Textiles and textures

In recent days and the past week I found myself in places I normally don't frequent: malls! Official volunteer duties required that I be there to help document preparations leading to tomorrow's La Cenerentola at 8 p.m. at the Meralco Theater. In between listening to live music from the Manila Symphony Orchestra conducted by Darrell Ang and focusing my old camera on the looks and gestures of musicians, I would, as they say, window-shop with no intent of bringing out my wallet.

My camera did the work for me. Among my Pinterest boards ("pinning" to me is more fun than waltzing from shop to shop) is one dedicated to Patterns and Textiles. Here are some embroidered textiles I found at a tela shop at Glorietta 5. They make you wanna reach out and touch.

Snapshots of a maestro at work, at play

The Maestro referred to is that music whiz from Singapore Darrell Ang who has been in the country for over a week. He seems to be carrying a love rash for the Philippines around his neck. It couldn't be sunburn from a visit to Pagsanjan Falls, Laguna, where tenor Arthur Espiritu hosted him Aug. 7--that was an overcast day.

It couldn't have come from his free Sunday, Aug. 8, when he and Zara visited the Rizal Monument (my chance to recite all I knew by heart about our National Hero), Intramuros, the National Museum and Chinatown in that order (much of the tour was done inside the car driven by photographer-watercolorist Amado Chua as it was a gray, rainy day). So where did the rose color circling his neck come from? It has gotten the Philippine hosts so worried that last night, we parted from the Maestro and his girlfriend Zara more or less assured that they would get some calamine lotion to ease the itch. Medical consultation was done by telephone.

As I write this blog, I imagine him wielding his baton before the Manila Symphony Orchestra, twisting around now and then to cue the Aleron Chorale and the all-star cast. His mane of dark hair flies all over the place, and he hardly tames or presses them down so focused is he on the work at hand--the first-time staging in the Philippines of Rossini's La Cenerentola.

La Cenerentola, to be performed complete with two acts but in concert version on Saturday (Aug. 15) at the Meralco Theater in Ortigas Center, Pasig City, has generated a lot of excitement. With good reason because the moving spirit is Maestro Ang who believes that yes, the Filipino can! He calls us the most naturally musical, vocally, of all Asians. We're up there with all peoples of the world with a long tradition of singing.

During the first-time rehearsal of the cast (to include mezzo Karin Mushegain, tenor Arthur Espiritu, baritone Park Byeong In, sopranos Myramae Meneses and Tanya Corcuera) with the award-winning all-male Aleron Chorale held at the MusikArtes studio in old Makati, the Maestro spent a few minutes scouring around he studio looking for a suitable place to park the music book and his butt. He finally found the ideal chair and a music stand. The cast kidded him and addressed him Teacher Darrell when he was seated behind the original table. The Friday evening was significant for pianist Najib Ismail because it marked his last accompaniment duties to the cast and chorus. This week they have rehearsing with the full orchestra in another part of Makati.

The Maestro's and his assistant conductor Alvin Seville's energy levels and appetites are high after intense four-to-five-hour long rehearsals. To the Aristocrat Restaurant, Bel-air Village Makati branch we hied off, it being open for 24 hours. My face cannot tell a lie. What's written on it is this: it's past my Cinderella hour. In the last photo are Amado, opera presentor Joseph Uy, the Maestro, Alvin and a would-be understudy for any role but who's happy being chronicler, production assistant, occasional ticket seller and guide.

