni and voice students, guests Andrew Fernando and Clarissa Ocampo, and the UST Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Prof. Herminigildo Ranera.

The first part featured solo performances by Rachelle Gerodias

Love UnspokenBY AYLA MOREDO

and Clarissa Ocampo for Quel guardo il cavaliere….So anch’io la virtu magia from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and O mio Fernando from Donizetti’s La Favoritta respectively, Andrew Fernando for Te Deum from Puccini’s Tosca, and Professors Irma Potenciano and Gloria Coronel for Io Son L’umille Ancella from Cilea’s Adrianna Le Couvreuer and Air des bijoux from Gounod’s Faust respectively. Other performances were two quartets, one quintet, and one sextet rendered by Rachelle Gerodias, Clarissa Ocampo,

Andrew Fernando, Randy Gilongo, Nenen Espina, Lemuel dela Cruz, Eugene de los Santos, Jun Francis Jaranilla, Naomi Sison, Christoval Tan, Elisanta Cortes, Ferleoni Medina, Nohmer Nival, Minette Padilla, Ronan Ferrer, Patrice Pacis, and Thea Perez-Prosia.

The second part brought on an operetta medley and songs from well-loved broadway musicals such as The Sound of Music and West Side Story where members of the USTCM Dance Troupe appeared and danced

to America. All female and all male ensembles made up of voice professors from the conservatory came out to render broadway hits like America from Bernstein’s West Side Story and Stouthearted Men from Romberg’s New Moon. Professors Gloria Coronel and Irma Potenciano once again rendered solo performances of The Sound of Music and Climb Every Mountain from Rodgers and Hamerstein’s The Sound of Music. For the finale, the whole cast came out to sing the title song Love Unspoken.

E V E N T S G A L L E R Y : N E W S A N D H A P P E N I N G S I N U S T C M

Gerodias-Fernando ConcertBY MANUEL MIGUEL CONCEPCION • PHOTO BY MYLS COMBO

Gerodias and Fernando were presented by ROS Music center at the Philamlife Theater on Jan. 22, 8 pm.

With the special participation of pianist Raul Sunico, the vocal event showcased a program that included “Quel guardo il cavaliere” (from Don Pasquale by Donizetti), “Hai gia vinta la causa” (from Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart), “Bei

Maennern” (duet from Die Zauberfloete by Mozart), “Tanto amore...Tu che di gel sei cinta” (from Turandot by Puccini), “Questo amor” (from Edgar by Puccini), “Figlia...Mio padre!” (duet from Rigoletto by Verdi), Aimer (from Romeo et Juliette), “So In Love” (from Kiss Me Kate), “I Have Dreamed” ( from The King and I), “This is My Beloved” (from Kismet) and “Wheels of a Dream” (from Ragtime).

Now on it’s seventh year, the UST Christmas Concert has taken shape and has evolved into something that is truly spectacular. Performers include USTeMundo Ethnic Ensemble, Coro Tomasino under Prof. Ronan Ferrer, Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble under Prof. Eugene de los Santos, UST Singers under Prof. Fidel Gener Calalang, Jr., Ust Jazz Ensemble Under Mario Martin Tolentino, Tiples de Santo Tomas also under prof. Eugene de los Santos ans UST Symphony Orchestra conducted by Herminigildo Ranera.

Solo performers were

rendered by Rachelle Gerodias, soprano; Naomi Paz Sison, soprano; Thea Perez-Prosia, soprano; Nenen Espina, soprano; Andrew Fernando, baritone; Abdul Candao, tenor; Lemuel dela Cruz, tenor; Eugene De Los Santos, tenor; Ferleoni Medina, soprano; Christian Paul Anthony Nagano, tenor; Marie-Anne Dominese, soprano; Vincent Evanghelista, tenor.

The program follows: Filipino Christmas Medley (Simbang Gabi, Sa Paskong Darating, Noche Buena, Pasko Nanaman) arranged by N. Ranera; Mille Cherubine in Coro and Good King

Wenceslas by F. Shubert, arranged by O. Dela Cruz; Ave Maria from “A Winter Symphony” arranged by P. P. Cifra; As Long as there’s Christmas by D. Black, arranged by J.N. Cabuguas; Christmas Rock Medley ( Jingle Bell Rock, I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus) arranged by M. M. Tolentino; Angus Dei by G. Bizet, Adeste/Hark The Herald Angels Sing arranged by H. Ranera; When A Child Is Born arranged by J.N. Cabuguas; Gesu Bambino by Pietro Yon; Alles was Odem Nat Lobet dem Hern by J.S. Bach; Ave Maria by M. Lauridsen; It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year arranged

UST Christmas Concert Gala 09BY JEREMIAH TORRES

by F. Calalang; Munting Saranggola by R. Cayabyab; What Chlid is This? arranged by H. Ranera; Tectum Principium from “Oratorio de Noel” by C. Saint-Saens; Alleluia from “Exulate Jubilate” by W.A. Mozart; The Virgin Mary had A Baby Boy, a traditional; Christmas Cherry Tree and Carol Of the Animals arranged by M.P. Maramba, OSB; Christmas Medley ( Joy to the World, we Wish You A Merry Christmas, Angels We Have Heard On High, Hallelujah Chorus) arranged by H. Ranera.

The 7th UST Christsmas Concert was held at The UST Chapel last December 3, 7:00 pm.

Celebrating BeethovenBY KABAITAN BAUTISTA

“Celebrating Beethoven” was a concert held last November 11, 2009, 7:30 pm at the Philamlife Auditorium, U.N. Avenue, Manila. The concert was a tribute to one of the greatest transitional composers of all time, Ludwig van Beethoven. Three of his monumental works marking the beginning of his middle period, Creatures of Prometheus Op.43, Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor Op.37, Symphony No.3 “Eroica” in E flat major Op.55, were performed that evening by the UST Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Solares. Pianist Peter John Marie Porticos was the featured soloist of the concert.

Just MozartBY JOYCE TAN

Last February 18 at 8 in the evening, the UST Conservatory of Music presented a concert titled Just Mozart at the Philamlife Auditorium which featured the UST Symphony Orchestra with conductor Herminigildo Ranera and pianist Najib Ismail.

The program opened with Mozart’s Overture to “The Marriage of Figaro” K.V.492, followed by his Piano Concerto in A major no. 23 K.V. 488, and closing with Symphony in G minor No. 40 K.V. 550.

48 Nights of Operain Manila, 1865BY ELAINE SARA LIM

A two-hour lecture titled 48 Nights in Opera in Manila, 1865 was held last November 10, 2009 at the Science Education Complex of the Ateneo de Manila University. Dartmouth College musicologist and music historian Dr. William John Summers presented his research on the operas performed in Manila almost 150 years ago. As a part of Ateneo Fine Arts Lecture Series, this event was made possible by Fine Arts director Benilda Santos, coordinator Fr. Rene Javellana, Music Literature coordinator Peter Porticos, among

others. Dr. Summers, who has been exploring the musical past of Manila since his first visit in 1996, based his data on Manila’s daily newspapers related to the public and professional arts in the city.

The lecture also featured live performances of University of Santo Tomas students who rendered bel canto arias. Ricel Guiman, Vida Mirang, Nohmer Nival, Ferleoni Medina, Sung-Hye Sim, along with pianist Farley Asuncion, performed seven works by Bellini, Verdi, and Donizetti before and after the lecture.

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Ferleoni Medina singsLucio San PedroBY MIGUEL CONCEPCION

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra presented a concert of Lucio San Pedro’s symphonic works last February 11, 8 in the evening, at the Cultural Center of The Philippines main theatre. The concert which is part of the PPO’s 27th Concert Season titled The PPO Signature Series Tour de Force Performances with 8 Maestros, was conducted by Agripino “Nonoy” V. Diestro.

The program opened with Jubilate March, a work originally for symphonic band that was also arranged for the symphony orchestra in 1991 for the CCP tribute to the national artist awardees, among whom the composer was also a recipient. The March was then followed by vocal-orchestral works of San Pedro namely: Diwata

Ferleoni Medina singsLucio San PedroBY MIGUEL CONCEPCION

Ng Pag-ibig (Goddess of Love), Sa Ugoy ng Duyan (Sway of the Cradle) from San Pedro’s Suite Pastoral, and Lupang Mahal ng Araw (Land Loved by the Sun).

The featured soloist of the concert was University of Sto. Tomas alumni and 2007 National Music Competition for Young Artist voice Category C 1st price winner, soprano Ferleoni I. Medina.

After Lupang Mahal ng Araw and the intermission, Diestro concluded the program with the tone poem Ang Buwan Sa Kabundukan, and symphonic poem Lahing Kayumanggi. After the program proper, Agripino Diestro asked the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” with the orchestra as a final tribute to Lucio San Pedro as it was also the 97th anniversary.

UST Chamber Orchestrain ConcertBY ELAINE SARA LIM

The University of Santo Tomas String Department, in cooperation with the Instituto Cervantes Manila, and Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation, presented UST Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Prof. Renato Lucas. The concert was held last February 5 at the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences. The program started with Handel’s Entrance of the Queen of Sheba from his oratorio Solomon (1748). Grieg’s five movement work Suite in the Olden Times, also known as the “Holberg’s Suite”, followed. After the intermission, the chamber orchestra rendered Haydn’s Cello Concerto No.1 in C Major Hob. VIIb/1 with cellist Iñaki Etxepare from Irún, who also rendered a short folk tune as his encore.

The UST Guitar department held a fundraising concert titled “Villancicos de Guitara (Carols of the Guitar)” last December 17, 2009 at the mezzanine level of the University of Sto. Tomas Museum inside UST’s Main Building.

The first part of the fundraising concert for the Guitar Department’s projects opened with six dances from M. Praetorius’ Terpsichore, specifically the Courante, Bouree, Spagnoletta, Gavote, Ballet, and Volte, performed by the UST Guitar Ensemble. Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto in G for Two Mandolins arranged by Elias Barreiro for four guitars was then performed by Normando Vilas, Angelica Vinculado, Rafael Ronquillo, and John Angeles. The Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by

UST Guitar Departmentholds fundraising concertBY MANUEL MIGUEL CONCEPCION

Palay, Bigas, KaninThe National Arts Month – Ani ng Sining Celebration, in cooperation with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts featured the Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble and the USTeMundo last February 18, on 4:30 pm at the Patio Maria, Ground Floor, Albertus Magnus Building. The concert Palay, Bigas, Kanin, which was turned into a short narrative play, was an interactive communal activity, as the cast gave a variety of Philippine “Kakanin” and other products made out of rice during the concert.

Palay, Bigas, Kanin is originally a series of songs, with text by Vim Nadera set to music by Joey Ayala and Dong Abay. Like the Radio Active Sago Project, this is a commissioned project of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, that presents an abstraction of the utmost importance of rice in the Philippine society.

Rice is the most staple product that we have and is undeniably a part of our every meal. Like other Asian countries, rice is a beautiful representation of our culture.

Masterclasses and SeminarsVoice MasterclassYun-Kyoung YiNovember 13, 2009 “Bel Canto”Simona Ferni (Mezzo Soprano) Gian Luca Pasolini (Tenor)November 25-26, 2009

Piano MasterclassThomas HechtDecember 2009

Lecture Recital on BeethovenProf. Peter PorticosJanuary 5, 2010

“January Jubilation”Kathy Daniel (Flute)Leslie Daniel-Newman (Flute)Kaju Lee (Piano)January 11, 2010

Percussion MasterclassDamion FrigillanaJanuary 13, 2010

Conducting MasterclassJae-Joon LeeJanuary 22, 2010

String MasterclassWilliam Barton &Orava String QuartetJanuary 27, 2010

Piano MasterclassRolf-Dieter ArensFebruary 15-18, 2010

Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged by the department’s coordinator Prof. Ruben F. Reyes, was then performed by the guitar ensemble which closed the first part of the concert.

After the intermission, Professor Reyes and Homer Cabansag took the stage as they performed Fernando Sor’s L’encouragement for Two Guitars arranged by N. Coste, and Ennio Morriconne’s Cinema Paradiso arranged by Noriyasu Takeuchi. The guitar quartet returned and performed C. Machado’s Brazillian Dances. The concert was concluded by the UST Guitar Ensemble playing L. Almeida’s Brazilian Suite and Astor Piazolla’s Libertango, also arranged by Prof. Reyes.

Competitions• February, 20th – 28th, National Chopin

Piano Competition, Olympia Theater at Gusman Centre of the Performing Arts, Miami (USA)

• March, Chopin Piano Competition, Geneve (Switzerland)

• March, 11th – 15th, III “Chopin + ...” International Piano Competition for the youth to the age of 15, Budapest (Hungary)

• March 11th – 15th, IV International Chopin Piano Competition for the youth to the age of 25, Budapest (Hungary)

• April 26th – 31st Forum Competition, Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine)

Source: http://www.ifcS.pl/index.php?pokaz=2010 _ en&menu=menu _ en

Robert SchumannJUNE 1810 – JULY 1856

Compared to Mahler and Chopin events, Schumann festivals are rare beasts. The first place to look is Schumann’s birthplace in Zwickau, Germany: from January 1st, the Robert Schumann Haus in Zwickau will open an exhibition of Schumann’s family publishing house. It will also host the first concert of the year. The main events will take place in Zwickau from 4th June and will include two performances of Schumann’s only opera, Genoveva.

