Ate Raya and her kid bro Dakila
Girlie Sarabia with a whole cake to herself
The blogger Jennie Moraitis likes to encourage followers to "find magic in little things."
This past Sunday I was looking for those little things that would restore me. I found one in a joint birthday celebration of Dakila and Raya, children of Sinag De Leon, all born in January, and of Girlie Francisco Sarabia.
Daki and Raya's nana (lola) Anna Leah Sarabia and Sinag chose Pigar X Pigar on the Sikatuna Village side of Maginhawa Street in Quezon City as venue for the get-together. With us also were Kaya, outfitted like a Parisian girl complete with black beret, and her mom Leonor Mae Tomelden-de Leon.
I've always liked attending children's, rather than grown-ups', birthday celebration. Food and chat are so uncomplicated.
Reminded me of Rickee Baluyut's birthday celebration some years ago when he was just a boy in his family's former Mandaluyong home. His pop Alex Baluyut prepared an unforgettable chili con carne (there were other dishes but the chili continues to stand out in my memory).
When I heard we were gonna eat at a pigar-pigar place, the first of its kind in Manila according to the owners, I was thrown back to a public market in Dagupan, Pangasinan, where husband Rolly Fernandez took me to try it. The meat was tough and chewy. The initiation was memorable because of the meat's toughness.
On this latest pigar-pigar tasting, I was anxious that I would have to grind the meat hard before I could swallow it. My brittle teeth might not be up to the task. I was proven wrong
The pigar-pigar made from carabeef was so tender; what was more, the meat came sauteed with onions and lots of cabbage. Although most of Anna's family members are pescarians or vegetarians, they sampled the meat dish. Girlie, a pianist, hummed softly, sounding pleased.
Pigar-pigar with sliced onions and cabbage
Binagoongang rice
Grilled bangus
Steamed okra
Pinakbet of Pangasinan comes with camote.
Pinakbet of Pangasinan comes with camote.
The serving plate was wiped clean; the same went for the plates of binagoongang rice, steamed okra, grilled bangus and that staple of the North, pinakbet. What made this Pangasinan pakbet different from what I've sampled was the chunks of white camote in it.
The management knew there were three birthday celebrators in our group and brought out patupat (another Northern delicacy) but served a la mode!
As I took shots of our meal, Sinag suggested I make future still life painting subjects out of them. Sige, Sinag, thanks!
So pleasured was I that I thought of suggesting to my family in Baguio that we sample Pangasinan food again but in situ. A way of escaping the Panagbenga crowd. With the good roads going up and down Baguio, this may be a capital idea that can turn a day into something magical.
Happy birthday again, Girlie, Dakila and Raya!
Showing posts with label Sinag de Leon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sinag de Leon. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Forever Norman
Norman Chow, my painting teacher for over 12 years, and I were supposed to "plot out" what would have been the 12th and last of 12 paintings for a two-person show I am scheduled to be part of in November. We began leisurely work as early as the first quarter of this year. We hated being hurried. But the 12th work isn't meant to be because just as Baguio was waking up from the debris left by super-typhoon Ompong, we who loved and respected Norman learned that he died Sept. 17. To say it was sudden is an understatement. I haven't totally come to terms with the loss. I will miss his quiet guidance, his humble ways (he was an excellent visual artist skilled in dry and wet media, able to paint in the traditional Oriental style and also come up with contemporary images) and his patience in imparting his technical knowledge. He helped me find my style and feel confident in it, not to be apologetic about a childlike view of the world and of shapes and colors. In honor of Norman, I am giving the title "Norman's Feast" to my show of still lifes of food painted in acrylic. The show, which will also feature the paper cutouts of Sinag de Leon, opens Nov. 7 at Waya Araos Wijangco's Gourmet Gypsy Art Cafe at 25 Roces Ave., Quezon City, and will run until the end of December. Waya comforted me, texting, "I'm sure he has given enough in the last 12 years for you to keep painting forever." In photo is Norman's rendition of what Green Valley in Baguio looked like before it was developed into the subdivision it is today.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Friday, October 11, 2013
Doing the Romi Garduce journey vicariously
Nobody was more thrilled about my being part of Romi Garduce's journey to the making of what we hope won't be his first and last book than my daughter, Kimi Fernandez.