And the sight-seeing begins before the clouds let rip their content of rainwater. We managed a few minutes before Jose Rizal's monument, and I included the Torre de Manila eyesore in the background, to the right. Then we moved to the Intramuros, the Maestro's second visit after last year's when the Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation's Angel Reyes Nacino brought him there. He and his friend ducked into the Manila Cathedral while Amado and I waited outside. We climbed a portion of the walls to look at the little space of green the city still has. Photos by Babeth Lolarga

Our National Museum is a must-visit stop for anyone, whether local or foreign tourist. I wonder why there wasn't time last year during his visit for the Mostly Mozart Festival. Rectifications were made. First pose was with National Artist Adulmari Imao's sculpture "Sarimanok" followed by awed viewings of Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo's "The Assassination of Governor Bustamante," Juan Luna's "Spolarium" and Guillermo Tolentino's "Diwata."After this visit to the floor level, the maestro asked, like a child who can't have enough of the "eye candies", "Are there anymore paintings?" It was our cue to bring him up to the third floor via a see-through elevator that enabled us to see the museum courtyard's possibility for being venue for small outdoor concerts in the 'ber months when the monsoon is over. Maestro felt the same way when he saw the former Senate Hall. Perfect for concerts, he said, with uniformly priced tickets and an orchestra that can be set near, not away from, the audience. Keep dreaming awake, Maestro!

Admiring the paintings of Jaime de Guzman

It's the process, not the final product alone

And documenting the process has been my assigned, more likely a self-imposed, task during the making and mounting of Gioachino Rossini's La Cenerentola, the two-act comic opera that goes onstage Aug. 15, Saturday, at 8 p.m. at the Meralco Theater in Pasig City. Of the many things I do for love these I like to kiss the day goodbye with.

Hey, Mister and Mister Good-looking! Maestro Darrell Ang (left) is the most sought-after Asian international conductor today and is La Cenerentola’s music director and conductor. He leads the Manila Symphony Orchestra, the country's oldest at 89 years old, on opera night. He is the Bretagne Orchestre Symphonique du France music director. Tenor Arthur Espiritu, looking fresh despite having just disembarked from his plane from Europe at 1 a.m. on this day of the press conference, is Don Ramiro, the role that put him on the world operatic map. He's a sensation in Europe, and this blogger hopes that in his home country Arthur receives the same recognition factor as the idol of his childhood, Gary Valenciano.

Guy on left is the most hardworking freelance journalist I know in this hemisphere. He also gives nicknames to artists that stick for a long time. Pablo A. Tariman once called Arthur the "Prince of Cantabile." Indeed this prince of high Cs is that and more, a humanitarian, too, who was among the first to respond to the post-supertyphoon Yolanda relief and rehab efforts

Media oldtimers are reliable at press cons with a strong cultural angle. Seen at Gerry's Grill before lunch was about to commence and as they waited for the opera talents to come in are (clockwise): Pablo, Amadis Ma. Guerrero, Alex Dacanay, Bibsy Carballo, Chit Roces Santos and Vergel O. Santos. After meeting the stars of the opera, Chit observed, "It's an impressive, good-looking cast. Gone are the days when opera singers looked like two-door refers." In the next table Barbara Mae Dacanay of Gulf News Asia is shown interviewing Arthur and other music artists.

The Maestro with blogger Adrian Lontoc whose area of concentration is music and the arts

They play full-blooded sisters to one another and nasty step-sisters to Cenerentola (or Cinderella). They are Myramae Tapia Meneses and Tanya Corcuera.

Another looker is baritone Byeong In Park who will play Dandini, Don Ramiro's (played by Arthur) valet. The Saturday event also marks Byeong In's official and first-time appearance on a Philippine stage. Byeong In is married to the Philippines' Rachelle Gerodias, soprano, and has a baby boy with her.

The voice of American mezzo soprano Karin Mushegain we hear for the first time at the Steinway Manila Boutique when she rehearses with the rest of the cast and Maestro Ang. She has Armenian roots, resides in LA and came to Manila for the first time with a list of to-eat places and stuff. To her left is Alvin Seville, the assistant conductor who Maestro Ang brought with him at his expense from Singapore to ensure a perfect production.