In Berlin, the Konzerthaus are putting on a series of concerts between January and the start of June of both Schumann’s piano music and a fair selection of his larger works too, with the most unusual, a recital of Schumann and Liszt’s work for narrator and pianist on 2nd June.

On 14th March at Staatsoper Berlin, both Barenboim and Lang Lang will perform together Andante and Variations for two pianos, Op.46.

Glasgow City Halls is putting on a series of 5 concerts for Schumann at 200 with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

The Sage at Gateshead have Northern Sinfonia offering a selection of his works.

The Schumann Festivals you may not have heard about are the 27th - 31st July Robert and Clara Schumann Festival at Allhelgonakyrkan,

Frederyk ChopinMARCH 1810 – OCTOBER 1849

Regular Festivals• June, 20th – July 14th 2010, 26è Festival

“Chopin à Paris”, Orangerie du Parc Bagatelle, Paris

• July – August 2010, Festival “Rencontres Internationales Frédéric Chopin”, Nohant (France)

• August, 6th – 14th 2010, 64th International Chopin Piano Festival, Duszniki Zdrój (Poland)

• August, 19th – 22nd 2010, 26th Chopin Festival, Kartause Gaming (Austria)

• August 2010, 29th Festival “Chopin 2010”, Cartoixa de Valldemossa (Mallorca)

• August 2010, 51st Chopin Festival Mariánské Lazné, Mariánské Lazné (Czech Republic)

• October 2010, Festival “Pianotune” Hasselt (Belgium)

• November 2010, Festival Chopin 2010, Grand Hall of the Conservatory, Geneve (Switzerland)

Occasional Festivals• February 10th – November 14th 2010,

Taiwan Chopin Bicentennial Gala Festival, Taipei (Taiwan)

• February, 27th – March 1st 2010, Festival “Chopin 2010”, Maasmechelen (Belgium)

• March 2010, Tirana Chopin Festival, Tirana (Albania)

• March – July 2010, “Chopin Festival in Jerusalem”, Jerusalem (Israel)

• April 2010, Chopin Festival, Vancouver (Canada)

• September, 25th – 26th 2010, The Finish Chopin Festival for Young Pianists, Sibelius Academy, Helsinki (Finland)

• September – October, International Piano Festival “Chopiniana”, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

in Stockholm whose Artistic Director is Bengt Forsberg, and the Music for Galway series featuring the music of both Chopin and Schumann.

Ballet lovers will find some Schumann music used alongside others in ballets across Europe such as Papillons, Nijinsky and Chopin.

Schumann’s house in Bonn where he spent the later years of his life can still be visited http://www.schumannhaus-bonn.de/language/eng.htm.

Source: http://www.bachtrack.com/anniverSary-200th-Schumann

Gustav MahlerJULY 1860 – MAY 1911

The biggest Mahler Festival will take place at the Konserthus in Stockholm in March, where all ten symphonies and Das Lied von der Erde will be performed within a twelve day period.

If you live in Australia you will have the chance to see and hear more Mahler than for many years, with both Adelaide Festival and Sydney Symphony performing Symphony no. 8 this year, and Sydney putting on several Symphonies during the year.

In total around the world we know of seven performances of the Symphony no. 8 (nicknamed Symphony of a Thousand because of the 1068 performers at its première).

In the UK, the main Mahler celebrations will happen at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester with the BBC Philharmonic, The Hallé and Manchester Camerata putting on all the Symphonies within a five month period. Apart from the very longest symphonies, each concert will see the Mahler paired with a new work by a young composer.

In Colorado the usual Mahlerfest will take place at Boulder in May with free Mahler Chamber concerts in the weeks leading up to the main ticketed event of Mahler’s 3rd Symphony.

Since Mahler was born in Czech, there will be many events to mark the anniversary at Jihlava in the Czech-Moravian highlands.http://www.czechtourism.com/eng/uk/docs/kalendar/data/mahler2010.html.

Source: http://www.bachtrack.com/anniverSary-150th-mahler

2010 SEES THEANNIVERSARIESOF THREE GREAT ROMANTICCOMPOSERS.

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SINGAPORE BASED FILIPINO PIANIST Albert Tiu had once again brought a delectable treat other than the usual programme we usually hear in the Manila concert scene. He offered something not every pianist dares to do, and he did it brilliantly. Last November 23 at the UP Abelardo Hall, he gave a recital titled “Nocturnal Fantasies II”. This recital was a sequel to his first Chopin/Scriabin recital last 2006, juxtaposing Chopin and Scriabin pieces with the same title in pairs. Who would have thought that both of these composers have etudes in F sharp subtitled with insect names(Op. 25 and 42 – “Butterfly” and “Mosquito”)? One can tell that Scriabin was a great fan of Chopin right from the start.

His eight-pair program consisted of etudes, waltzes, mazurkas, preludes, nocturnes, fantasies, and impromptus. There was so much to admire about his playing. Every pair was performed with consistent clarity. Other than playing note-perfectly, one could notice that every line was poured with generous sincerity.

As a natural Chopin interpreter, Albert Tiu seemed to grasp fully the composer’s poetic idiom. His rendition of the Polonaise-Fantasie Op. 61 was an organic transition of different characters with its many changes in harmony and structure. The Scriabin Sonata-Fantasie Op.19 was paired with it, which was given with so much insight towards its oceanic program. The sonata’s mystical and haunting rendition was contrasted with his deep expressive melodies. An electrifying rush of virtuosity takes on the agitated presto movement with overpowering effects.

This recital has shown Albert Tiu’s vast palette of dynamic levels and color shadings. In the Nocturne in D-flat Major Op.27, one can hear how he varied a repeated familiar passage by exploring its different sides. His different gradations and qualities of pianissimos were clever means for playing around with one basic mood. What followed is the lighter

D-flat Nocturne of Scriabin Op. 9, which is popular among the narrow genre of works for the left hand. As if played by two hands, Albert Tiu managed to bring out several voices with different qualities of tone. Instead of rushing as not to disrupt the line, he took his time, savouring the piece’s lush and alluring suggestions. Alongside came with a quirky attitude, coinciding with his yearning and outbursts. How did he do that?

Two Impromptu’s in the same tonality, Chopin’s Op. 51 in G-flat and Scriabin’s Op. 12 in F-sharp were very similar despite of their subtle differences in their sentiments. In his hands, these “improvisations” were breathtakingly played in a sense that these had suddenly sprung out of sudden inspiration.

Chopin’s Op. 49 Fantasie in F Minor and Scriabin’s Op. 28 Fantasie in B Minor were the last pair of the hardcore programme. The Chopin was started with sinister march which was sanctified by the consequent upper phrase. His sensitivity towards color changes and character contrasts is coupled with his unfettered imagination and musicality. His great facilities had conquered the work’s stormy dexterity. He then portrayed the music’s solemnity that later built up into a triumphant refrain, with the first one being a playful dance and the second one being a majestic defiance. On the other hand, the immensely difficult and turbulent Scriabin was crystalline and well-planned. It was the last piece, yet he was still agile, pouring every last bit of strength in the massive chords. Though the earlier pieces were played more spontaneously, his climactic moments burst with fire, which caused deep sighs.

Despite the hefty treat, the listeners were greedy for an encore. Albert Tiu then played Godowsky’s transcription of Saint-Saens’ La Cygne (The Swan) with its calming chromatic colors as subtle effects for the lovely melody.

The audience did not ask for more this time. A night full of dolce serenading had already induced a rush of sugar overload.

Hardcore Chopinand ScriabinBY ELAINE SARA LIM

E N C O R E : C O N C E R T R E V I E W S

THE UST CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC Guitar Department mounted once again their annual Guitar Week celebration. The first week of February was like music week again. A giant tarpaulin was hung displaying activities for the week: The Opening Concert, Guitar Clinic with Dr. Fones, Film Showing schedules, Leo Brouwer Festival, Gawa Pinoy, and Huling Hirit. The Booth’s of both Book Wagon and Lyric Music, were present to sell their music merchandise in the 5th floor lobby. Opening ConcertThe Opening concert started with M. Praetorius’ Terpsichore that swept away audiences to a time long ago- reminiscent of medieval ages. Prof. Ruben F. Reyes who arranged and conducted this fascinating music, gave much emphasis on the dynamics during the performance. This delicate sensitivity to the balance of the ensemble captured the audience, as it was quite interesting to hear clearly the “inner” voices of the harmony of the composition. The performance of the last dance Volte, with its sudden shift to “double time” impressed the audience for the reason that the ensemble remained intact and played consistently “clean”. What followed was the performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Mandolins performed by (The Humanities Guitar Quartet): Norman Villas, Neil Chua, John Angeles, and Angelica “Iqui” Vinculado, their performance was marked by confidence particularly the dialogues between Norman and Angelica. It is particularly interesting to mention that these dialogues contrasted very much—here was the brusque of a man and the delicateness of a woman!

The Guitar Ensemble returned and finished the concert with a crowd pleaser: Astor Piazolla’s Libertango which was arranged for Guitar ensemble by Prof Reyes.

Leo Brouwer FestivalFebruary 3, 2010 marked the first day of the Leo Brouwer Festival which featured all of his twenty Estudios Sencillos for Guitar and ten Nuevos Sencillos. The second day of the festival was more interesting, as it featured a mixture of guitar solos, duets, quartet pieces, and the impressive guitar playing skills of professors Alvin Salenga, James

Namit, and Alberto Mesa. Of the solo performances that really left an impression Prof. Reyes’ interpretation of one of Leo Brouwer’s most modern works: La Espiral Eterna (The Eternal Spiral).

This piece, which stresses that every organic being has DNA, requires much musical maturity. Before playing he said, “This is one of my old favorites,” then read the inscription of the composer in the score to guide the audience of its intention. His performance made my mind project colliding micro-organisms in a microscope. Despite the ultra-modern style, I observed that no one left the room, no one made unnecessary noises, no one slept, and everybody was hooked!

Gawa PinoyGawa pinoy featured the guitar compositions of the UST Composition Department. People got to hear first Kim Nimrod Cruz’s Sa Kanyang Sinapupunan which won first place Solo Guitar Competition last year.

Kabaitan Bautista’s two short compositions for guitar duet “1” and “2 (Un Momento)” had greatly contrasted each other as “1” is in the conservative contrapuntal style analogous to Bach, and “2” is in a more contemporary idiom. The opening arpeggiated chords of “2” conveyed a rich blue Mediterranean sea viewed from a Greek villa with the sun at its peak. As you view the sea you remember valuable moments-some sweet, some bitter (splurged by the dissonance), but valuable anyway. Kabaitan said in his program, “A moment may be an indefinitely short period of time or a stage, as in a course of events.” There was a disruption in the piece by a dissonant chord as if one’s reminiscing thought was disturbed. Then the music went back towards the 1st material as if one’s focus was in the ocean again, and then it suddenly ended!

Val Cabigting composed Insomnia and Sand. The first piece captured its intention but I feel that such music is better suited for “personal” playing or performance akin to the intention of Beethoven in some of his late string quartets, rather than it being a concert music. Though it was not called a nocturne, it powerfully conveys a message about the night in a very new, honest and personal way. In his program notes, Cabigting mentioned that the piece was inspired from his sleep disorder insomnia. Oh how I feel for him! The instability one gets from such condition was

LOOKING BACKAT THE PERFORMANCESDURING “TARA NA”,THE 2009-2010 S.Y.GUITAR WEEK.

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powerfully presented. In the performance of Roman Gerard Enguero and Angelica Vinculado, a mechanical metronome was placed behind them throughout the piece. The players are not to follow the beat and tempo of the metronome. The sound of the metronome opposed to the two guitarist’s own tempo to imitate the tick-tock of the clock a person hears when he can’t sleep. I hope that a transcription for solo guitar will be made. Sand had a very strong melody. The themes in Sand however could have been developed more. But the second part of this composition presents sophistication in progression and counterpoint.

John Luke Jose’s Three Year Old Composer: Knights, Monsters and Dragons for guitar quartet also has a very strong melody. Its opening conveyed the galloping of a horse using the tonic minor and sub-dominant 6th chord which instantly brings you to another dimension. Then the knight’s theme was presented: one sees the legs and hears the gallop of a white horse through a clearing in a forest, then you realize that the one riding this horse is the protagonist knight, then suddenly out of the trees other knights/horsemen follows him (the theme is repeated)-they make this impressive formation! Then….the transition came!

I wanted more of that theme presented again and possibly extended clearly in the home key! I would have preferred that the transition could only have been an extension of the cadence OR considered as a “build up” section; he then could have gone back to the theme presented in a climactic form before going to the development of this theme. His transition passed a series of keys which was very different from the usual in tonal music. He presented the theme in a subtle way—modulating it to different keys over a carpet of dissonance and opposing rhythms! This section of the composition however could also have been lengthened as his main (knight’s) theme for it had lots of potential to be presented in other creative ways. His use of harmonics to portray the sounds of swords and shields was effective, and his use of sliding the string of the guitar to portray the sound of the release of an arrow in a bow was ingenious. His piece was not futile in capturing and presenting its programmatic content.

The last two pieces displayed Timothy Sosmena’s creativeness. He presented the Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office’s theme song

Dampi, in a more artistic manner using a guitar quartet. It was definitely refreshing. His advantage of being a guitarist really came out with his composition Fragments of Memories. This work is full of color and variety. Its musical content presented the concept of polytonality which was inspired by his exposure to ethnic music.