Kimi, her friends and many more who have slept over or crossed the threshold of our homes in Pasig and Baguio are all alumni members of the UP Mountaineers (UPM). But you never actually call them "alumni" because once a UPM member, always and forever na.
I had to squelch Kimi's enthusiasm and tell her firmly to save the excitement until the book was done, as in published and launched and distributed and read by many. As you can see, I am pre-empting her! Sorry, good daughter of mine, but I'm asserting my seniority.
Kimi wanted to tweet and announce in her social media outlets over the summer that her Nanay, whose physical exertions involve carrying her grandchild or walking to the nearby park with the little 'un or doing head and shoulder rolls after hours spent before the computer, was combing through Romi's manuscript, commenting, editing and finally, proofreading (any typos or editing oversights I claim as mine alone).
Kimi was sworn in as UPM member while dressed in her swimsuit atop Mt. Pulag in Benguet. Sinag de Leon, then UPM president, swore in the members of Kimi's batch. Sinag introduced me to Romi very early this year. Sinag is also godmother to our family's Kai/Butones. Interlocking lives, but that's what makes it more fun in the Philippines.
Now how Romi, a BS Math major from the University of Santo Tomas and an information technology professional, became a UPM, I can't disclose. You'll really have to get hold of a copy of the book for some of the funniest experiences I've read in a long while.
Romi's a decent chap, what we call in parlance as "magaang dalhin." And he has to be and remain that way because of the life beyond the office walls that he has chosen. It's one thing to climb a molehill and imagine oneself as Maria von Trapp singing "The hills are alive...." It's another to carry half or equivalent of your weight to the most weather-beaten and highest mountains of the world. Emotional baggage is not allowed in the check-in area of any airport.
The launch of Akyat! Journey to the Seven Summits was also a refreshing departure from other book signing events. One of Romi's sponsors, Juice Jab, served only beverages, extremely healthy ones made from the juice of several vegetables and fruits and milk extracted from nuts. Not only healthy but good for detoxing the body of all negativism.
By putting out this book, Romi again shares with a grateful nation his/our story that yes, the Filipino can!
And now for my shameless plug. Romi is giving this special offer, and I have highlighted it on this space:
Get 20 per cent discount when you order 10 copies or more. Sell to your friends or use as personal giveaways. Note: shipping cost will be added in the total price. Email your order to romi.garduch@gmail.com. Available in the Philippines only.
If you want to buy online, go to Central Bookstore website, beginning this month, or for those living overseas, Createspace/Amazon (soon).
Kimi, her friends and many more who have slept over or crossed the threshold of our homes in Pasig and Baguio are all alumni members of the UP Mountaineers (UPM). But you never actually call them "alumni" because once a UPM member, always and forever na.
I had to squelch Kimi's enthusiasm and tell her firmly to save the excitement until the book was done, as in published and launched and distributed and read by many. As you can see, I am pre-empting her! Sorry, good daughter of mine, but I'm asserting my seniority.
Kimi wanted to tweet and announce in her social media outlets over the summer that her Nanay, whose physical exertions involve carrying her grandchild or walking to the nearby park with the little 'un or doing head and shoulder rolls after hours spent before the computer, was combing through Romi's manuscript, commenting, editing and finally, proofreading (any typos or editing oversights I claim as mine alone).
Kimi was sworn in as UPM member while dressed in her swimsuit atop Mt. Pulag in Benguet. Sinag de Leon, then UPM president, swore in the members of Kimi's batch. Sinag introduced me to Romi very early this year. Sinag is also godmother to our family's Kai/Butones. Interlocking lives, but that's what makes it more fun in the Philippines.