Intently studying the music while rehearsing it at the same time are Arthur, Maestrao and Najib Ismail, who served as repetiteur

Maestro and the Manila Symphony Orchestra practice with such focus at Glorietta 5. The MSO being gypsies, except for a small office unit along Roxas Blvd. in Malate, the members use the mall for open rehearsals. Until such time the City of Manila or whatever institution or philanthropist offers the MSO a more permanent space, mall goers never had it so good, listening to the classics performed live instead of hearing the usual piped-in music.

For tickets, call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or the Cultural Arts Events Organizers at 997-9483, 782-7164 or 0920-9540053 or 0918-347-3027. CAEO can schedule ticket delivery for free.

My incredible week in review

Waya Araos-Wijangco, Jerry and Melen's eldest daughter, with her niece and everyone's fave little girl, the sociable Amarra Araos Encabo

Old ties renewed: Host Doc Melen, writer Gemma Corotan-Kolb stand behind Nympha Saño, who Odette Alcantara used to call "Nymphette", and a blogger who has adopted the babushka look (coming soon, when her budget finally allows, peasant blouses)

The week of July 7 to 10 will be recorded in great detail in my personal diary as a very full one--the jingle lang ang pahinga kind of week that has taken a toll on a bum knee. The Sunday began with a visit to the Araos family, a hi and a ho to remember Jerry by. He would've been 70, a milestone year.

While I was there, Melen and youngest son Julian brought out some bubble-wrapped paintings that are bound for Florida, the US of A (not Florida Bus Lines). These were gifts to Jerry when he was hale, hearty and the biggest "encourager", after my husband Rolly, when I returned to art school. He saw to it that I would exhibit with his art guild Salakai in one of the biggest simultaneous art show events at the old SM Megamall Art Walk in May 2007 (them were the days when the SM chain of malls still had a veneer of credibility). These works haven't been exhibited; they were personal gifts to JVA's family. Now Jerry and Melen's youngest daughter Mira, who's infanticipating, will hang them in her nursery.

It just occurred to me now that these works remain untitled. So, Mira, it is with extreme pleasure that I give them the "names" they need for after all, they are the babies of my mind, heart and hands. Dear Mira, these are all the "authentication papers" you'll need.

"C Is for Crabs, C Is for the Cancer-borns" (Jerry, Mira and I are all born under the zodiac sign of Cancer.)

"Tea Time for Stones and Two Jars"

"Cubes, Ovals and a Ripe Orange"

After Jerry died, Melen said when she met my grand-daughter again two years after she delivered Kai/Butones that she hoped Amarra and Kai would become friends. This is to continue the deep ties of the Araoses and Lolargas--what Jerry had written in the past about how our families are intertwined. But due to geographical reasons, it may be Amarra and my grand-niece Machiko Skye Lolarga Susi (right) who'll hit it off. Max, as the family calls her, is, like Amarra, an Antipolo resident.

Monday, the seventh of July, was Maestro Darrell Ang day. When he arrived at NAIA the day before, Joseph Uy, consultant of the Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation, who was there to welcome him, texted immediately: "Ma'am, Darrell is now here. He's gorgeous. You'll like him."

I texted back: "Baka naman himatayin ako!"

Joseph: "Don't worry, Ma'am, I'll catch you."

That's what I love about Joseph. He has this deadpan humor, and he doesn't add cheesy smiley emoticons on his messages the way I always do.

I had to give up a ladies' lunch (postponed for the nth time) for this coverage for Vera Files. I always am thankful for good, kind cab drivers, even the talkative ones, who bring me to my destination and back to the house without incident. I can't tip them anymore, but if there's an anti-hypoglycemia pack of sugar-free anything (mints, candies, cookies), this goes to the driver of the moment. Better than a tip because their faces light up when they say: "Mommy, solved na merienda ko." With the babushka look, they initially speak in English and ask from what country I am. Naks! I'm inclined to say Greece or Ukraine, but I don't want the discussion to get political and complicated so I quickly confess I'm Pinay and I have a pangit haircut to hide which is true. The barber (yes, barbers are cheaper than salon hair stylists) is still alive, by the way.

