Program

Program

Magdiwang, Magpuri	Jay-El Viteño (b. 1987)
Laudate Dominum	Gyöngyösi Levente (b. 1975)
Mori quasi’l mio core	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (ca. 1525-1594)
Fire, Fire My Heart	Thomas Morley (ca. 1557-1602)
Mas Vale Trocar	Juan del Encina (ca. 1469-1530)
Amor	Norberto Romualdez (1875-1941), arr. Robert Delgado
O Love, Light, Joy	Saunder Choi (b. 1988) Based on St. Margaret/Albert Lister Peace Text by George Matheson
Alitaptap	Josefino Toledo (b. 1959) Text by Rolando Tinio (1937-1997)
Paraíso	Ryan Cayabyab (b. 1954)
FASO Junior Orchestra, Guest Artists Bobby Sanchez, director
Filipino Folk Songs Medley	Traditional Filipino folk, arr. Nhick Pacis, orch. Louie Ramos
Dahil Sa’yo	Mike Velarde, arr. Louie Ramos
Great God Almighty	Traditional Spiritual, arr. Stacey Gibbs
Indian Songs Medley
Ghoomar	Music by Sanjay Leela Bhansali (b. 1963) arr. Nikko Oliver Villanueva Text by Aas Mohammed Turaz (b. 1974)
Ekla Cholo Re	Words and Music by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) arr. Erwin D. Vargas
Navrai Majhi	Music by Amit Trivedi (b. 1979) arr. John Angelo Diamos
Bumbro	Traditional Kashmiri folk song arr. Cyro Bon Cloui Moral
Baka Ikaw Sa May Bintana	arr. Nikko Oliver Villanueva
Sa May Bintana	Ryan Cayabyab
Baka Ikaw	Edith Gallardo
Araw Gabi	Ryan Cayabyab
Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal	Ernani Cuenco (1936-1988) arr. Mark Anthony Carpio Text by Levi Celerio (1910-2002)
Ang Huling El Bimbo	Ely Buendia, arr. Nikko Oliver Villanueva
Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika	Ryan Cayabyab (b. 1954)
You Will Be Found	Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, arr. Saunder Choi
One Voice	Barry Manilow (b. 1943), arr. Gianpaolo Eleria

The Frame

Like many middle eastern people, I was forced to take piano lessons as a child, and I have to admit - I hated it. The music itself was great, but I hated practicing, spending what felt like hours at the piano by myself plodding through boring music my teacher assigned me. In middle school, I finally gave it up and joined the school band instead. I didn't know anything about playing a wind instrument, but some of my friends were going to join the band and I figured it was worth a shot.

It took a few months for everyone to figure out their new instruments and get the basics of how to play together as a group, but once we did, it was like everything fell into place. Though my part was only a simple line of music, it wove together with the dozens of other people in the band, each contributing their part to a great glorious sound that emerged. The music was so much more than what I could create by myself, and I realized it was this critical element of togetherness that was missing from my early years studying piano.

In recent years, I've learned that this understanding has a name in the Filipino community, Kapwa, a value of interconnectedness that is difficult to translate into English but that Eileen Tabios defines as our 'shared self' or 'shared identity'. Yes, I am me, and you are you, but we are also us, and by lifting you up, by helping one another, everyone is raised up, we are all helped; we as a connected whole, are made better.

Choral singing is the practice of contributing your mind, body and spirit so we can let more of each other in. I believe much of the immense joy found in group singing is how we lose ourselves in one another, a burnishing and polishing of the soul, freeing our hearts so they may fully swell outward toward one another in time to the rhythm and harmony of the music.

Is there any surprise that choral singing has found an elevated expression among filipinos? What better expression of Kapwa could there be than singing together as one voice? This singing becomes an expression of this great shared identity, a declaration of this shared self, and a celebration of the life we share together.