Now how Romi, a BS Math major from the University of Santo Tomas and an information technology professional, became a UPM, I can't disclose. You'll really have to get hold of a copy of the book for some of the funniest experiences I've read in a long while.
Romi's a decent chap, what we call in parlance as "magaang dalhin." And he has to be and remain that way because of the life beyond the office walls that he has chosen. It's one thing to climb a molehill and imagine oneself as Maria von Trapp singing "The hills are alive...." It's another to carry half or equivalent of your weight to the most weather-beaten and highest mountains of the world. Emotional baggage is not allowed in the check-in area of any airport.
The launch of Akyat! Journey to the Seven Summits was also a refreshing departure from other book signing events. One of Romi's sponsors, Juice Jab, served only beverages, extremely healthy ones made from the juice of several vegetables and fruits and milk extracted from nuts. Not only healthy but good for detoxing the body of all negativism.
By putting out this book, Romi again shares with a grateful nation his/our story that yes, the Filipino can!
| The secret to how he did it: "Struggles & Defeats and not giving up to win." |
| Macho Romi likes to pose this way in many of his shots with fellow mountaineers. |
| The author in a t-shirt that says it all for every rare person who summits the world's seven tallest mountains: "To climb is human, to summit divine. Akyat!" |
| Addressing a crowd of dressed down book buyers (a.k.a., the mountaineering community) |
| Tada! There's Romi's first-born child and his birth attendants: his Tita Babeth and book designer Kerwin Nicolas. |
Get 20 per cent discount when you order 10 copies or more. Sell to your friends or use as personal giveaways. Note: shipping cost will be added in the total price. Email your order to romi.garduch@gmail.com. Available in the Philippines only.
If you want to buy online, go to Central Bookstore website, beginning this month, or for those living overseas, Createspace/Amazon (soon).
Friday, March 15, 2013
Aze Ong's light, healing touch and crochet art
The last time I saw crochet artist Aze Ong, she was leading guests, mainly students and teachers, in a dance at the opening of the group exhibition called "Lima-lima" at the San Beda Museum in Alabang Hill in December last year.
She let the audience hold her "instruments" or wear her creations. I haven't quite forgotten that because pictures of that evening help me remember. I've also stored some of her words in my files.
Aze once went through what she calls her "lost" period. It's nothing unusual for artists and writers. She went to Bukidnon during that period to do volunteer work so she could try living away from her
comfort zone and her family. That period taught her resourcefulness and the ability to listen to the silence within and without. She lived atop a hill with a view of mountains, trees, vegetation. Sometimes she saw eagles. Wild sunflowers grew and thrived in the cool climate.
Living with the Talaandig tribe also made her see that "art and life flow together, that art is life seen in the rituals for harvesting, their marriage rites and birthdays. Dancing and singing--it's a way of life."
After processing that whole experience, one day she finally saw the light. She realized that she didn't have to belong to a tribe to make art or to perform. She said, "I just follow my instincts and do it. This [immersion] is an experience I always go back to and share with others. That sharing of yourself to others is the best gift you can give to them.This made me realize the beauty in imperfection. There is no perfect world, no perfect people. Imperfection makes it perfect!"
Her works bring to mind the colors of butterfly wings or what one imagines to be colors of angel wings. It's no coincidence that Aze believes that wings are the symbols of freedom. She says, "When we are enlightened, we are free."
She let the audience hold her "instruments" or wear her creations. I haven't quite forgotten that because pictures of that evening help me remember. I've also stored some of her words in my files.
| That's Aze at left beating a rhythm with her hands as teachers let go |
Living with the Talaandig tribe also made her see that "art and life flow together, that art is life seen in the rituals for harvesting, their marriage rites and birthdays. Dancing and singing--it's a way of life."
After processing that whole experience, one day she finally saw the light. She realized that she didn't have to belong to a tribe to make art or to perform. She said, "I just follow my instincts and do it. This [immersion] is an experience I always go back to and share with others. That sharing of yourself to others is the best gift you can give to them.This made me realize the beauty in imperfection. There is no perfect world, no perfect people. Imperfection makes it perfect!"