Huling Hirit In the evening of February 5, the Guitar Department presented its

last recital. The repertoire presented was conceived from featured pieces during the week, thus the title “Huling Hirit”.

The Cuban Landscapes with Rhumba had a better performance as the sound of the Rhumba was now better presented compared to the first performance. Sections in the piece were presented with much sensitivity to dynamics and expression by professors Ruben Reyes, James Namit, Alberto Mesa, and Alvin Salenga. Oh how I wish to hear more from this interesting group!

The Guitar Ensemble then performed the Carmen Suite, which was not featured in the previous days. This, in my opinion, was where the Guitar Ensemble shined the most. It was full of liveliness and heat—each guitar’s distinct sound bonded to one another and created a single beautiful sound even in the difficult passages. The bass was distinctively beautiful in its vibrato and warmth. The third movement of the suite could have benefited more with a consistency in pitch, like in the opening Habanera (a retune perhaps for the guitars?).

Closing the recital was a repeat performance of Libertango, with all its brusque and aggressiveness.

The Guitar week Celebration is becoming a strong tradition of innovation and excellence with its uniqueness in exposing its guitar majors to firsthand experience in performance and guitar literature. Its advocacy for the contemporary also contributes to the dissemination of new music of composers like Leo Brouwer. The celebration may even be historically significant in the future in which new works from Filipino composers may one day become staples in Filipino guitar literature. Heck! If Leo Brouwer visits the Philippines, he should definitely listen and give valuable insights to the UST Conservatory’s Guitar Department!

Two keyboard pieces apparently written by an eight-year-old Mozart in around 1764 have been discovered in the library of the Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg. For more than 200 years, the pieces have lain unrecognized within the pages of the famous “Nannerl’s Music Book”, a collection of pieces used by Mozart’s father, Leopold, to tutor his young son and daughter, Maria Anna, or Nannerl, as she was fondly nicknamed.

The two pieces consists of 35 bars of a prelude and a complete 75-bar movement of a concerto (only the solo part was composed) and are both in Leopold’s handwriting. Mozart improvised these at the Keyboard and Leopold transcribed these as his son was not yet able to write out music in any coherent fashion.

Both works show the young composer at an exciting stage in his development. From the age of five, Mozart was improvising minuets at the keyboard, and at seven he was already trying his hand to write symphonies/large ensemble works while on tour on London. These two newly discovered pieces, comparatively imaginative and virtuosic, reveal that the boy must have had a highly developed keyboard technique and a sound grasp of basic harmony.

baSed on the newS article “’new’ mozart found” in bbc muSic magazine, october 2009 iSSue

With a magnificently executed performance of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, Sofya Gulyak of Russia became the first female winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition.

The 29-year-old Russian performed a rousing rendition of Brahms’ famously difficult concerto with the Halle Orchestra under conductor Sir Mark Elder.

“I can’t believe that I’m the first woman to win,” says Gulyak, “but I’m happy just to be in such great company of former winners. Men, women, it’s not important – we’re all musicians.”

Emerging as the most remarkable among five other finalists from an initial field of 68, Gulyak impressed the judges with her refreshing take on the piece. The panel of judges included competition founder Dame Fanny Waterman and Beaux Arts Trio pianist Menahem Pressler.

Pressler made it clear what he wanted to see from the finalists: “I’m looking for a creative musician, a poet. What I’m looking for is the player who makes Mozart transparent, beautiful, caring, tragic, happy, or who makes Chopin really live. We are in an age where records are broken and people run faster than ever, and we’re seeing it in piano playing too – I’ve seen a 14-year-old Chinese boy here play Chopin’s Op. 10 and 25 studies, which used to be thought of as the four-minute mile! The athletics of playing is one thing, but not sufficient – the greatest musicians find something else in the music.”

As it turns out, Gulyak found a connection with her competition piece. Speaking on her choice of the concerto, she says, “[Brahms] is my favorite composer. His music is so deep and full of emotion and has fantastic structure. He was very young when he wrote his First Concerto, but it is so monumental – he had so many things to say.”

With her latest and most high-profile win, Gulyak plans to take it easy with the competition circuit. Pressler, for his part, has no problems with that: “It is wonderful that we have a competition that has brought to the world artists like Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia, but even the people who haven’t won have gone on to do very well after coming to people’s attention here. Fanny Waterman has such taste, and that the competition has been kept so pure is remarkable.”

baSed on the newS article “Sofya gulyak takeS the leedS” in bbc muSic magazine, november 2009 iSSue

Leeds Past Notable Finalists:• 1969 Radu Lupu (winner)• 1972 Murray Perahia (winner)• 1975 Mitsuko Uchida (2nd), András Schiff (3rd)• 1987 Boris Berezovsky (4th)• 2000 Ashley Wass (5th)

Sofya Gulyak Wins Leeds International Piano Competition

BY JEREMIAH TORRES

Russian soprano Ekatarina Shcherbachenko won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World held on June 2009, at Cardiff, Wales. She performed the aria “Signore, ascolta!” from Puccini’s Turandot as well as an extensive English aria “No Word from Tom” from Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress for the finals held at St. David’s Hall. Along with a cash prize of £15,000, she was presented with the Welsh crystal trophy by Joan Sutherland, the competition’s patron.

Shcherbachenko is a member of Moscow’s Bolshoi opera company. She has competed in other international competitions but this is the first time she has garnered the top prize.

“New” MozartPieces foundBY MANUEL MIGUEL CONCEPCION

The Cardiff Winners• BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009

– Ekaterina Shcherbachenko, soprano (Russia)

• Song Prize – Jan Martinik, bass (Czech Republic)

Some Former Cardiff Winners• 2007 – Shen Yang, bass-baritone (China) • 1995 – Katerina Karneus, mezzo-soprano

(Sweden)• 1989 – Dmitri Hvorostovsky, bass-

baritone (Russia)• 1983 – Karita Mattila, soprano (Finland)

The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World was established in 1938 and is held biennially. Twenty-five up and coming opera and concert singers are selected from world-wide auditions to go to Wales for the one week event. From the twenty-five, five are selected by an international jury to go through to the finals. Other awards are the Song Prize and the Audience Prize won by bass Jan Martiník of the Czech Republic and tenor Giordano Lucà of Italy respectively.

baSed from the newS article “bolShoi Soprano in cardiff win” in bbc muSic magazine, auguSt 2009 iSSue

Shcherbachenko: BBC Cardiff Singer of the World BY AYLA MOREDO

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W O R L D O N S TA G E : W O R L D N E W S

“The huge spiritual world that music produces in itself, which also lies within itself, ends up overcoming material poverty. From the minute a child’s taught how to play an instrument, he’s no longer poor.” – JoSé antonio abreu

In 1975, a Venezuelan economist and musician, José Antonio Abreu, envisioned bridging the social gap that continued to grow in his country. He aimed to transform the lives of poor children by providing them opportunities and a promising perspective on life. Music became his solution: through it, he believed, children would be trained to transcend social boundaries and live a life of hope.

From this vision, El Sistema, formally known as Fundación del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela (Fesnojiv), was finally founded. It notably has a humble beginning: for its first rehearsal at a parking garage in Caracas, the group received a donation of fifty

music stands to be used by one hundred young musicians—but only eleven of them attended. This compelled José Antonio Abreu to make a choice, either he would close the program or significantly multiply the number of children. “I decided to face the challenge,” he said, “and on that same night, I promised those eleven children I’d turn our orchestra into one of the leading orchestras in the world.”

Thirty-three years later, this became a reality, when, as Dr. Abreu said, a distinguished English critic published an article in the London Times which ranked the Venezuela’s Youth Symphony Orchestra as the 5th greatest orchestra in the world.

The El Sistema MethodAs a socially oriented music program, El Sistema pulls young people out of poverty and provides them with instruments and music lessons free of charge. As early as 2 or 3 years, children may begin attending music classes in their respective local El Sistema centers called nucleo for up to six days a week, three to four hours a day, plus retreat and workshops to further their understanding of music. After a few months of learning to read music and theory, children enrolled in this program are immediately integrated into an orchestra and are further taught how to play their instruments as a group. In this manner, the project enhances the children’s sense of sound, and more importantly, it trains them to be respectful and responsible for each other, regardless of age, social status, race, and religion. Since its inception, the project has developed dozens of choruses, 30 professional orchestras, 125 youth orchestras, about 15,000 music teachers, and 250,000 students. Some of its distinguished

graduates include the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra that is comprised of 220 musicians, and the renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel: “I studied music since I was four years old, and from that moment I became part of a family. And that family has taught me things; not only musical things, but things I have to face in life, and that is where the success of the system lies.”

El Sistema has received fifty-four awards since 1993 and has become a model of music education throughout the world especially in countries that also aim for social cohesion. These countries include Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Korea, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic, Scotland, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, and Uruguay. El Sistema moreover inspired Musequality, a charity organization established in 2007 that aims to set up and support music programs and extend their reach to the poorest countries in the world. The chief purpose of this charity is “not to produce professional musicians but to give vulnerable children the chance to learn skills that offer them a route out of poverty, lifting them off the streets and away from the risks of drug culture, violence and crime.”

In 2009, El Sistema USA was established, a support and advocacy network that will provide resources for the building, expansion, and support of the El Sistema program throughout the world. The first project of the El Sistema USA is the Abreu Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory. This certificate program provides a free training to postgraduate musicians who are willing to commit themselves to the development of Dr. Abreu’s El Sistema program outside of Venezuela—ultimately, to the social transformation of the world through music.

“This is the future the world needs! Thousands of children making music. Thousands of children enjoying playing an instrument or singing. If it’s possible in Venezuela...why not the rest of the world?” – guStavo dudamel

author’S note: in 2008, a documentary on el SiStema and the Simón bolivar youth orcheStra waS produced, titled The Promise of music. it followed the orcheStra’S preparationS for the 2007 beethoven feStival, in bonn, germany, and it alSo highlightS how the program changed the liveS of itS young muSicianS. thiS film iS truly inSpiring and iS highly recommended.

Music and ApesJapanese Scientists have revealed that chimpanzees have an innate dislike for dissonant music. During their experimentation, a baby chimp named Sakura was played with 18th century works in their original and tonal form. The same was played after with added dissonant harmonies. Sakura consistently opted for the former, when given the choice of what to listen to again. In contrast, Cotton-top tamarin monkeys showed no preference.

baSed on the newS article “primate inveStigationS” in bbc magazine, october 2009 iSSue

Play Me I’m Yours!BY KABAITAN BAUTISTA

Luke Jerram is a bold artist who believes in the works that reflect communities. As a part of the City of London Festival and Sing London Project, 30 of his “Canvasses” are on streets, in public squares and parks, train stations, and markets. These are no ordinary canvasses however because these are the well tuned and fully functional upright pianos. The project has been touring internationally since 2008. It is returning to London this summer 2010.

El Sistema: Transforming Lives through Music BY JOYCE TAN

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These pianos found in seemingly random places are there for three weeks then donated to community groups or local schools. For three weeks, these pianos are free for the public to play or decorate as they wish. A study shows that the qualities of the instrument would reflect the image of their community.

For more information on this creative project, visit www.streetpianos.com. It contains over a hundred films, photos and comments by the public.

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C E N T E R S TA G E : F E AT U R E S

FILIPINOS ARE PROBABLY WONDERING how these opera divas were discovered in Europe and how they manage to come home and perform in Philippine Opera productions. Besides the audition process of getting into an opera company, soprano Armela Fortuna obtained her French diploma in voice performance at the “Ecole National de Musique et Theatre de Colmar” with high citations under a French baritone professor Monsieur Francis Jeser. She regularly performs in a vast repertoire of oratorios, lieder and melodie recitals in France and Switzerland. She also participated in an opera and International CD recording of Jacques Ibert’s “ Persée et Andormède” with the Orchestre Philharmonic de Strasbourg.

Armela received her Bachelor of Music Degree major in Voice (cum laude) and Teacher’s Diploma at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music under Professor Gloria Coronel. She also served as a voice faculty member for a couple of years after her graduation. She has been featured soloist of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and appeared in various concerts held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Concert at the Park and Paco Park Presents. Armela participated in various CCP productions with Tanghalang Pilipino, had performed stage works and music by Ryan Cayabyab and Fr. Manuel Maramba. She was also a member of the Vocal Ensemble Philippines founded by Irma Potenciano, which toured Spain, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.

In 1998 she was granted a full scholarship at the Hongkong Academy of Performing Arts obtaining a Professional Diploma (with distinction) in Opera studies . She performed at the school’s full opera production of Il Barbiere de Seviglia (as Rosina), Cosi Fan Tutte (as Fiordiligi), and Orphéé aux enfers (as Eurydice). Full operatic roles that she has performed in Manila, Hongkong, Vietnam and Thailand were: the Countess from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Madame Silberklang from Der Schauspieldirektor, Tonina from Salieri’s Prima la musica and Adina from Donizetti’s L’elisir D’amore.