Group shot around Maestro Ang (seated second from right between classical music blogger Andrian Lontoc and a babushka) at the Makati Sports Club. Others in photo are Jasmine Cruz (bending left) of BusinessWorld, Baltazar Endriga, chairman of the board of the MCO Foundation, Ellen Tordesillas of VERA Files, Malaya and Abante, and Allan Pastrana, contributing writer of Philippine Daily Inquirer and a teacher at Miriam College. I told Mr. Endriga it must be nice to called Chairman of the Board like Frank Sinatra. His quick reply: "But he was Sinatra, and his friends in the Rat Pack were all millionaires! I'm not."

Tuesday I filed my story only to learn that the Vera Files site had been spammed and hacked.

Wednesday was teaching day--the first time I went to school accompanied by a yaya, my mom's. Never, not even in my nursery and kindergarten years, was I ever accompanied by a yaya to school. But this time, someone had to help me carry my students' notebooks (the equivalent of theme notebooks in my high school years), other teaching materials, my umbrella and backpack of personal stuff.

Should I also be grateful for over-frank students who ask for my exact age, what the matter was with me and if I'll be due for retirement soon because of disability? One asked, "If you're sixty by next year, will you have to go? And if you do, will they dissolve CW (creative writing)?"

My answer was diplomatic: "When the time comes for me to leave school, someone will take over. No one is indispensable in any organization."

Thursday, oh my! It was La Gilda Day, her vernissage at Silverlens Galleries in Makati, but I'll reserve a full-length account of that wild evening for another outlet. I wanna share this precious pic of funny girl Chit Roces Santos who's always Not Quite There and her babushka pal. I asked what did she come as. She said, "Masahistang bulag!" We sat together for a bit by the registration table at the entrance, and I said, "If people ask, you're my caregiver. Class ako ngayon--tisay ang yaya ko!"

Chit and blogger

Don't even talk of Friday because from the moment I woke up with my husband by my side (a rarity when I'm in Manila), I was in a go-go-go mood. His idea of a treat was to cover all meals in one blow--yes, a luncheon buffet that started at 11:30 a.m., ended at 2 p.m., 15 minutes before all the stations closed. He seemed insatiable and steadily ate through plates of sushi, sashimi, chorizos, three flavors of green ice cream, halo-halo with just the sangkap, not the ice and milk, buko pandan, mango sago, all downed with beer. I was waiting for him to turn comatose before my eyes, but it was I who got sleepy from just two plates of sushi.

What woke me up was when the waiters started singing table to table where a birthday celebrator was seated. They were a threesome: guitarist, a maracas and a tambourine player. One of them carried a portable sound system. I envied the tables that had a celebrator each so when our neighbors enjoyed the birthday song plus another pop hit, I asked if anniversaries were counted (our 30th was coming up in a few days). Yup, they "performed" anniversaries, too. A waiter proceeded to fetch this huge tarpaulin with "Happy Anniversary" writ large. When the singing started, I felt an instant shot of adrenalin. It was my cue to rise with my cane, sit on Rolly's left leg and do a lap dance. Guess who walked with a limp after? And the song we were serenaded with? "Kahit Maputi Na ang Buhok Ko!"

Old couple marking their Pearl Anniversary with a cheerful photo bomber behind them. I'm pretty sure that if I die ahead of him, Rolly will miss me acutely because of moments like this one and thus forgive my past transgressions.

Hubby and I capped date night at the Mostly Mozart 2014 Festival. Knowing what a screeching, shameless fan girl I am when the gods and goddesses descend from Music's Olympus, Rolly kindly took my photo by the grand piano with an Adonis, Maestro Darrell Ang.