Her works bring to mind the colors of butterfly wings or what one imagines to be colors of angel wings. It's no coincidence that Aze believes that wings are the symbols of freedom. She says, "When we are enlightened, we are free."
| Woman shakes an Aze-made percussion instrument. |
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Arlene Esperida and her ATC movement
Arlene Esperida is a Japan-based artist who I met at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) conference in Manila in '03, if my memory is having a good day. Somewhere in our house in Baguio is a painting of hers, mainly in orange, with biomorphic forms.
Since then, we rediscovered one another when I still had a Facebook account. Then we embarked on this small project of helping democratize art through artist trading cards or ATCs. I started one with the Baguio Aquarelle Society in '09 or thereabouts (excuse the occasional lapse in factual or episodic memory; rest assured the associative or long memory is intact). For a time I was using these cards as my business cards, although more pragmatic friends would say, how come I have to make these one-of-a-kind cards, usually practice paintings in small sizes before I enlarge them, into business cards? In short, impractical, probably they're gauging the effort in terms of use of paint, images, etc.
Well, visual artists and writers make heroic choices every day, that's all I can say. Meanwhile, Arlene and I have corresponded by postal mail; so have Gladys Lyn "Nini" Teves Lapuz and I in the same fashion off and on for many years now.
Meanwhile, I've rid myself of the collecting bug but not yet in terms of ATCs. They're defined by this site http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Artist-Trading-Cards as having begun "in the tradition of business cards, but with a personal, artistic twist. Most ATCs are created on paper, but they may also be any other medium that can be worked in a suitable size. ATCs are traditionally the size of baseball cards and other trading cards. They're a fun way to exchange your own one-of-a-kind artistic flair with other artists you meet. You can also use them as business cards."
I am sharing part of my loot (a couple that my former classmate Potchie Lazaro swapped with my works ended up with Jessica Zafra--I knew she'd like his kapre and tikbalang). I encourage art students, or anyone interested in reviving "snail mail", to put more fun into something handmade. We all spend much too much time in front of our laptops and Netbooks (unwittingly, we expose ourselves to these machines' radiation, too). So here's to ATCs and how they've revived art in small sizes, penmanship, trips to the post office, among other heroic everyday choices.
The actual sizes of these ATCs are sometimes even smaller than the images below. Thank you, Arlene, Jenny Cariño, Norman Chow, Toottee Chanco-Pacis, Nini Lapuz, Sinag de Leon and other fellow swappers and pen pals.
Since then, we rediscovered one another when I still had a Facebook account. Then we embarked on this small project of helping democratize art through artist trading cards or ATCs. I started one with the Baguio Aquarelle Society in '09 or thereabouts (excuse the occasional lapse in factual or episodic memory; rest assured the associative or long memory is intact). For a time I was using these cards as my business cards, although more pragmatic friends would say, how come I have to make these one-of-a-kind cards, usually practice paintings in small sizes before I enlarge them, into business cards? In short, impractical, probably they're gauging the effort in terms of use of paint, images, etc.
Well, visual artists and writers make heroic choices every day, that's all I can say. Meanwhile, Arlene and I have corresponded by postal mail; so have Gladys Lyn "Nini" Teves Lapuz and I in the same fashion off and on for many years now.
Meanwhile, I've rid myself of the collecting bug but not yet in terms of ATCs. They're defined by this site http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Artist-Trading-Cards as having begun "in the tradition of business cards, but with a personal, artistic twist. Most ATCs are created on paper, but they may also be any other medium that can be worked in a suitable size. ATCs are traditionally the size of baseball cards and other trading cards. They're a fun way to exchange your own one-of-a-kind artistic flair with other artists you meet. You can also use them as business cards."
I am sharing part of my loot (a couple that my former classmate Potchie Lazaro swapped with my works ended up with Jessica Zafra--I knew she'd like his kapre and tikbalang). I encourage art students, or anyone interested in reviving "snail mail", to put more fun into something handmade. We all spend much too much time in front of our laptops and Netbooks (unwittingly, we expose ourselves to these machines' radiation, too). So here's to ATCs and how they've revived art in small sizes, penmanship, trips to the post office, among other heroic everyday choices.