She has participated in various music festivals such as the Philippine Bamboo Organ, Ossiach’s Summer Music Festival in Austria and Festival des Cloches in France. She attended masterclasses of noted musicians like Francois Le Roux in Paris, Robert Dumé from the Conservatoire Supérieure de Paris, Lorraine Nubar of the Julliard School of Music at the International Summer Music School in Nice and Italian opera coach Enza Ferrari in HK. She also had vocal coaching from the late Maestra Salvacion Opus Yniguez, Anne-Marie Burkhard of the Basel Conservatory , Malcolm Walker of the Paris Conservatory and Austrian based tenor- Abdul Candao.

Her recent performances include the concert “Parfums d’europe”, various operetta concerts, and most recently “Balade-Opera” concert in France. In the Philippines, she was part of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and UST production of Die Fledermaus, as Rosalinda and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra concert of Philippine Opera highlights as one of the featured soloists. Aside from Rosalinde in the Philippines, other opera performaces include Rowann from Britten’s

Le Petit Ramoneur in France, and Micaela from Carmen in Belgium and Netherlands.

She has been singing the title role of the operetta Die Csardasfürstin by Emmerich Kalman in various theatres in Germany and Austria since December 2009 which will run until February 2010.

Operettas are rarely performed in the Philippines. One of the most famous operettas, Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles) where the aria “Dein ist Mein Ganzes Herz (Yours is My Heart Alone)”, has never been performed in Manila. Vienna-based Filipino tenors Abdul Candao and Otoniel Gonzaga have performed this operetta hundreds of times in Europe but have not presented this unique “Oriental Romantic Musical Drama” in Asia. One of the few operettas that have graced the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) though is Die Fledermaus (The Bat). A year ago, this Johann Strauss master piece was presented with all its grandeur featuring UST student Baritone Noel Azcona, pianist turned soprano Naomi Sison, Eastman School of Music-trained soprano Rachelle Gerodias, Hiroshima Elizabeth University trained Thea Perez, Nenen Espina, Jun Jaranilla, Randy Gilongo, Ronan Ferrer, Eugene Delos Santos, Hong Kong trained Lemuel Dela Cruz, soprano Patrice Pacis, together with visiting tenor Abdul Candao and visiting soprano Armela Fortuna.

Imagine Armela, a Filipina soprano now based in France, performing an operetta the month of January 2009 in Manila, then mid-year she portrays the role of Micaela of Carmen in Belgium, Netherlands and other parts of Europe, then December 25 and 26 performs the operetta Die Csardasfürstin in Frankfurt—an international artist, we, Filipinos should be proud of.

In spite of the lack of an opera company in the Philippines, Filipinos continue to bring honor not only in Europe but in our home country. Even if the Manila Grand Opera House has now been turned into a hotel, or the Metropolitan Theater of Manila has been a ghost auditorium since the late 1980s; the soul of Filipino artists thrive through the achievements of our countrymen abroad.

Here are some reviews of Armela Fortuna as Sylva Varescu of Die Csardasfürstin, translated by Peter Porticos:• “Diese "moderne" junge Frau sang und verkörperte überzeugend

Armela Fortuna mit großem Einsatz und schöner Stimme.” (Armela Fortuna sang and convincingly epitomized this “modern” young woman with great engagement and with a beautiful voice).

– holSteiniScher courier

• “Stimmlich überzeugend nahm Armela Fortuna vor allem in den dramatischen Momenten als Sylva Varescu den Besucher ein. Das ist ihre Domäne, da ist sie stark.”(Vocally convincing, Armela Fortuna immersed the visitor especially in the dramatic moments as Sylvia Varescu. That is her domain, she is strong there.)

– raphael bonitz, lingener tageSpoSt, 21. Jan. 2010• “Armela Fortuna war eine großartige Sylva Varescu.” (Armela

Fortuna was a great Sylvia Varescu.) – az aller-zeitung (gifhorn), 29 .dec.2009

French-Filipina soprano Armela Fortuna:Pride of Philippine Culture

CULTURAL COUPS BY JONATHAN AREVALO COO (JONATHANTENOR@GMAIL.COM)

About music and teaching, she went along, “I always liked learning, I always love to learn. In teaching, I share knowledge and gain knowledge in return at the process of it all. Hindi ako masyado enjoy sa office work…wala, nandun ka lang nakaupo sa harap ng table and that’s it. In music naman…I realized walang ibang pupuntahan, classroom teaching lang naman talaga unless I go to research, thesis, yung mga ganun…pero kasi dito habang nagtuturo ka, natututo ka rin.”

She had previously joined the orchestra in the strings section, attended and taught in choirs, did a lot of lectures on Solfege and Music Theory from her town up, Bukidnon, Iloilo and other provinces in the country. She never had gone off to farther places to teach; she said that she is happy and contented with the places she goes to and the people she meets who are learning to love this art.

Cynthia Afable is really into learning and imparting her own knowledge with the later generations. “I always liked learning. Hindi yun natatapos eh. Hanggang may pwede kang pag-aralan at matutunan, pag-aralan mo. Everyday is a new day, a new day to learn, to do your best. Masarap mag-aral, masarap matuto. Do your best in all things, if it doesn’t work out, let go. Another day…” she said with a knowing and benign smile, “Gusto ko pa mag-research.. magsulat pa siguro ng marami, magsulat more about music…learning doesn’t end, you must remember, knowledge doesn’t end.”

I asked about her principles and beliefs as a professor. She stated, “Always put your best foot forward. Always. If it doesn’t work out, then at least you still did your best at the end of the day. Planning ahead is a must—but implementing your plans thoroughly is better, otherwise it all would just be useless and would go down the drain.” When asked about people looking down at musicians, she laughed and then went serious, saying, “I will quote this from the Seven Last Words, ‘Ama, patawarin nyo po sila dahil hindi nila alam ang kanilang sinasabi...’ yun lang ang masasabi ko sa kanila...” and then she chuckles again at the thought of it and at her own answer. With the question regarding the people who believe that there's no money in music, she simply said, “Well, buhay pa naman kami…at hindi pa kami namumulubi. It’s all about hard work and discipline.” To those who succeeded in their music careers? “Humility is a virtue,” she sincerely answered. Lastly, for the youth who has taken Music? She answered, “There are three things... first, if you think it is really for you, then give your best. Second, mahirap talaga ang music...hard work and discipline are sometimes not enough…you have to want it bad enough, you have to love what you do. You must realize and always remember that the things that you want are really the hardest to get.”

A lot of people go dry and weary whenever they come unprepared for her class. Her lectures, though challenging and hard, are the kinds that would make a student work and put them into test. Her words were always of small amount but of great value and impact. Her hard work from years before truly paid of, but learning for her doesn’t stop, it doesn’t have to stop. It doesn’t begin and end in the classroom.

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EVERYONE SCURRIES BACK into the classroom whenever Mam Cynthia Afable starts walking and heading to her particular class. Clutching her class records, folders, and pens, she enters the classroom and places them on the desk while her students hurry to their seats to review their homework. Students wonder if they are going to survive another Music Theory class, be able to hear and sing properly those notes from their Solfege book or calculate correctly those mathematical problems she gives in her Math class. But whichever class she enters, there are two important things to remember: First, come to class prepared or don’t come to class at all; and second, the boys should have their proper haircuts done. If not, one might as well start walking out of the room before she sees you.

An Accounting Major from De La Salle University and a Music Theory Major from UST Conservatory of Music...where did it all really begin?

It was back in their humble barrio in Tarlac, when little Cynthia Afable’s fingers touched her first instrument – the banduria. It all started in their small community where their parish priest began a rondalla project for the youth. She took interest in music as she joined the project with her cousins. From the banduria to the octavina that she was later assigned to, her interest in music grew. “Saling pusa lang ako noon…masaya basta makatugtug lang. Basta tutugtog ako kahit na yung instrumento minsan eh mas malaki pa sa akin,” she chuckled at the memory of it. From grade 4, she had stayed with the group until grade 6, and then she learned the piano with her grandfather as her first mentor. But at that time, music perhaps wasn’t a priority but a mere form of fun activity.

“My feeling later was that I can’t catch up on music, so maybe there was something else.” And indeed, there was something else – numbers and Mathematics. Later in college, she took BS Commerce, majoring in Accountancy at the De La Salle University, graduating with honors. This landed her with her first office work experience. But music did not sway out of her thoughts. In 1988, she entered the UST Conservatory of Music and obtained her Piano and Music Theory Major degrees, under the tutelage of one of the most prominent and respected faculty in the conservatory, professor Julie Anne Hallazgo. In 1995, she graduated.

It really was an amazing journey for her…she tells that it was not easy being a working student. Her time was divided between her academics and her work which had supported her everyday. It was such a juggle—there were times when she spent her mornings with numbers in her office work desk and with notes at night time on her school desk. Sometimes it would be the other way around. She never fails to remind her students that nothing is really ever easy. As a working student, she juggled everything everyday in one go. Deadlines, exams, performances and time for family—all weren’t easy but she managed to handle and learn from them.

On how she did it, she shared, “Time management…it helped me a lot. When you are dedicated and disciplined, no matter what you do, you will be able to accomplish many things and still be able to do them all properly.” I asked her that if time management was something she was really good at, did she never consider taking performance as a major as well? She laughed and professed that one of the reasons why she never took performance as her major was that it would have taken much more of the little time she had in her hands, because of all the work she already had to do.

“Numbers and Notes” BY KIM A. VILLAFLORES

1 6 T H E S T A G E

HeimkehrHomecoming

DINGDONG FIEL WAS LOOKING for some Schubert and Schumann to play while scanning through the piano books in Father Maramba’s shelf. “Bored ako…ano kayang maganda?” Picking out the Henle Verlag edition of Schubert sonatas, he sat on the piano bench and began playing the A minor Sonata. Next to the piece was Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge, which he had been playing previously. These two pieces were among the many works he had learned in Weimar. Several weeks had passed since he came back to the Philippines, and it was during this time that he was starting to practice seriously again. He explained that his fingers were getting rusty after the long Christmas vacation.

It is no surprise that he knows how to play a lot of pieces. Using “a lot” is an understatement, with the fact that he had studied all the Chopin etudes, all the Mozart sonatas, all the Beethoven sonatas, just to name a few. An average piano student would repeatedly practice a difficult passagework for hours, and be stunned just to see him adjust his glasses and sight-read the piece effortlessly. His fast-growing repertoire is explained by his high aptitude for music. Personality wise, he is an ambitious, risk-taking, and a diligent person. Besides those facts, playing the piano is second nature to him—almost as natural as breathing, and as if his fingers were made perfectly for the instrument.

His talent had also taken him far—literally. After graduating from the UST Conservatory of Music last 2007 and getting most of the top prizes in piano competitions that Manila could offer, he flew to Weimar, Germany, and studied in the Franz Liszt Hochschule für Musik under a full scholarship grant from Consul Josef Wiedeler (who was the donor of the UST Blüthner piano). After two years, he earned two post graduate certificates (Kontakt and Weiterbildendes certificates) under the tutelage of Prof. Rolf-Dieter Arens for solo piano and Prof. Karl-Peter Kammerlander for Lied Accompaniment. His two-year mentor Prof. Arens described him as “a remarkably talented pianist who can awe his audiences with utmost sensibility and fire a total pianist can convey to his listeners.” Through several sponsorships, he had performed in Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, and China…both as a soloist and collaborating pianist. Presently, he plans to pursue graduate studies. While staying here, he rehearses for his upcoming performances in the country.

Then playing a very refined Schubert Impromptu, he expressed the lines with different colors. The tempo and the sound were just right…very Schubert. He stood up after he was finished. With a dissatisfied frown, he apologized, “Sorry pangit, ‘la ako sa mood.” Intelligent listeners would have protested.

He returned the books to the shelf and picked out another composer. He then sat down and read the piece away from the piano. With intense concentration, his mind plunged into the realm of musical fantasy.

T H E S T A G E 1 7

A TALL REVERENT MAN in black suit entered the recital hall three minutes before the time. He asked the student who arrived earlier to start her piece. He listened throughout and then approached the pianist. During the lesson, he asked her to play one section then stopped her. He wanted smoother and more singing lines. After an hour of repeated corrections in several passages, the student heaved a big sigh. Then Prof. Rolf-Dieter Arens asked for the next student for another intensive lesson.

Unknown to many, he had just arrived in the country at dawn. With only one hour of sleep, he proceeded to give lessons to several teachers and students who had signed up for this rare privilege. Many who wished to be taught had been rehearsing their classical pieces, as it was required that they should be able to perform them from memory. Some have backed out saying, “I’m not ready, and I’m afraid I might only waste his time.” From February 16, he gave lessons for three and a half days. Prof. Arens’ student Heliodoro Fiel and Prof. Peter Porticos took turns in translating the German lecture.

65 year-old Rolf-Dieter Arens is one of Germany’s virtuoso pianists and teachers. He had studied in Liepzig’s Hochschule für Musik, with mentors Prof. H. Volger for solo piano and Prof. L. Schuster for chamber music. After two years, he completed master courses with Paul Badura-Skoda in Vienna. After finishing his studies, he taught in Liepzig and Weimar, then embarked on a career as a concert pianist. From 1986 to 1991, he worked as a soloist of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

The third visit of the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar rector proved his trustworthy dedication in his commitment with the UST Conservatory of Music. Just before he left the country he answered several interview questions.

How is your stay in Manila so far?Very good. (nods appreciatively)

Where did you get your passion and inspiration in teaching?