As if all those activities weren't enough, I met some of my CW students yesterday, a Saturday afternoon, at the entrance of the Ayala Museum for a field trip. They not only visited the permanent diorama and the Fernando Zobel retrospective, they were present for Dr. May Jurilla's lecture-presentation on "Romancing the Book." My instruction to the kids was to listen well so they could ask one well thought out question each. In the end, only three overcame their shyness to raise their hands during the open forum.

One, two, three: Hashtag Ayala Museum!

Photos by Angel Reyes Nacino, Babeth and Suzy Lolarga, Maite de la Rosa, Rolly Fernandez and others like another restaurant customer

For love of Mozart and all things good and fine

Old woodblock print of the young Mozart

Artists (writers, musicians, painter, sculptors, multi-media artists) can still learn from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart even centuries after he left this world at a youthful 35 going on 36.

My choice Mozart quote is this: "I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings."

It has been a total pleasure interviewing for verafiles.org these past weeks and days the main headliners of "Mostly Mozart 2014 Festival" and even the cultural heroes who work in the background . The site has been down for the past 72 hours. My editor Ellen Tordesillas, whose own blog site suffered the same fate, explained that the site crashed from the weight of spam materials that had been loaded into it. In other words, it has been hacked. Meanwhile, the site and Ka Ellen's blog are under repair and temporarily unavailable. I'm praying they will both be up by this afternoon or tomorrow.

What's admirable about Ka Ellen is she's cool about it, like this is a risk the organization faces each time it takes on its various advocacies in stopping human trafficking, upholding the rights of persons with disability, among many.

Cristine Coyiuto just being herself

I asked pianist Cristine Coyiuto what her thoughts were on classical music development in this country, how fine music can be heard above the din of K-pop (that's Korean pop) or even Ph-pop. She said, "Young people should be exposed to classical music in this country. In Europe, attending classical concerts and operas are part of their daily lives. Here, I think the love for classical music can start right at home. It is just a matter of exposure. Parents can help their children by letting them listen to classical music or bringing them to concerts. At home, my husband turns on the stereo every morning, so our daughter was already well exposed to good music at a very young age. By the time Caitlin turned six, she had already been to a full-length ballet, symphonic concert, recital and opera."

It helped that her husband James had a music room built in their home. In this room hangs an oil painting done by Manolo Lozada, brother of the violinist Carmencita. He recalled that Lozada started painting the family portrait when Caitlin was 14 years old. Thre years later in 2008, the artist presented the work to the family as a gift from the artist. Caitlin at the time was learning how to play the cello as her third instrument (she began with piano followed by the flute).

Mr. Coyiuto said "We breathe music every day, whether it is coming from her piano, or from a CD that is playing, or from watching musical performances, especially operas during meal time." Of this painting, he said, "I chastised Manolo for including the slippers plus all the stuff underneath the piano! Plus I told him to add more hair on my head! He tried! He's such an honest painter!"

It's said that the arts are a jealous mistress or lover. For some living and practicing art sometimes exacts a toll on the family. But Cristine said otherwise: "My husband James, my daughter Caitlin and I share a common love and passion for music. The three of us are fully supportive of one another. James is an ardent musicophile who collects CDs and prints of the composers, and supports us in every way he can. In spite of a busy household, I always try to find time to work on my music. The best part is playing and performing with my flutist daughter. There seems to be a special bond or feeling between us whenever we perform together. That is why the critics dubbed us 'the mother-daughter musical tandem.'"

Of Singaporean conductor Darrell Ang with whom she will perform alongside the Manila Symphony Orchestra tomorrow night at the Philippine Stock Exchange auditorium, she said, "I have heard so many good things about him, and I certainly look forward to working with him."

Mostly Mozart is a fund-raising production of the Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation to benefit its young artists' development program. A number of tickets are still available at the MCO Foundation with tel. no. 750-0768 or cell phone 0920-954-0053.

The journey to realize the star-studded Mostly Mozart Festival | Vera Files

The journey to realize the star-studded Mostly Mozart Festival | Vera Files