The actual sizes of these ATCs are sometimes even smaller than the images below. Thank you, Arlene, Jenny Cariño, Norman Chow, Toottee Chanco-Pacis, Nini Lapuz, Sinag de Leon and other fellow swappers and pen pals.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Brookside bibi & famille say thanks for the follow
"To be strong yet vulnerable--this is how we live on this earth. A big embrace."--New Year SMS from poet Marj Evasco
Blood was no typo on your part
For in your words I recognize a life force
Where I find
The solace
That these days collect
Like impossible raindrops
In the frozen snow
Outside the window of this
My winter's discontent.
For in your words I recognize a life force
Where I find
The solace
That these days collect
Like impossible raindrops
In the frozen snow
Outside the window of this
My winter's discontent.
--Jorge V. Ledesma, writing from his Colorado isolation
| With a bib tucked in her shirt, the blogger is ready for another Yuletide repast. |
| On our favorite couch by the Christmas tree at Mario's |
| Blurry photo of Lolarga-Fernandez family with house guests Sinag de Leon and Raya Amado. Sinag's son Dakila couldn't keep still and decided to play with Kai's toy car. |
At the beginning of this year, I must say that our happily dysfunctional family
has managed to stay intact through the decades.
Has it been that long since
Rolly and I decided to hitch our lives to a star and gamble (it does seem like
a roll of the dice), take a chance on what Simone de Beauvoir called "an
obscene institution"? This year
just past, I learned something new--that your chances of coming out a winner
from a casino range from 30 to 40 per cent.
| Ida Fernandez with her Tatay and her niece Kai holding the figurine of a lighted angel |
| Chit Roces and Vergel Santos, colleagues in writing and journalism, drop by for coffee and chat. |
Hmmm. Call us Mr. and Mrs. Lucky Us then! And many
a time it was our kids, Kimi and Ida, and now our granddaughter, who have helped
keep the union intact. Add to that, the fellowship of friends and an extended
family of children and grandchildren of our own co-parents.
In a country where Christmas is celebrated the
longest, the Lolarga and Fernandez families wish to thank those who've stayed
with us. The blogger, channeling Meryl Streep, also thanks her 21 ++ followers
who saw her through her ups and downs, enjoyed the roller-coaster of life with
her and screamed along with her, with arms and hands held high, as the ride
swooped down.
Here's to more and more of the same!
| Shall we dance after this meal at that Baguio classic, Cafe by the Ruins? |
Source of topmost photo: "Here's the Thing,"
an online column by Ben Patterson
Photos taken by Suzy and Babeth Lolarga, Rolly Fernandez and an anonymous waiter
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Dear Dear Dear Music Lovers of Metro Manila & Nearby Provinces
Following is a letter from Pablo A. Tariman of Music News & Features on the next couple of intimate concerts for the season at Balay Kalinaw, University of the Philippines Diliman campus, Quezon City. The July 22 concert is a fund-raising event of Church Cafe, a Quezon City-based community of cultural workers, in behalf of poet-essayist-painter Jolicco de Cuadra who is under treatment for the early stages of Parkinson's disease.The July 22 event includes an exhibition and art raffle-auction apart from a dinner-concert.
_______________________________
Dear Music Lovers,
After the successful opening night of the UP Balay Kalinaw Intimate Concert Series on May 28 with violinist Gina Medina and pianist Mary Anne Espina, we would like to invite you to the remaining three concerts of the season: pianist Oliver Salonga on June 18, cellist Wilfredo Pasamba with pianist Mary Anne Espina on July 8 and baritone Andrew Fernando with mezzo soprano Clarissa Ocampo, flutist Christopher Oracion and pianist Espina on July 22.