To me it is important to see talent, and people who like to play classical music and literature. To see that they like learning it and react well keeps me inspired.

Did you experience any hardships in musical life?Life of a musician is not the same for everyone. Some

go up and some down. Those who go down would find a way and go up. Artistic career is not that stable. One needs to have good nerve, a good health, an open mind, a good listening skill, and good connections with other musicians to feel good about the music. Boastful people who think that he is the best will not have a good career, so humility is important. Each person has his own way to succeed and must find it. Each has his own careers and problems. One must find the solutions for his own artistic path. What is the best experience for you as a musician?

There are many performances and musical ideas to listen to and learn from.

How are your lessons with our teachers and students in UST?It was very interesting. If one is an active performer, he

is more open to changes and more sensitive compared to others who are not, and the gap is a bit far. But everyone I listened to is very eager to learn.

What words would you like to impart to our aspiring students?Do not always play and play, but find the solutions to

the problems. Study the music and find out what needs to be done. Always listen to your lines, and always practice slowly.

Noch ein BesuchAnother Visit

PHOTO BY DOMINIC VELASQUEZ

1 8 T H E S T A G E

KOREAN CONDUCTOR JAE-JOON LEE had once promised to bring a very outstanding soprano the next time he would visit the Philippines. He had fulfilled that promise and brought soprano Yun-Kyoung Yi here in Manila. She was first featured as a soloist in the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra concert series with Prof. Lee himself as the conductor in Cultural Center of the Philippines. It was a tremendous and successful performance that prompted another concert a few days later featuring her and pianist Najib Ismail. The concert, organized by the UST Singers under Prof. Fidel Calalang Jr., Dean Raul Sunico and Jae-Joon Lee, was well-attended despite the

short notice. She also gave masterclasses to six students in University of Santo Tomas during her stay here.

According to Prof. Jae-Joon Lee, Yun-Kyoung Yi is a world class soprano and is considered to be number one in Korea today. She has bagged all the prizes in Korea. Prof. Najib Ismail considers her as the best soprano he has ever worked with. “I like her voice better than Sumi Jo’s,” he remarked.

True enough, she has a full-bodied voice that could fill the hall. Her accuracy in singing technical passages reflected a great deal of discipline and hard work. Much soul and charm was infused in every single piece she had rendered. Each style showed a different personality of this singer, who also managed to sing various languages, including Tagalog, authentically

Hours before she left for the airport, she happily obliged when asked for an interview. It was after her successful performance in Philamlife auditorium with Prof. Ismail.

She basically grew up with music. Having parents as music aficionados, she was given a piano at a tender age though they were financially poor. She would try to imitate on the piano the tunes that she heard from the drama music in television. Her mother would also teach her to sing a song each day. Thus, she never stopped singing ever since. At times her mother had commented that she looked crazy because she sang by herself all the time “I just want to be a great singer. I just want to sing all my life, like in opera. Just singing.” She took classical lessons at the age of thirteen and that was the time when she wanted to be a classical soprano. She then graduated at the Keimyung

University majoring in voice, and took graduate studies at the same university. She also earned diplomas from both ARENA Accademia and A.I.D.M. Accademia in Italy. She performed lead roles in operas Don Carlo, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Turandot, and Rigoletto in Korea. She also performed in other countries such as Bulgaria, Seattle, and Cuba. Even as a student, she garnered awards and prizes from different concours and competitions. Last 2005, she was a finalist of De Nardis in Italy. In 2006, she won the second prize at the Bellini International Concours.

She practices two to three hours a day with the rest of the day spent just “thinking” about the music. In practicing, she shared that she makes it a rule not to form any bad habits. She added that it is good to try to make everything right in any situation, and of course, one must sleep well. Other than singing, she loves to shop for dresses and other accessories for concerts. She admits that she has many dresses for performances. She loves sopranos Renée Fleming and Hye-Kyong Hong of Korea. Her favorite opera is La Traviata and she is fond of Israeli songs. Her favorite non-classical artists include Celine Dion and Beyoncé Knowles.

Now married at 31, she is presently a voice professor at her alma mater in Korea. Last November was her first visit to the Philippines. She recounted that every moment she experienced here was special. She pointed at Prof. Najib Ismail, “For example, Sir Najib here is the best pianist!” (Prof. Najib exclaimed “That’s not true!”) Then she pointed at Prof. Lee, sharing that he was the one who bought the stunning red dress that she wore, just after he saw it at the shop’s window. “Filipinos are so sweetie,” she described the people whom she met. With regard to the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, she said, “I cannot tell you that they are great in the first level, but I saw that they are really enjoying music. They love music. And that is very important for me. So I was enjoying my time in the Philippines. Because of that I like to come here again. So it’s not important who I perform with, just someone who enjoys when we are together.”

Music is something that makes her happy and sad at the same time. It is what she has devoted her life to—singing and making beautiful music.

“Just Singing”

BY ELAINE SARA LIM

T H E S T A G E 1 9

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S : A R T I C L E S B Y P R O F E S S O R S

MARENG WINNIE AND PARENG OCA are in the middle of yet another head-on bout between two rival camps. It is of course expected that a late night show called “Debate” would sooner or later pick on a topic as relevant and prevalent as “celebrities becoming politicians”, especially within our country’s political landscape, where just about any group may claim or justify the various degrees in which it represents the interests of the people. The populist appeal seems to be something we have abused and constantly capitalized on.

So as the tension mounts up to a display of clashing ideals, accusations fired at one another and a whole lot of data and numbers gathered with the misguided zeal of a positivist, actor-turned-politician Herbert Bautista decides to pour out his sentiment on the subject: “Kami kasing mga artists, we are—”

“Excuse me!” the acclaimed director, Behn Cervantes, irritatingly exclaims, cutting the actor’s thought at mid-sentence. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but there is a difference between an artist and an artista. Hindi porque nag-Captain Barbell ka lang e artist ka na!”

Of course this happened a couple of years back but the issue continues to be of major concern to the educated elite, much to the demise of a whole range of social ills that need to be addressed, that are beyond debates on which group best represents the interests of the people. What is at stake here is the social imagination of an entire nation, obviously tied to electoral processes—the riotous tug-of-war between middle class and urban and rural poor voters.

How do we choose our leaders? There had been enough reason for the disgust with which various groups and forces mobilized another “people power” revolution against a president who won the 1998 election with the largest vote margin in the entire history of Philippine politics. That much is certain. But it couldn’t have been needlessly based on how Joseph Estrada’s image, background and occupation had transgressed elite and middle class propriety. It would be superficial and insufficient to convince the masa that electing these politicians as alternatives to traditional ones debase our country’s image, as we are becoming the laughing stock of the whole world. It is indeed redundant to point out the passivity and ignorance with which the majoritarian poor population chooses its leaders.

In my own household, I recall the big fuss about who really was the most deserving candidate in that election. People were consequently divided into various camps, pouring out their justifications for picking a particular candidate. The educated tended to feel more superior and sophisticated about their choices, and the maids often huddled in between cooking time and Eat Bulaga and sneered at those pompous politicians standing by their platforms, whose words they didn’t really care much about because they never saw them on TV.

Analysts have time and again observed that the revolt of the masses formerly associated with socialist insurgents now takes the form of a populism that the middle class sneers at. Ever since the time of the Osmeña-Roxas split after the Second World War, paving the way for the Nacionalista-Liberal dichotomy, social mobilization from below had been a common feature of Philippine politics for corrective purposes. General distrust for representative parties had developed in time. The concept of the trapo is pitted against alternative candidates who will

take into consideration the plight of the ordinary Filipino. The hungry, unemployed, struggling electorate who never gets to see evidences of socio-economic improvement will cease to listen to the empty rhetoric and arguments of the elite.

It isn’t hard to conclude that in the absence of real change and immediate socialist goals set aside for the grandstand play of our beloved politicians, the majority resorts to imagination rather than to reality for guidance. The creativity of the Filipino is not to be deplored if indeed he is left in the dark like a child, bewildered and helpless after a bad dream. What happens is a curious enough shift from ineffective bureaucratic mediation to media interference as an overrated platform where important choices are negotiated.

If an undeserving crook wins the election, because at various times he had portrayed in the movies the outlaw who upholds justice, protecting the interests of the peasants against the undisclosed thievery of public officials who seize land after land and milk the small time entrepreneurs of their even smaller profits, by all means, take him down and persecute him. A crook is a crook, whether he is a stupid actor or a Harvard-degree holder. The reign of popularity-based politics is more than anything else a symptom of the electoral process, and does not necessarily translate to the kind of governance.

The increasing number of television appearances and commercial endorsements of non-celebrity politicians proved to be an effective way of establishing this connection between candidates and their constituents. The connection though mainly rests on name recall, especially in a write-in system of casting ballots, and not necessarily awareness of their capacity for public service. By joining the bandwagon, they confirm the passivity of the electorate in choosing their leaders. By calling attention to themselves in ways more degrading and preposterous than their rival celebrity candidates they send out a rather confusing message to the people of what really constitutes an effective government.

There is no reason why we should prevent celebrities from running for public office. The democratic system is supposed to be hierarchical but egalitarian, that is anybody can aspire to be a deserving enough candidate, however fictional that reality is for many of us in this day and age. It should be that the politician’s intentions and agendas might belie his general background, and not the other way around. We cannot insist that the actor-politician is generally inept in handling a public position and believe that a non-celebrity with experience and an impressive educational record is the only person capable of saving us.

And until we are able to set a platform for the enactment of real socialist goals that work beyond rhetorical showmanship, we may not be too judgmental of aspirants like Eddie Gil (how can you ever forget that pelukang itim!), contesting the 2004 elections with a loftiness (probably even insightfulness) never before witnessed from a nuisance candidate. Many thought he was crazy. I think he was trying to humor us all; I believe he was being ironic. After the elections, he pursued a recording and acting career (albeit short-lived), which is why many considered his short “political stint” as a hoax, that he just wanted enough mileage to launch a showbiz career.

Why not? Who can say it doesn’t work?

Acting Your Way Into Politics(and Vice Versa)

BY ALLAN J. PASTRANA

2 0 T H E S T A G E

PIANIST BILLY CHILDS' TOURING and recording with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard in the early 1980s influenced the way his lines breathe. Just as a trumpet player breathes in between phrases, Childs rests and punctuates with sudden bursts of complex chordal voicings, inhaling and exhaling with the music.

Childs' piano solo on Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring," from Hubbard's 1982 release Born To Be Blue (Pablo), contains many characteristic devices that flow effortlessly from Childs' sophisticated improvisational concept. His solo consists of chord fragmentations, bebop lines, rhythmic phrasing variety and superb use of anticipated left-hand comping. Childs improvises once over the AABA song form and accomplishes it by maintaining a sense of structure, balance and sure touch at the keys.

Childs' solo begins with a descending quarter-note triplet figure outlining a C major chord from measures 1-2, punctuating chord extensions over Fmaj7 and Gm7. Childs utilizes arpeggiated chords throughout (in bars 4-6, 10-13, 16, 18-24, and 26-31). Notice how he uses these chords to outline the extensions over the changes—an Ab major chord over Bbm7 (bar 4), a G major chord over Am7 (bar 5), a C minor chord over Gm7 (bar 6), a Gb major chord over Abm7 (bar 10). He uses this device to create a sense of rehannonizalion over the changes, displaying a mastery of the bebop vocabulary.

Measure 15 contains ascending quartal fragments that proceed to a chromatic pattern in octaves, giving the line a sense of momentum and excitement. Quartal fragments occur again on bar 17. Notice how Childs separates the two fragments by connecting them on descending chord figurations on bar 16, emphasizing the entrance of the bridge section at measure 17.

Childs' use of varied phrasings serves as the central activity and provides continuity in his solo. His left-hand comping also serves as the foundation of marking the end of phrase as well as providing a deep swing groove. Childs' habit of beginning a phrase on the second half of the beat occurs throughout (measures 1,3,6.7, 10, 13,15,18 and 20), giving a forward motion to the groove. Another point of interest is how Childs groups his phrases. A quasi three-measure group phrase in bars 1-3, 3-5, 6-8, 10-13 and 15-17; a quasi two-measure group phrase on measures 20-23; and a quasi eight-measure group phrase on bars 25-32, emphasizing the climax and end of his solo. In measure 32, six-note chord voicings punctuate the cadence.

Billy Childs' Piano Solo on 'Joy Spring'BY LYNDON AGUILAR

T H E S T A G E 2 1

L I N E S : P O E T R Y S E C T I O N

BagyoNI BINIBINING TERESITA

S. PERMEJO

IDulot ko ay gulo

Sa ibabaw ng mundoTakot, galit ng taoKamatayang totoo

IIKagagawan ng taoLahat ng perwisyoDala ng kasakiman

Gawa ng kagahamanIII

Maraming nasawiSa trahedyang iwi

Bata, matanda nganiLahat naunsiyami

IVLiwanag sa dilimNasisilip na rin

Pag-asa ng madlaTrahedyang nagawa

VBalik loob sa Diyos

Ang lunas sa lungkotBiyayang kaloob

Sabuhay na angkopVI

Salamat Diyos koBuhay na bigay moSimula ng bagongKinabukasan ko!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN to “visualize” sound? Music is often spoken of as having lines that make up landscapes, much like a painting; or in terms of different colors that surround certain key structures; or even the aura that a distinct set of intervals can produce. Descriptions such as these have, ironically, given an image to something that cannot be seen. The process that goes into this is rather simple to explain and can, in fact, be quite useful.

