Past and recent winners share the spotlight in NAMCYA's 45th anniversary concert

Diomedes Saraza Jr., Rachelle Gerodias, Gerard Salonga, Renato Lucas,
Andrew Fernando, Nicole Pugeda, Radnel Ofalsa,
and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra

The celebrations for the 45^th anniversary of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) continued with a concert featuring past and recent winners that was recently held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The one night affair, billed as Bayan ng Musika, Alay ng NAMCYA, featured violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr., soprano Rachelle Gerodias, baritone Andrew Fernando, soprano Nicole Pugeda, tenor Radnel Ofalsa, and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Gerard Salonga and Renato Lucas.

Violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr., conductor Gerard Salonga,
and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra

To kick things off, Gerard Salonga led the orchestra with a delightful Overture from Così fan tutte, K. 588 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Then it was Diomedes Saraza Jr. (2002 1^st Prize Violin Category) who took to the stage performing Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64. This piece has been a popular choice among violinists at the NAMCYA. There was a year when 5 out of the 7 competitors had this piece. It was a taxing experience to sit through that many and with just a piano accompaniment to boot. But not taxing at all was Diomedes Saraza, Jr. breezing through it with such security during the concert. His encore was an upgrade of his staple, Willy Cruz’s Sana’y Wala Ng Wakas, performed that night with the orchestra.

Baritone Andrew Fernando, soprano Rachelle Gerodias,
conductor Renato Lucas, soprano Nicole Pugeda, tenor Radnel Ofalsa,
and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra

The second half had Renato Lucas conducting the orchestra with an interesting mixed bag of Filipino songs, arias and rarely heard Filipino short orchestral pieces namely Jullio Nakpil’s Salve Patria and Rosendo Santos’ Maglalatik that evoked images of processions and celebrations in rural areas.

Soprano Nicole Pugeda (2017 2^nd Prize Senior Voice Category) performed Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran by Francisco Santiago showcasing a rich timbre still retaining that sparkle and lightness of youth. Her luscious lower tones were heard in great effect especially when in contrast with Rachelle Gerodias during their duet of Duo des fleurs/Sous le dôme épais aka the popular The Flower Duet from Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé.

Tenor Radnel Ofalsa (1^st Prize Senior Voice Category) did the challenging Ecco, ridente in cielo from Gioachino Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. He is clearly one of the young tenors whose range is impeccable and when he finds more polish in his runs, I won’t be surprised if he gets substantial roles in opera productions soon.

As always, baritone Andrew Fernando (1998 2^nd Prize Voice Category) had such physical and vocal presence on stage with his performance of Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre, the Toreador song from Georges Bizet’s Carmen. He remained in character throughout the aria and it would not have been difficult for people to figure out what his character was all about despite not knowing any French nor the story of Carmen.

As a staunch supporter of young and upcoming talent through the Klassikal Music Foundation, Andrew made sure that he didn’t overpower Radnel and let the younger one shine too in their duet of Au fond du temple saint from Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles/The Pearl Fishers.

I do have to commend soprano Rachelle Gerodias (1990 2^nd Prize Voice Category) who exemplified what professionalism is that night, giving a masterful performance despite a most difficult personal circumstance. Her take on Nicanor Abelardo’s Mutya ng Pasig was impassioned. Having heard performances of this song with just a piano accompaniment throughout the years has made me forget how much more moving this music could be with an orchestra. She also capped the program with an English version of Mein Herr Marquis, aka Adele's Laughing Song from Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus.

Encore was I Love You So from Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow with the four singers that gave the audience an idea on how NAMCYA has paved the way for musicians to achieve greater things beyond the competition. See who follows their footsteps as the 2018 NAMCYA National Finals Competition happens this November20-25, 2015 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

ConChords bags Akapela Open International title

ConChords

After bagging the top prize at the International Category of the A Cappella Championships in Singapore competition, Conchords emerged as the Grand Prize winners at the Akapela Open International besting nine other a cappella groups at the finals night held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Conchord’s well balanced voices, technically complex arrangements, and overall polish and sophistication in their performances of Remember Me from the movie Coco and Gary V’s ‘Di Bale Na Lang sealed them the title and the P250,000 prize money. The group from Quezon City improved on their runner up finish back in 2016.

Astrafellas

Baguio based Astrafellas ended up as this year’s 1^st Runner Up winning P150,000 but falling short in their bid to become the competition’s first ever back-to-back champions. Their rendition of APO’s When I Met You highlighted their very suave dynamics but it felt like they ran out of steam halfway through their Bon Jovi medley.

PhiSix

Rounding out the top three is PhiSix from Makati placing 2^nd Runner Up and winning P100,000 with a very contemporary take on Callum Scott’s You are the Reason and Freddie Aguilar’s Estudyante Blues. The group’s Kier Franco bagged the Best Arranger award and P50,000 with his updated arrangement of the Aguilar 1980’s classic about teenage angst.

The other finalists were Calafellas from Pangasinan, KNKTD from Manila, MVibe from Quezon Province, PSquare from Davao, Sayil and Syncofellas both from Bulacan, and Vocalmyx from Cagayan de Oro.

Akapela Open International Winners

The required song for this year is an original arrangement of a Filipino composition that was released during the 1980’s. A popular choice that night was songs by APO with When I Met You and Doo Bidoo each performed twice by different groups. And it was only a matter of which arrangement was more effective and who sold their performance more. Some groups even went a decade back with their other song choices, apart from the required one, that made some performances feel too retro. It still remains a challenge for these groups (and future competitors) to have a more contemporary sound and feel even if some of the songs are some decades old already.