Please fill up the ticket order form below, and Music News can deliver the tickets free. Or remit ticket payments through BPI Savings Account No. 2449-0956-88 under Account Name: Pablo A. Tariman and your tickets will be reserved on the night of the concert. Call us at (02) 7484152 or 09065104270.
Here is the background of the artists and their program.
Hoping you can join us in the forthcoming concerts, we remain
Very truly yours,
PABLO A. TARIMAN
Ticket Order Form
Music News
116 Edinburgh St.
Pasig Green Park Subd.
Manggahan, Pasig City
Gentlemen:
We would like to order the following tickets indicated below:
1. June 18, 2011 Concert of Pianist Oliver Salonga
( ) ____ tickets at P1000 (with dinner)
( ) ____ tickets at P500 (concert only)
( ) ____ tickets at P300 (student price)
2. July 8, 2011 Concert of Cellist Wilfredo Pasamba and pianist Mary Anne Espina
( ) ____ tickets at P1000 (with dinner)
( ) ____ tickets at P500 (concert only)
( ) ____ tickets at P300 (student price)
3. July 22, 2011 Concert of Baritone Andrew Fernando, mezzo-soprano Clarissa Ocampo and flutist Christopher Oracion.
( ) ____ tickets at P1, 500 (with dinner)
( ) ____ tickets at P500 (concert only)
( ) ____ tickets at P300 (student price)
Please deliver above tickets to the following:
Name:
Address:
Contact Nos. & Email Address:
* * *
Concert 2
Saturday, June 18, 2011, 6 p.m.
Oliver Salonga, pianist
Tickets at P1000 (with buffet dinner); P500 (concert only)
“What a dazzling pianist Oliver Salonga turned out to be! At his CCP concert, Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No.3 in C Sharp Minor and crisp-sparkling tones produced by remarkably nimble fingers. The distinctive phrasing, the brio, the sense of drama made the piece sound fresh and yes, even contemporary. Yet the style ummistakably hewed to Bach… the talent, the sensitivity, the impetuosity, the sense of drama are all his own.”--The Philippine Star
“He plays with power, technique, clarity, precision and coloring… A most satisfying evening!”--Business World
“…Remarkable musical sophistication… A clear standout!”--Malaya
Program
Piano Sonata No.58 in C Major, Hob.48 Haydn
Andante con espressione
Presto
Fantasiestucke, op.12 Schumann
Das Abends
Aufschwung Warum?
Grillen
In der Nacht
Fable
Traumes Wirren
Ende vom Lied
Intermission
Piano Sonata No.31 in A-flat Major, Op.110 Beethoven
Moderato cantabile
Allegro molto
Adagio espressivo
Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo
Apres une lecture du dante
"Sonata quasi fantasia" Liszt
Praised for his pianistic power and poetry, Oliver Salonga has gained a good following in his first recitals in the US, Asia and the Pacific. At a very young age, he has demonstrated an outstanding ability to communicate with audiences on a deeply personal level that made him one of the most promising pianists of his generation.
He was the winner of 2004 Lynn Concerto Competition and was a two-time Grand Prize winner in piano of 2003 and 2004 Madelyn Savarick Annual Scholarship Competition of the Centre for the Arts in Boca Raton, Florida. He had master classes with Sarah Davis Bueckner, Yoshikazu Nagai, Rebecca Penneys, Cecile Licad, Jon Nakamatsu, Jerome Lowenthal, Robert McDonald, John O’Connor and Philip Evans where he received positive comments and great appreciation. At Lynn University, Oliver graduated summa cum laude under the tutelage of Dr. Roberta Rust.
Born in Manila on June 26, 1986, Salonga started playing the piano at age 7 under Prof. Carmencita Arambulo. He gave his first solo public recital at age 11 playing Mozart's Piano Concerto in d minor K. 466. He recently obtained his Master of Music in Piano Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the guidance of 2001 Van Cliburn Silver Medalist, Antonio Pompa-Baldi and was awarded the Sadie Zellen Piano Prize for his superior musical talent. Under his guidance, Salonga won Gold Medal in 2008 Joenju International Piano Competition in South Korea He is continuing his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music as an Artist Diploma candidate.