It is a process that manipulates positive and negative space. Imagine a painter's empty canvas; as the artist draws a line across it, the line becomes the positive space while the space around the line becomes the negative. In relation to sound, positive space can be thought of as a melody or an improvised musical line, and the chord it is played against can be thought of as its negative space.

If you play and sustain a chord on an instrument, you not only hear the notes of the chord but also the distinct silence that surrounds it — and it is this that truly 'makes' the sound. In this case, the chord has become its positive space and the silence around it its negative space. In essence, you can actually envision the empty 'canvas' around the sound.

Another way to imagine it would be like a scratchboard. If you blackened a white board with brush and ink and allowed it to dry, then you take a sharpened object like a pin and scratch lines into it, you expose the whitened surface below. The blackened surface would be your negative space, and the lines would have become your positive space. (The definitions of positive and negative are used to define the spaces for purposes of comparison, if you will, and not as something that negates or diminishes.)

Awareness of all these spaces in the production of sound can have limitless possibilities. especially in the realms of composition and improvisation.

Consider this.

Sing, play or recite Do Re Mi. In definite tempo.

DO RE MI

Do it again but replace Do with silence.

RE MI

Do it again but replace RE with silence.

MI

Then replace MI with silence

Repeat this until it is relatively seamless.

The implied structure always remains, even without the actual execution of sound. Call it a rest, call it silence, or space, but be aware of how the canvas is filled then stripped clean, filled then stripped clean — much like how fireworks fill then dissipate on a night sky.

Applying this to improvised music as an exercise can be done as such:

Play a chord, perhaps a nice open, homely sounding Amaj7 added 9. Strummed or arpeggiated.

Without thinking of tempo, play a line or melody across the chord.

Listen for the spaces around the chord, and then around the melody.

The painting of your canvas was done with your chord, which was lined with the positive space of your melody or how you exposed the whitened space of your scratchboard.

Sometimes a visual example can work wonders for playing and performance, and can offer a better explanation than a theoretical one, especially to a beginning student. No rushed tempos or phrases. And think of the limitless possibilities it offers for improvising. And if you can actually see the music, who needs MTV?

A zen story tells of a student who asked, “What is the most difficult part of painting?” The teacher answered: “The part of the paper where nothing is painted is the most difficult.”

reference: damian, Jon. the guitariSt'S guide to compoSing and improviSing. berklee preSS.

The Vision That Is Music BY BUTCH ROXAS

1The Queen of the Night is mistress in transit and goes about darkly, work.She glides by, cold raiment and all, speaking in tongues.So the Law is repeated throughout the Land—a high note breaking openmirrors amidst faces, faces. Meaning: the part where you eventually forget misses the train.The city is about arrangement—properly stacked and ergonomic it comeswith a tie, Windsor-best and ready to go. But it’s weekend and somewheresomeone’s been leaving messages on the answering machine. That’s after the beep. “Königin, Königin, ‘am off and there and up and away.” 2Inside this room hangs the portrait. She could be eight, aroundand there is no need to feign docile-and-prim. A book is left open lying on an armrest.Maybe Don Quixote. But it doesn’t matter while the light comes lowbeside a mind that’s just lapse-and-a-half now happening.She’s the ancestor with scheming eyes always in every picture, frighteningenough but more familiar. That same look, like watching too many funerals from a distance, like finding something that matches.See, how now—after details, facts—to become anything but human.Once you get to the long, open meadows that don’t stop anywherebut somehow start exactly where you’re standing, you mightsuddenly feel saved though you’ve been trying to reach the right numberand the mourners are moving in one by one, repeating your name in vain. 3It’s Marionette Day in Day Care, so nobody wants to act as himself—just because nobody’s dressed as himself or talks as himselfand we keep a different being inside us once in a while, handy.“I am the predator.”“I could be the prey.”And then the rest of what’s left, anything in between. But this girlwho’s convinced she’s the night that closes parade after parade, is brieflyDoppelgänger. I mean, lest she understand the six-feet-underof waiting for one’s turn. There’d be time for most of the time.Yet today, she listens to nothing other than this thump-thump risinginside her like some evil you pick up with your bare hands.Pitch-black is the only color she’ll wear on her wedding day, then 4The moment Mozart’s Queen of the Night sings her hellish aria,dark turns to even darker because this is the rule; change is effect, and effect is efficient.But the daughter Pamina can’t place the scene so she paces,upper to lower stage with that grim expression on her face in lieu of sorrow. And why not?She’s become Persephone beside the Queen, but the latter hands her a daggerforged to end Sarastro’s—and then Who is Sarastro taking over, a toll, like a general feeling that’s taken up so much space.Already it’s Act 2, Scene 3 and there’s no way we’re going back in,leave it at that. What with the world growing more impatient each day and your mother thinking of murderfor her own peace of mind, there might be less of a return nowthan you could ever imagine. Do not touch anything, no you do not touch nothing, touches—Sarastro, about to be killed and still faceless;Queen of the Night, brute matron or comrade in pain;and you, inside the high tower, waiting for your hero to arrive. 5There an ache someplace but to put a finger—where to?Say, you notice the peripheries, walking down the avenue come midnightAnd it’s grease all the way down it shines so. Though most of the time unkempt,There an hour exact when edifice after edifice is pile upon pileOf well-kept windows, front, backdoors, stairwells to alleyways where you can tell yourself without doubt, ‘tis alright.By accretion something grows more accurate, like previously onYour 9 o’clock when you wanted to ask the girl waiting on tablesHow it’s possible her eyes are the only pair, all these years, which reminded you of any Vermeer. Such affluence is unforgivable, you thought.Or, fast-forward just across the street from where you’re not looking backA man gets stabbed, 10 counts, on the chest. The heart of the matterIs that everything else matters less because you mean to go home, because it’s no mess since the day you were born. Might not leave yet.But will leave and the emergencies don’t let us listen, fade, until what’s leftIs a slim whistle, then gone, there a whistling, then none at all.

Variations onDie Königinder NachtBY ALLAN PASTRANA

2 2 T H E S T A G E

T H E S T A G E 2 3

LONG AGO, THE GREEKS and Romans believed that an artist was guided by a divine spirit which the latter particularly called the "Genius". This was a spirit that would work with an artist on a creative endeavor, be it in sculpting, painting, writing, philosophizing, formulating theories, composing music, performing, etc. The artists back then also, willingly, attributed every work of art to their unseen geniuses and viewed themselves simply as the vessels through which it was expressed. So, back in those days, whenever an artist accomplished something marvelous, people tended to say, "He has a great Genius." and not "He is a genius." The artists of long ago were not considered as creators but only instruments through which the unseen manifested itself into the physical world: art back then was not made by the artist, it was through the artist. It was no less than a collaboration between man and spirit.

This wondrous perspective changed, however, when humanity became conscious and focused—preoccupied to some extent—on the individual. At the dawn of the Renaissance era, the rational "I" became the center of all circumstance and being, that is, man became the center of the universe and the master of his life. The artists' purpose changed hence: man no longer openly recognized that he was being moved by spirit—for all he knew, he owed everything to himself and all credit was due to him. “In our modern lives,” as the writer Julia Cameron explains, “it can seem quaint, otherworldly, or unbelievable to ask for—and expect—divine guidance in our creative endeavors. We have lost the sense of God as a working partner.”

Today, the artist takes center stage. Whenever people are amazed by his works,

they would call him a genius—he no longer has a genius, he is the genius. The artist would therefore bow in self-recognition; he would, however, probably remain aware that he also owed such an achievement to his inspiration.

The InspirationArtists of all fields speak of it—painters, actors, writers, musicians, and so on—but what is this powerful creative force? We seek it and associate every masterpiece with it. The word has a beautiful etymology in fact: inspire came from the prefix ‘in-’ plus the Latin word ‘spirare’ which means ‘to breathe’ and is also, interestingly, the origin of the word spirit. It is thus, literally put, the intake or breathing in of spirit—exactly what being inspired feels like. In such an instant, the artist feels a surge of creativity; it is as though he senses a life, other than his own, which he is compelled to manifest.

Let us take musicians for instance: a composer is eating at a restaurant one afternoon when he suddenly hears a melody in his head. He instantly grabs the nearest medium he could use to note down the melody that only he could hear—a table napkin, for example. He borrows a pen and jots his melody down however he wishes. He then keeps it in his pocket to work on it later. Another is of course an instrumentalist, a pianist maybe. He happens to hear a beautiful piece being played and is deeply moved by it. He then eagerly goes to his instrument and plays it (he is really lucky to have a piano around). He could also, if available, desperately look for the sheet music; otherwise, he would just freely attempt to play the music by ear.

In these inspired creative flashes, both artists are fulfilled. They work alongside music itself.

Hence I speak of inspiration as the mysterious fount of creativity, of pure artistry, even of one’s natural capacity to move people. It is, as we hear many people say, found anywhere. We can even stretch it a little further and say that inspiration can be found everywhere—in every point, in everything, and everyone. Would this be true though? If inspiration were that abundant, why isn’t it always available? We often find ourselves seeking and waiting for it; either we find it or it comes to us. We have learned, however, that these approaches do not work all the time. Why is it so?

Whenever we seek or wait, distance is implied. The thing, person, or inspiration is away. There is absence. What if though, just what if, inspiration was not away in the first place? What if it has all along been with us, guiding us in every creation, present but unrecognized? The Greek and Roman artists of long ago perceived it this way, with inspiration in the form of their geniuses, and how they transformed the world through their works. They recognized and openly accepted guidance rather than pursued their craft selfishly. They also profoundly regarded their artistic collaboration with their unseen guides—making art was thus a devotion for them rather than a selfish endeavor. They were very much open to be moved into creation; perhaps if we allow ourselves to be moved as they were, fully, then we will be—for the fullness of inspiration is not achieved in merely waiting or seeking. It is also in the openness of the self.

thiS article waS primarily inSpired by elizabeth gilbert’S ted talk, the workS of Julia cameron, and the inherent beauty of the word insPire.

Breathing in Spirit: An Artist's Inspiration BY JOYCE TAN

Looking BackI COULD NOT FORGET the first concert I watched. Cecil Licad played Rachmaninoff ’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini with the Asian Youth Orchestra in the Cultural Center of the Philippines main theatre that night. Amidst the penetrating wail of the audience, I screamed silently inside; perhaps my shyness hindered my vocal chords to speak out. Nevertheless, her playing enlightened me. That night, I fell for music, and it made me decide to play the piano as long as I live. I was 15 years old back then.

Upon entering the conservatory, I have chosen to quit watching stupid TV shows and banned the word “lazy” from my vocabulary. Lunch hours were traded with spare practice

rooms in school just to be with music. Sleeping hours were then compensated for studying my pieces just to learn and understand music. And there were instances when times with loved ones were neglected, just to be able to give justice to music.

I have always believed that I should become better so I can play any music well. I did work hard, but I failed many times; until I reached a point where music seemed far away. Here was a walking machine that could not pinpoint its own desires any longer, until a friend rebuked me for my wrong attitude in playing. He told me that it should not be about me, but the music. I have then promised myself to play music not solely for the purpose of pleasing people…but to use that opportunity to take pleasure in its beauty and its power to move lives, like how

it did mine. I guess this is also the way music would like to be treated and shared as well.

It is here in the conservatory that I grew up as a person. Acquiring conviction was a personal struggle. As a sheltered and safe person back then, taking risks became an exciting pastime. I have learned to be brave enough to face some challenges with music by my side. One of my professors had always reminded me of Schubert’s lied An die Musik—the music always stays with you even though people may go away.

Looking back at my first concert-watching experience, I am reminded of my simple purpose for playing the piano. No more pretentious plans of saving the planet or worldly desires to become famous and the best.

It is simply because I love music.

B E H I N D T H E V E LV E T R O P E : M U S I C J O U R N A L S A N D A R T I C L E S

F R O M T H E S O U N D B O O T H : E D I T O R I A L

V O I C E S : O P I N I O N S E C T I O N

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED how our lives as Filipinos would be like if we were not conquered by other nations? What would have been the name of our country? What would be our main religion? Would we have the same national hero? National bird? National anthem? Or most importantly, would we still be called Filipinos?

These were just a few from the many insights brought up in the last youth camp that I have attended. Back in 2006, a national youth camp for peace was conceptualized and eventually organized by Binhi ng Kapayapaan Inc.; a non-government organization, with the purpose of bridging Luzon and Mindanao, and creating a pool of young leaders who will continue the work for peace in our country. It was a five-year project. That is why, youth leaders from different organizations were gathered to participate in the camp annually. I became a regular participant since 2008. The participants per organization are selected carefully by the elders. Fortunately, my mother is one of the founders and currently the president of Binhi. That was why it was not hard for me to join the project. However, I was initially not very enthusiastic in supporting my mother and my siblings with this endeavor. My priorities lay mainly on college activities, organizations, friends and…girls. But after participating in the first workshop, I must say that it was really life-changing. I experienced a lot of ‘first times’. I had my first set of muslim and indigenous friends, first real Mindanao history lesson (little is said about the culture and history of Mindanao in our textbooks), and first real understanding of what ‘tri-people’ means (Christians, Muslims and indigenous people).