Overall, the competition was intense at the top. The rest of the field, while overflowing with talent and charm, still lacked the conviction and wasn’t able to own the stage. I found myself urging them in my seat to let loose and perform up to those who were seated in the farthest rows. I learned afterwards just how young some of the members of these groups were and I could only imagine how daunting it was for them to compete at the Cultural Center of the Philippines stage of all places. It would be great to see which of these groups will be back to compete once again now that they’ve had some experience tucked under their belts. Also invaluable to these groups are the lessons learned from Mr. Ryan Cayabyab himself, the man responsible for the Akapela Open International.

The competing teams also should take some notes from the guest performers, the two time champions Acapellago. The 2013 & 2015 title holders and winners of various competitions abroad not only had the vocal chops but also had the stage presence that made them the champions that they are.

The Akapela Open International was presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Music School of Ryan Cayabyab.

An introduction to the saxophone on one French, cultural Thursday

Pianist Mariel Ilusorio and saxophonist Adam Campbell

An intimate concert by South African saxophonist Adam Campbell and Filipina pianist MarieI Ilusorio that highlighted the French influence in the saxophone’s repertoire was the main course at the premiere edition of Les Jeudis culturels presented by the Cultural Section of the Embassy of France to the Philippines and the Alliance Française de Manille.

South African saxophonist Adam Campbell talking to the audience

Campbell and Ilusorio showed a different side of the saxophone that night through music by French composers like André Jolivet’s Fantaisie Impromptu, Paule Maurice’s Tableaux de Provence, Jules Demersseman’s Fantaisie, Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche, Eugène Bozza’s Aria, and Jean Matitia’s Devil’s Rag. The composers may have been French but some of the influences came from across the Atlantic in the case of the bouncy Brazilian rhythms of Scaramouche and the delightful left hand syncopation inherent in the American ragtime of Devil’s Rag. A taste of non-French music were heard with the encores: Czárdás by the Spanish Pedro Iturralde and Oblivion by the Argentinean Astor Piazzolla.

Filipina pianist Mariel Ilusorio sharing info about the music

Scaramouche is always a pleasure to hear and it was my first time to experience live the saxophone and piano version of it. The two piano version of the piece is among my favorites. I positioned myself near the back of the venue so as not to distract other people as I swayed my head from side to side in time with the beat during the reprise of the third movement Brazileira for the duo's third and last encore.

I also have to say my apologies to Campbell since my focus was solely on Ilusorio during the Devil’s Rag. Never did I imagine seeing her play ragtime music, so this was special.

Mariel Ilusorio and Adam Campbell

The concert was also filled with information as both Campbell and Ilusorio annotated in between pieces. Audience members learned that the saxophone was invented by the Belgian Adolphe Sax in the early 1840’s. But the instrument started to flourish in the 20^th century as evidenced by the wealth of music that was composed during that time, some of which were performed at the concert. And despite looking like a brass instrument, the saxophone actually belongs to the woodwind family. So it's safe to bet that those who initially expected a jazz filled night were nonetheless swayed in the end by the gems of the "classical" saxophone repertoire.

Le Jeudis culturels (Cultural Thursdays) is a monthly event (happening on a Thursday) presented by the Cultural Section of the Embassy of France to the Philippines and the Alliance Française de Manille that will showcase different aspects of French culture form like music, theater, dance poetry, gastronomy, etc. in each edition.

A star is born: 17 year old violin phenom KayCee Galano steals show at PPO concert

Violinist KayCee Galano with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Seventeen year old violin phenomenon Kristine Clair “KayCee” Uchi Galano made her mark in the Philippine classical music scene with an outstanding debut with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Yoshikazu Fukumura at the orchestra’s most recent season concert held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Kaycee, a late replacement for originally scheduled guest violinist Lee Chin Siow, delivered a performance of Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26 that defied her years. Her rendition was a well balanced mix of youthful vigor and elegant composure, with her handling phrases with clarity and finesse while not giving in to fatigue that has been the bane of most violinists around her age. And I can’t remember someone so young making double stops sound so sweet.

Her two encores, Niccolò Paganini’s Caprice No. 21 in A major, Op. 1 and Singaporean violinist Ning Kam’s jazzy/bluesy/rocking arrangement of John Newton’s Amazing Grace, brought the house down with the audience showering KayCee with loud cheers and thunderous applause.

Yoshikazu Fukumura with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

This was truly remarkable since prior to the concert, people were wondering who KayCee was since she was still a relative unknown among concertgoers. I just had to take the word of Gerard Salonga who had been singing her praises and claiming that she's the real deal some days leading to the concert. Apparently, KayCee has toured with Gerard and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra earlier this year so he definitely knew what he was talking about.

Such was the impact of KayCee’s performance that the rest of the concert, Hector Berlioz’ Le Corsaire Overture, Op. 21 and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 almost felt like an afterthought. Listening to the dynamic Berlioz piece had me reeling with anticipation since I (and probably a lot of the audience present that night) wasn’t able to attend the season opener due to weather woes. And very likely spurred by KayCee, Fukumura led the PPO to an inspired take of the Tchaikovsky symphony.

Overall, the night really belonged to KayCee, and this memorable evening has somehow turned things around for the PPO’s 2018-2019 season that didn’t have the most ideal of starts due to the weather putting a damper at the opening night. KayCee may have been a late replacement in the program, but I wouldn’t be surprised if in the near future, she returns for another engagement with the PPO and this time with her as the headliner.