Concert 3 Wilfredo C. Pasamba, cellist
Mary Anne Espina, pianist
Friday, July 8, 2011, 6 p.m.
Tickets at P1000 (with buffet dinner); P500 (concert only)
Program: Barber’s Sonata in C Minor, Debussy Sonata and Brahms’ Sonata No. 2 in F Major
Pasamba has performed worldwide as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. His recent performances include guest solo appearances at the Heidelberg New Music Festival performing the music of George Crumb, and at the Olivier Messiaen Centennial in Missouri; collaboration in the Arnold Schoenberg Retrospective at the University of Missouri-Kansas City; a chamber music appearance with the Omaha Chamber Music Society, and guest solo recitals in San Francisco, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
He has appeared with the Juilliard Symphony, Reno Chamber Orchestra, Wichita Symphony, Syracuse Chamber Orchestra, Ithaca College Chamber Orchestra, Manila Symphony Orchestra, Cebu Philharmonic and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. He has attended music festivals in Tanglewood, Norfolk, Bowdoin and at the Ithaca Violoncello Institute and a conducting fellowship in South Carolina.
He has performed in cello master classes of Janos Starker, Natalia Gutman, Colin Carr, Bonnie Hampton Aldo Parisot, Bion Tsang, Einar Holm, Lawrence Lesser, Michael Grebanier and Carter Brey and has collaborated with conductors such as
Pierro Gamba, Pamela Gerhardt, Basilio Manalo, Arturo Molina, Robert Olson, Michael Palmer, Ruggero Barbierri, Vahe Kochayan, among others.
Pasamba has garnered top honors at the Jennings Butterfield Young Artist
Competition, Juilliard Cello Concerto Competition the National Music
Competition for Young Artists, Reno Chamber Orchestra Competition and was
a semi-finalist in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
No less than The New York Times hailed Pasamba for his “audacity and
brilliance” at his New York debut at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie
Hall. He has since appeared in concerts at the Merkin Concert Hall,
Metropolitan Museum, Rachmaninoff Hall, Sviatoslav Richter Museum and the
Omaha Chamber Music Society. He has extensively performed throughout the
US, France, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Russia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
As a chamber musician, he has performed with Peter Wiley, Ani Kavafian, Benny Kim, Karl Paulnack, Reynaldo Reyes, Albert Tiu, Raul Sunico, Brendan Kinsella and with artist members of the Beaux Arts, Argenta Trios, Alexander, Orion and Ying String Quarters. As cellist and co-founder of the Battig Piano Trio, he embarked on its first European concert tour in 2001.
Pasamba is a product of an exceptional music education. He began his music
lessons on his mother's lap, the accomplished pianist, conductor, composer and now music ministry director, Angelita Cariaso Pasamba. At 14, he started cello lessons under the late Martiniano Esguerra. Two years later, he won first prize in the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA). Soon he received a full scholarship at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory in the former
Soviet Union. Later, he took postgraduate studies at the Juilliard School
of Music in New York and the University of Missouri-Kansas City
Conservatory. He studied under master cellists Natalia Shakhovskaya, Fred
Sherry, Carter Enyeart and later with Maria Tchaikovskaya and Alexander
Rudin.
After his studies abroad, Pasamba came back to his homeland and taught as
assistant professor at St. Scholastica’s College Manila and at the
UP College of Music. He has lately served as faculty member at Pittsburgh State University, and at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Previous orchestral positions include membership with the Kansas City, Omaha and the Des Moines Symphony Orchestras.
Concert 4 Andrew Fernando, baritone, Clarissa Ocampo, mezzo soprano, Christopher Oracion, flute, and Mary Anne Espina, piano
Friday, July 22,6 p.m.