After my first participation in a peace camp, I never looked back. And just last year (October 22-30, 2009), I joined the 3rd youth camp for peace. It was held in Malaybalay, Bukidnon specifically in the beautiful Monastery of Transfiguration. 45 youth leaders participated, coming from different organizations: AMIN (Anak Mindanao Youth), College of St. Benilde, KADRE Cooperative of Laur, Nueva Ecija, Miriam College, Immaculate Conception Parish of Pikit, North Cotabato, Talaandig Tribe of Bukidnon, UNYPAD (United Youth for Peace and Development), and Europe group (with participants belonging to different organizatons).

Youth Camp 2009 was very successful in a sense that a lot of current and past issues were discussed. In particular, I found it really interesting to listen to the sharing activities

very hopeful that someday, the MOA-AD will pave the way for equality. And that will happen if everybody gets what they deserve. With our own efforts and God’s help, all this is possible.

I wish I have the luxury of writing all the details concerning my experiences in the camp. I wish I can explain more why we started each day with different prayers led by campers from different religions. I wish I can express more the joy I felt in acquiring friends from different religions and socio-economic backgrounds because of the camp. I wish I can express more the sadness that I felt when I heard their personal stories about oppression and discrimination Let me share the moment when I had the chance to express my thoughts during the sharing activity. We were in a circle, and it was my turn to go to the middle, I held the seeds of peace and said, “I love you all and after listening to your stories, I realize I have three veins in my body for three different blood types: Christian blood, Muslim blood, and Indigenous blood. I am embracing it wholeheartedly and I am proud of it.” And it really felt good after sharing those words. I am pretty sure that most, if not all, of my fellow campers felt the same.

At the end of the day, I believe this is the time to start doing something to end ignorance and prejudice, and to cultivate solidarity in our country. And yes, we young Filipinos (especially young Manileños) have a big part in making this happen. We can start by putting aside our expensive gadgets for sometime (which will give a deserving period of rest for our thumbs also) and watch the news. Better yet, talk to a knowledgeable elder (a lawyer, a datu, a muslim leader, or someone who knows the “ins and outs” of Mindanao). Because sometimes, what we see and hear from the news are just glimpses of the Christians Manileños point of view. Sadly, there are biases. If you really want to know the unbiased truth, engage in a conversation with a wise elder, or better yet, go to Mindanao yourself.

Kapayapaan para sa ating lahat!

between the elders and the youth. Dubbed as the “elders night”, speakers included Datu Vic Saway (Talaandig Tribe), Maryann Arnado and Bai Magda (Mindanao Peoples’ Caucus), Liza Ugay (Balay Rehabilitation Center, Inc.), Samsodin Amella (UNYPAD) and Romeo Escasinas (KADRE Cooperative) who started by sharing their experiences in their field of work. The issues that were brought up involved the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain and the 2010 elections. These were more elaborated as the young leaders asked questions to the elders and share their thoughts. One of the most striking moments that night was when the campers agreed on one thing: they will not let a candidate who supports the all-out war in Mindanao win. It was very clear that everybody in that room condemned war in any manner; especially those who have seen the tragedies caused by it. Everybody had expressed that war is not really necessary and that peace is really possible. Concrete steps and measures were explained by some elders as an alternative to aggressive means and as a help to maintain the peace process. It became clear to me that there are existing concrete peaceful means to end the deep rooted conflict in Mindanao. And fortunately, there are more realistic ideas being brought up that can help in ending oppressions, injustices and prejudices which are all caused by misunderstanding and lack of information. It is just a matter of implementation. However, it will all go down the drain if some traditional candidates will win or if we will vote for some presidentiables with twisted perceptions.

Another controversial issue which was brought up was the one on MOA-AD. It was inevitable. When I saw the strong emotions and opinions declared by my fellow campers who live in Mindanao, I sensed that the discussions regarding this should continue. Unfortunately, the fear resulting from deep rooted prejudice is the one closing the doors for more open minded and empathetic dialogues. That is what brings anger and despair to our fellow countrymen down south. But I am still

PerlasBY PEPE HERRERA

2 4 T H E S T A G E

V O I C E S : O P I N I O N S E C T I O N

An Open Letter to MusicDear Music,

I never expected you to grow into an inescapable passion: thank you for not losing sight of me even when I strayed from you. When I was a child you were my unfailing source of amusement; so much so that every note I sounded on my piano seemed magical. My thin little legs would even swing back and forth as I played my instrument and enjoyed every moment of you. You should know how profoundly I treasured these—an unpleasant circumstance, however, caught up with me. I lost the great teacher who devotedly guided me to you. I thought you died with her, as a part of me did.

I shall never forget the time she introduced me to you and revealed how our instrument could invite you to come forth: I was around five years-old when our first lesson included the sounding of the piano's middle C as John Thompson's dwarf instructed me to play it with the thumb. I did, and I was glad. Do you remember? Mary Had a Little Lamb was our masterpiece. How I also recall the fondness I felt for my instrument, which grew along with the eagerness to get to know you more.

Then, regretfully, childhood itself distracted me. I eventually wanted to drop my piano lessons altogether, focus on school, and aimlessly watch television in the afternoons instead—thankfully, my piano teacher would not have it. You talked her into teaching me until the end of her days, didn't you? This was what she exactly did. What she saw in me, I could not tell—or could it be that she saw you in me? She loved you so much after all. Everyone knew that well.

The loss of her paralyzed me and also dulled my perception of you—I am truly sorry. I was only a child then; how was I supposed to deal with death? I did not intend to forget you but I was, deeply, driven by grief and fear of yet another loss. Were you aware that, for years, I secretly longed to live alongside you again? Perhaps you can just imagine how grateful I was when you finally came for me, even if healing me would take awhile.

How you convinced and motivated me to play the piano again was amazing too: you gently exposed me to wonderful pianists and even made me jealous every time they radiated so much of you—while I did not. That was unfair. Did you really have to resort to that? Nevertheless, it worked; thank you so much. I learned, at last, to be moved by the life my teacher lead rather than her death. This finally set me free.

I dearly look forward to spending my days with you as inspired by the people who continually inflame this lifelong passion. Once again, thank you so much for sending such wonderful musicians into my life. I am deeply moved and honored to have met them. How they masterfully devote their lives to you, and how I long to do the same.

Yours always,A pianist

LRT UlitNI MEDZ CONSUNJI

Kung may kasama kang kaibigan habang nasa loob ng LRT, tila nagiging mas mabilis ang paglipas ng oras. Hindi mo napapansin ang iba pang mga katauhan na kasama ninyo sa tren. Ang tanging tinatandaan mo ay ang mga tawanan at mga biruan ninyo. Hindi mo na masyadong iniisip ang maaaring sabihin ng iba.

Iba ang nakikita ko ‘pag nasa LRT ako. Natatago mula sa aking paningin ang mga suliranin ng mga tao sa ilalim ng LRT. Ang tanging nakikita ko ay ang mga matataas na gusali--mga gusali na kumakatawan sa “kaunlaran” ng ating bansa. Mga gusali ng mga paaralan na kumakatawan sa ating “pagpapahalaga” sa edukasyon, mga gusaling kumakatawan sa kaunlaran ng pangangalakal o komersyo sa ating bansa--kanilang sinasakluban ng napakalaking puting tela ang mga kalbaryo ng ating mga kababayan.

Ang mga gusaling ito ang humihikayat sa mga taong mula sa lalawigan na iwan ang kanilang mga pamilya upang makipagsapalaran dito sa Kalakhang Maynila:

“Sa Maynila, may trabaho.”“Sa Maynila, makakapasok

ako sa isang magandang paaralan.”“Sa Maynila, sisikat ako.”Ilan lang ito sa mga pangarap

ng ating mga kababayan mula sa mga mahihirap na lalawigan—mga pangarap na kadalasan ay tinutugis at winawasak ng realidad ng buhay dito sa Maynila: na ang Maynila ay mas paatras pa kaysa sa mga lalawigan na nakapaligid dito. Ang mga tao sa Maynila ay kulang na kulang sa disiplina, pagtitiyaga, moralidad, pananampalataya,

at marami pang iba. Alam na alam ito ng mga taga-Kalakhang Maynila, ngunit patuloy lamang silang nagbubulag-bulagan at nagbibingi-bingihan--tiyak na uunahin nila ang kanilang mga suliranin na wala naman talagang katuturan. Hindi nila alam na may katungkulan sila sa bayan--sarili lamang nila ang kanilang iniisip.

Sandali nga...bakit ba sila lang ang itinuturo ko? Hindi ba’t taga-lungsod din ako? Kasama rin ako sa mga taong iniisip lamang ang sariling kapakanan at hindi ang kapakanan ng bayan. Nalulugmok na sa hirap ang ating bayan, ngunit wala pa rin akong ginagawa--kasama ako sa mga nakatanaw mula sa loob ng LRT at nagsasabing “Maunlad na ang Pilipinas” kahit alam kong kasinungalingan iyon.

Patuloy ang tawanan ng mga mag-aaral na tulad ko habang nasa LRT—kuntento dahil kasama ang mga kaibigan, at naaaliw sa tanawin ng mga naglalakihang gusaling nakapaligid.

Kailan tuluyang magigising ang mga taong sumasakay sa LRT—magigising mula sa panaginip na tayo ay “maunlad”?

Kailan at paano kikilos ang mga mag-aaral na gaya ko—ang pagtatanggal ng puting tela sa ating mga mata—sa oras na magising na mula sa matamis ngunit nakasasamang panaginip?

Tawanan. Biruan. Kwentuhan tungkol sa mga nangyayari sa kanya-kanyang buhay. Hanggang dito na lang nga ba ang kayang gawin ng mga kabataan? Ng mga mamamayan na tumatangkilik sa LRT?

Magandang tanawin pa rin pala ang aking nakikita.

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2 6 T H E S T A G E

L I M E L I G H T: W I N N E R S O F R E C E N T C O M P E T I T I O N S

JOVITA FUENTESVOCAL COMPETITION

FEMALE CATEGORY

First Prize:Jamie SampanaStudent of Prof. Irma PotencianoAccompanied by Jason Ros

Second Prize:Sung-Hye “Joy” SimStudent of Prof. Gloria CoronelAccompanied by Prof. Mary Anne Espina

MALE CATEGORY

First Prize:Jillbert ChuaStudent of Prof. Lemuel dela CruzAccompanied by Farley Asuncion

Third Prize:Christoval TanStudent of Prof. Ronan FerrerAccompanied by Mary Anne Espina

THE FIRST USTSTRING COMPETITION

First Prize:Jason Templonuevo, violinStudent of Prof. Sergio EsmillaAccompanied by Fatima Aquias

Second Prize:Kyla Ibero, violinStudent of Prof. Proceso YusiAccompanied by Fatima Aquias

Third Prize:Benjamin Caaway, violinStudent of Prof. Jeffrey SolaresAccompanied by Jason Ros

Honorable Mention:John Christopher Joya, violinStudent of Prof. Gina Medina

Honorable Mention:Bryan UyStudent of Prof. Manuel Piñon

PERCUSSION COMPETITION

Best drumset performance:Given BacaniStudent of Harald Huyssen

Best overall performance (marimba, snare, and timpani):Roby CalderonStudent of Arnel Feliciano

POLITICS IS NOT EVERYONE’S CUP of tea. For some, simply reading about it could increase ones heart rate and blood pressure; there seems to be a notion that this topic can aggravate frustration and cause headaches, despite the fact that it is present in every country, city, business, and school. But there are also those who are brave or foolish enough to talk and deal with it.

It is already the election and campaigning season, and “who you vote for” has been an issue. I would like to think that there is a certain “culture” that arises during these months. I also wonder if this sprouts out from genuine concern or simply out of the necessity to prove ones principles. For some reason, while others continue to live their lives apathetic to the comedy and chaos that politicians present, you still meet people whom you never thought had such strong convictions on political matters.

Intriguingly, during times like these, you realize that a lot of people do care for the country. There are those who want to vote and protect their ballots, and there is actually a vast number of youth concernedwho participate in forums and research about the candidates they plan to vote for. It is good to know that somehow we are still loving people. But does it end there?

We often talk about who to vote for but we seldom talk about the voters; when we do however, we tend to think of them merely as people who do the right thing by expressing their concerns and ideals through voting. But what happens to a voter after the election? Do they magically disappear? No! Of course not. After an election, the voter

should not cease to exist! They play different roles from that point on. A good question for voters would be, “what to do next?”

Voting is the same as baking bread; there is a need to decide what to bake. Sometimes it is easy and sometimes it is not depending on whether you know every single detail of what you want, have and need. It is also important to know the process in order to ensure that the outcome will be as what you had planned. You can not try the product until it is finished. However, the bread would only be as good as a lump of useless dough if it were not to be eaten. Once the product is ready to eat, the food is placed inside the mouth for tasting. Reality sinks in. Sometimes it is not as perfect as you want it to be, at times it even turns out to be exactly the opposite. Then you decide whether to eat it and make the most out of it, or spit it out and throw the whole thing away.