Program

Program

Magdiwang, Magpuri	Jay-El Viteño (b. 1987)
Laudate Dominum	Gyöngyösi Levente (b. 1975)
Mori quasi’l mio core	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (ca. 1525-1594)
Fire, Fire My Heart	Thomas Morley (ca. 1557-1602)
Mas Vale Trocar	Juan del Encina (ca. 1469-1530)
Amor	Norberto Romualdez (1875-1941), arr. Robert Delgado
O Love, Light, Joy	Saunder Choi (b. 1988) Based on St. Margaret/Albert Lister Peace Text by George Matheson
Alitaptap	Josefino Toledo (b. 1959) Text by Rolando Tinio (1937-1997)
Paraíso	Ryan Cayabyab (b. 1954)
FASO Junior Orchestra, Guest Artists Bobby Sanchez, director
Filipino Folk Songs Medley	Traditional Filipino folk, arr. Nhick Pacis, orch. Louie Ramos
Dahil Sa’yo	Mike Velarde, arr. Louie Ramos
Great God Almighty	Traditional Spiritual, arr. Stacey Gibbs
Indian Songs Medley
Ghoomar	Music by Sanjay Leela Bhansali (b. 1963) arr. Nikko Oliver Villanueva Text by Aas Mohammed Turaz (b. 1974)
Ekla Cholo Re	Words and Music by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) arr. Erwin D. Vargas
Navrai Majhi	Music by Amit Trivedi (b. 1979) arr. John Angelo Diamos
Bumbro	Traditional Kashmiri folk song arr. Cyro Bon Cloui Moral
Baka Ikaw Sa May Bintana	arr. Nikko Oliver Villanueva
Sa May Bintana	Ryan Cayabyab
Baka Ikaw	Edith Gallardo
Araw Gabi	Ryan Cayabyab
Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal	Ernani Cuenco (1936-1988) arr. Mark Anthony Carpio Text by Levi Celerio (1910-2002)
Ang Huling El Bimbo	Ely Buendia, arr. Nikko Oliver Villanueva
Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika	Ryan Cayabyab (b. 1954)
You Will Be Found	Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, arr. Saunder Choi
One Voice	Barry Manilow (b. 1943), arr. Gianpaolo Eleria

The Frame

Like many middle eastern people, I was forced to take piano lessons as a child, and I have to admit - I hated it. The music itself was great, but I hated practicing, spending what felt like hours at the piano by myself plodding through boring music my teacher assigned me. In middle school, I finally gave it up and joined the school band instead. I didn't know anything about playing a wind instrument, but some of my friends were going to join the band and I figured it was worth a shot.

It took a few months for everyone to figure out their new instruments and get the basics of how to play together as a group, but once we did, it was like everything fell into place. Though my part was only a simple line of music, it wove together with the dozens of other people in the band, each contributing their part to a great glorious sound that emerged. The music was so much more than what I could create by myself, and I realized it was this critical element of togetherness that was missing from my early years studying piano.

In recent years, I've learned that this understanding has a name in the Filipino community, Kapwa, a value of interconnectedness that is difficult to translate into English but that Eileen Tabios defines as our 'shared self' or 'shared identity'. Yes, I am me, and you are you, but we are also us, and by lifting you up, by helping one another, everyone is raised up, we are all helped; we as a connected whole, are made better.

Choral singing is the practice of contributing your mind, body and spirit so we can let more of each other in. I believe much of the immense joy found in group singing is how we lose ourselves in one another, a burnishing and polishing of the soul, freeing our hearts so they may fully swell outward toward one another in time to the rhythm and harmony of the music.

Is there any surprise that choral singing has found an elevated expression among filipinos? What better expression of Kapwa could there be than singing together as one voice? This singing becomes an expression of this great shared identity, a declaration of this shared self, and a celebration of the life we share together.

Performers

Philippine Madrigal Singers

Recognized by the UNESCO as Artists for Peace for “putting their fame and influence to promote cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace,” the Philippine  Madrigal Singers is one of the most awarded choral groups in the world, having won all the top prizes in most of the world’s prestigious choral competitions, including the Grand Prix in the 2016 Concurso Internazionale di Guido d’ Arezzo, Arezzo, Italy. They hold the distinction of being the first choir in the world to win the prestigious European Grand Prix for Choral Singing twice (1997 and 2007) and the first Asian choir to be accorded the BrandLaureate Premiere Award by the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation (2012). 

The group’s virtuosity across a vast repertoire range, its continuing promotion of Filipino choral works and the rousing and deeply emotional impact that each performance has on all audiences the world over, as they sing in the distinctive set-up of sitting in a semi-circle without a conductor, have established their reputation as a pioneering force in choral music and an inspirational role model for other choirs.

Founded in 1963, by National Artist for Music Professor Andrea O. Veneracion, the UP Madrigal Singers, now under designated successor Mark Anthony Carpio, demonstrate every day that choral music can be socially relevant and transformational. They have continued to touch hearts and souls of those who come to their performances and carried on various programs to nurture and develop future generations of conductors and choral singers all over the world.

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