The truth is, even if we were all to vote, a candidate that we didn’t choose might still win anyway. But the process still matters and it is important to consider what we do after. Election is a perfect time to show genuine concern for your fellowmen, and this act is also connected to a bigger picture, where our participation is crucial amidst selfish concerns. Keeping ourselves motivated, empowered, persistent, committed, resilient, and consistent after the election is just as important. The smartest of men can think of the greatest invention, but if no one would build it then the thought would come to no sense. The world’s greatest conductor can choose the most beautiful music suited for the orchestra, but there will be no music if the orchestra would refuse to play, and even worse… if they choose to play halfheartedly.

A Bigger PictureBY KABAITAN BAUTISTA

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONSEveryone is welcome to contribute articles for the different sections in this journal. Submit contributions to writer.thinker@gmail.com.

T H E S T A G E 2 7

L I M E L I G H T: W I N N E R S O F R E C E N T C O M P E T I T I O N S

G R E E N R O O M : F U N PA G E

HOM Quiz 01 A Spanish genre of musical theatre-- a

light, mythological play in a pastoral setting that alternates between sung and spoken dialogue and various types of ensemble and solo song.

02 A poet-composer of northern France who wrote MONOPHONIC songs in Old French in the twelfth or thirteenth century.

03 Famous for his lieders and 9 symphonies, he also wrote for different ensembles such as an octet for wind instruments, a cantata

for guitar and male voices and a quintet that includes a contrabass.

04 A style of jazz originating in the 1930’s that was characterized by large ensembles and hard-driving jazz rhythms.

05 A joking or particularly fast movement in minuet and trio form

06 Medieval instrumental dance that features a series of sections, each played twice with two different endings, ouvert and clos.

07 A group that had the aim of producing a specifically Russian kind of art music, led

Prof. Peter Porticos“Marlboro menthol.”

Prof. Wilfredo Valois“Reading books and irresistibly buying books wherever and whenever I see a bookstore!”

Prof. Apolonia Guilang“Cake. Even though it’s prohibited.”

Prof. Ding Guilang“My guilty pleasure is having a cup of coffee at least 2x a day regardless of the temperature, even if it is in a summer solstice.”

Prof. Eric Dimson“Occassional overeating during Christmas season.”

Prof. Mary Ann Espina“Hahaha watching Korean telenovelas? :)”

Prof. Renato Lucas“The usual: sleeping more than you should and eating more than you could.”

Prof. Thea Prosia“Lahat ng malamig! I love halo-halo, ice cream and mmm…fruit cake! I love spicy food also. Lahat ng bawal!”

What is your guilty pleasure?Prof. Tusa Montes “My guilty pleasures are having chocolates, steak and wine... lying on the beach under a starry sky; Cuban pianists; Eduardo Verastegui; Jamie Oliver; detective work. Haha!”

Prof. Najib Ismail“Well… mine’s really nakakahiya… but I don’t care…my guilty pleasure is… watching korean telenovelas! I love it! :D” Prof. Ma. Rosario Esmilla“Doing a lot of crossword puzzles, staying online and spending time on Facebook are my guilty pleasures – and oh, addition to that, playing and spending time with my nieces.”

Prof. Roger Llado“How can you find pleasure in doing something when you feel guilty about it?”

Prof. Lourdes Gregorio“I love playing cards! That’s my form of relaxation—I like playing solitaire and sometimes we play pusoy dos. I also watch TV, mainly the news, but when it comes to sports, I watch a lot of tennis.”

Prof. Naomi Sison“My guilty pleasures are eating dark chocolates as well as reading fantasy novels.”

Prof. Julie Ann Hallazgo“My ‘guilty pleasures’ fall under two categories: the simple and the profound. The simple ones

are typified by once-in-two-weeks to once-in-six-months samplings of any of the following beverages which I am NOT allowed to take: decaf coffee with fresh milk, hot chocolate, or Coke Light. Actually I’m not allowed to take tea or fruit juices either, but since I could live without both, I wouldn’t count them as one of my simple guilty pleasures. The above-mentioned constitute the delights denied me by the acute gastratitis that I had been diagnosed to have since 2004. Diabetic concerns have also forced me to seek sugar-free pastries and ice-cream to be on the safe side, but I couldn’t also deny the guilty pleasures I get from often taking one bite too many of sweet confections of the non-sugar-free variety. As the old song goes, “Ain’t nothing like the real thing baby…”

My more profound guilty pleasure however consists of having fallen hopelessly in love with a dead man. About 11 years ago, I started a research project involving Manuel Luna, eldest of the legendary Luna brothers that include Juan the painter and Antonio the general. The violinist Manuel Luna was the first world-class Filipino performing artist. Too bad, he died at age 26 in 1883. Everything I discovered as I studied his short-lived life and career convinced me that he deserves no less than my undying affection. So actually, I don’t feel guilty about this devotion to him, though it gives me the utmost pleasure.”

by Mily Balakirev.

08 Term coined by Hector Berlioz for a melody that is used throughout a piece to represent a person, thing or idea, transforming it to suit the mood and situation.

09 A canon in which voices sing the same melodic pattern but move at different rates of speed.

10 Coined by Arnold Schoenberg to describe a succession of tone colors that is perceived as analogous to the changing pitches in a melody.

Prof. Sandy Chua“Eating sweets… almost any kind!”’

2 8 T H E S T A G E

LOVEUNSPOKEN

SAMPUNGMGADALIRI

PHOTOS BY CHRISTIANDE LEON & GERARD LUZ

T H E S T A G E : 2 9

3 0 T H E S T A G E

I D I O T B O A R D : M U S I C T R I V I A

T I C K E T B O O T H : U P C O M I N G C O N C E R T S A N D E V E N T S

CHOPIN MANILLE 2010 BICENTENNAIRE

Rudolf GolezMarch 1, 2010 at 8 pmPhilam Life Auditorium, Manila Dana CiocarlieMarch 19, 2010 at 8 pmPhilam Life Auditorium, Manila Raul Sunico March 24, 2010 at 8 pmPhilam Life Auditorium, Manila Cristine CoyiutoApril 8, 2010 at 8 pmFrancisco Santiago Hall,BDO, Makati City Tickets P500— 50% off students and senior citizens. Tickets for the first three concerts available @Ticketworld. Tickets for the fourth concert available only thru Imelda 813-1866 or 0916-441-2222.

MCO FOUNDATION 25TH ANNIVERSARY

Chamber Music Series at InsularMarch 5, 12, 19, 27 at 7:30 pmInsular Life, Makati City

GalaMarch 5, 2010

01 The whistle is a percussion instrument.

02 European ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars use the tri-tone siren.

03 In the mid-1950s, Ella Fitzgerald became the first African-American to perform at the legendary Mocambo, on Hollywood's Sunset Strip, after Marilyn Monroe had lobbied the owner for the booking. The incident was turned into a play by Bonnie Greer in 2005.

Mary Ann Espina, pianoGina Medina, violinAntonio Josef Inacay, violoncelloSt. Scholastica’s String Quartet:• Joseph Brian Cimafrancea,

violin 1• Sara Maria Gonzales, violin 2• Rey Casey Concepcion, viola• Gerry Graham Gonzales,

violoncello Program:Schumann: Piano Trio No. 2Chausson: Concerto for Piano, Violin, Cello and String Quartet

Guitar and FriendsMarch 12, 2010

Ruben Reyes, guitarHeliodoro “Dingdong” Fiel, pianoGerald Flores, bassJoey Valenciano, drums Program:Transman Suite “In modo Polonco”Carlevaro Preludios AmericanosClaude Bolling Concerto for Classical Guitar and Jazz Piano A Night at the OperaMarch 19 2010

Jennifer Uy, sopranoCamille Lopez Molina, sopranoRandy Gilongo, tenorNoel Azcona, baritonePeter Porticos, piano Program:Excerpts from Bellini’s Norma,

Verdi’s Macbeth, Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffman, Catalani’s La Wally The American Song BookMarch 27, 2010

Nenen Espina, sopranoRicel Guinan, sopranoJed Balsamo, piano Program:Works of Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sonheim

For tickets MCOF 750-0768, 09209540053; Ticketworld 891-9999.

GSIS MUSEUM CONCERTS

The GSIS Musem Thursday Concert Series is a joint project of the GSIS Museum of Art and the Philippine High School for the Arts Ibarang Alumni Association.

Schedule ofGSIS Museum Concerts

March 11- Philippine Airlines ChoraleMarch 25- Gaille Marie Olivia Kilayko Ramos, flutistApril 8 - Intervoices ChoraleApril 29- Bea Robles, clarinetistMay 13- Philippine Choral Guild/Koro Filipino

04 Composer, Tchaikovsky was financed by a wealthy widow for 13 years, and at her request, they never met.

05 Monaco's national orchestra is bigger than it's army.

06 The harmonica is the world's best-selling music instrument.

07 About 2.4 billion CDs are sold annually and the number of recorded CDs and blank CDs sold has been equalled. Around one-

third of recorded CDs are pirated.

08 The LP (long-playing) record was invented by Paul Goldmark in 1948. The LP is not dead yet: more than 10 million LPs are sold every year.

09 According to Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, Carol Kaye is the most recorded bassist of all time, with 10,000 sessions spanning four decades.

10 EMI stands for Electrical & Musical Instruments.

May 27 - Gerry Graham Gonzalez, cellistJune 10 - Quartetto Espresivo (Joseph Brian Cimafranca, Sara Maria Gonzalez, violins; Rey Casey Concepcion, viola, Gerry Graham Gonzalez, violoncello)June 24 - Mariejune Garcia, soprano For more information contact: jonathantenor@gmail.com

HELIODORO “DINGDONG”FIEL WITH USTSO

April 29, 2010GSIS Auditorium, Makati City

Program:Liszt and Ravel Concertos

GUITARRA 2010The First UST International Festival

The First UST International Guitar Festival will be on August 24-27, 2010 with Ruben F. Reyes as the festival director and Angelito Agcaoili, the international liaison of this event. A roster of international and local guitarists/artists will be expected to join this festivity namely: Angelito Agcaoili, Joseph Mirandilla, Manuel Cabrera II, Ruey Yen (Taiwan), Patrick Francis (USA/Taiwan) and Agustin Casilla-Avila (Spain/Austria).

T H E S T A G E 3 1

I D I O T B O A R D : M U S I C T R I V I A S O U N D C H E C K : C D R E V I E W S

BY BRUCE RIVERA

Quelqu'un m'a ditCarla Bruni, vocalsLabel: Ume Imports

Aside from being a former supermodel and the current First Lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is also a musician. Her debut album Quelqu'un m'a dit (Someone told me) that was released in 2003, debuted at number one on the French Album Chart, spending thirty-four non-consecutive weeks in the top ten. It sold 1.2 million copies in France. The title track from Quelqu'un m'a dit was included on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack released in 2009, and three tracks appeared in Hans Canosa's 2005 American film Conversations with Other Women ("J'en connais", "Le plus beau du quartier", and "L'excessive").

Although she's Italian, most of the album is sung in French with some Italian touches, like in "Le Ciel Dans une Chambre." The result is a kind and smooth album that mixes folk and chanson Française in equal parts. This is a very intimate album, though its lack of extensive instrumentation, limited harmonic system and spare production prevent it from being something more. No new grounds are broken, but the result is still compelling. The album is an excellent effort beyond what one would have expected. It is neither experimental

nor innovative. Yet it may be too airy and light for those with a different taste, while others may be put off by its inevitable classification as 'world' music simply because the lyrics are not in English. It is a shame... for the light melodic touch and the strong feelings are crystal clear in the music alone. This sweet and charismatic record will satisfy lovers with its well-crafted song writing.

BY KIM VILLAFLORES

Music From A Farther Room Lucia Micarelli, violinLabel: Reprise Records Born in New York, this 23 year-old Italian-Korean-American violinist rocks the stage whenever she tours with Josh Groban, Jethro Tull and lately, with Chris Botti and his band.

A Julliard classically-trained student, Lucia Micarelli amazes hundreds of people whenever she steps on that stage barefoot, ready to rock the house. “Music From A Farther Room” is one of her two albums. The title was taken from a poem she loved so dearly, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot.

A lot of the songs in the album show her background of classical training infused with

the rock arrangements that she wrote. The twelve track album includes an instrumental of “To Love You More” originally by Celine Dion, Ravel String Quartet in F Major: Assiz vif Tres rhythme, and her stunning rendition of “Aurora” with the “Kashmir” arrangement that was an original of Led Zeppelin. Probably the most beautiful track in the album is the Nocturne in Bohemian Rhapsody that she arranging herself. The album promises a lot of new ideas and creativity, showcasing the great passion of this young musician. Music From A Farther Room by Lucia Micarelli is a must-buy.

BY KABAITAN BAUTISTA

Quiet NightsDiana Krall, vocals and pianoLabel: Verve Still with her distinct voice and eloquent piano playing, Diana Krall’s album “Quiet Nights”, released in 2009, contains 10 standards plus 2 bonus tracks played in the Bossa Nova style that was popularized by Antonio Carlos Jobim. There is nothing utterly complex about this album; its simplicity proves it to be good music. With the orchestration by Claus Ogerman, this album can put you in a peaceful state of mind. Listening to it is easy and relaxing especially for a real Bossa Nova lover.

ANSWERS TOTHE HOM QUIZON PAGE 25:

01 Zarzuela, 02 Trouvre, 03 Schubert, 04 Swing, 05 Scherzo, 06 Estampie, 07 The Mighty Handful, 08 Idée fixe, 09 Mensuration canon, 10 Klangfarbenmelodie.

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