Tickets at P1,500 (with buffet dinner); P500 (concert only)
“A major presence!”--Musical America
International Filipino Baritone Andrew Fernando is the First Prize winner of the prestigious 2003 Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition in the United States and an alumnus of the world renowned San Francisco Opera Merola Program. Also a prize winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions in the Los Angeles district and in the Pacific region, The Palm Springs Opera Vocal Competition, a recipient of the Opera Buffs Inc. scholarship grant and the Grand Prize winner in the Pasedena Opera Guild Vocal competition in 2004 and a grand finalist in the Licia Albanese Puccini International Vocal Competition held in New York in 2003. He was Opera Pacific’s resident baritone from 1999-2002 where he worked constantly with internationally acclaimed conductor John De Main.
Andrew has performed as principal artist with San Francisco Opera Merola, Opera Pacific, Eugene Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Singapore Lyric Opera, The Orange County Performing Arts Center, The Cultural Center of the Philippines, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Macau Sinfonietta, The Hong Kong Arts Festival/Los Angeles Opera, The Hong Kong Urban Council, First Act Opera of England, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Pops Orchestra, Palm Dessert Orchestra, Herbert Zipper Hall, The Los Angeles Metropolitan Symphony, The Walt Disney Hall, the International Bamboo Organ Festival, Syrinx Concerts Orchestra of France, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra among many others. The Los Angeles Times has hailed him as “The young singer to watch.”
In 2005, Andrew made his debut with the Syrinx Concerts Orchestra in Cote D ’ azur France singing the baritone solo in Handel’s The Messiah and appearing as Sagestrano in the Opera Pacific’s production of Tosca under the baton of acclaimed conductor Christian Badea. Andrew recorded the tone poem Sa Dalampasigan with the Global Symphony Orchestra in the Philippines. Also in 2005, Andrew made his debut at the Walt Disney Hall as Baritone Soloist of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
In the 2005-2006 seasons, Andrew gave an acclaimed performance as Count Almaviva in the Singapore Lyric Opera production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. In the same season Andrew gave full concerts in the city of New York, Boston, Panorama, Los Angeles, Manila, San Francisco and New Jersey. Seen in the title role of Eugene Onegin at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Andrew was praised by critics for his beautiful singing and powerful presence.
Andrew, as a young artist, had the opportunity of being presented in public master classes given by Carlo Bergonzi, Tom Krause, Jane Eaglen, Deborah Voight and Dolora Zadjick and has performed on the opera main stage with Helen Donath, Vinson Cole, Maria Ewing and Federica Von Stade, Lauren Flannigan to name a few.
Andrew sang Rigoletto in Modesto in February 2007 to critical acclaim. He created the role of Powhatan in World Premiere of Linda Tutas Haugen’s and Joan Vail Thorne’s Pocahontas presented by the Virginia Arts Festival in cooperation with Virginia Opera in May of 2007 as a contribution to the 400th Anniversary of the settlement in Jamestown and the story of Pocahontas.
He recently sang the role of Bluebeard in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle presented by Let’s Shout Out Inc of Boston. Musical America called him “A major presence!”
Andrew’s 2007-2008 season include his debut season with New York City Opera and his participation in their productions of Cendrillon and Tosca; singing the title role of Rigoletto in his Opera San Jose debut and the baritone soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and singing the title role in Bluebeard’s Castle presented by the MCO Foundation in Manila.
This past season Andrew participated in the world premiere of Stephen Schwartz’s first opera Séance on a wet afternoon where he covered the role of Mr. Cole and sang as Reporter #1 with Opera Santa Barbara. Also in this past season Andrew was heard at the San Agustin International Music Festival singing the baritone solo of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. He was guest baritone soloist of the Jakarta Simfonnia and Oratorio Society in their production of Faure’s Requiem.
Andrew started the current season by doing a US tour giving recitals and concerts. He sang Vison Infernales at a recital in Fullerton with esteemed colleague Benjamin Makino. He is appearing as Alfio in the University of Santo Tomas production of Cavalleria Rusticana and will be performing the baritone solo in The Messiah with Simfonia Jakarta. Andrew will be the featured bass-baritone soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. He returned to Long Beach Opera for Moscow, Cherry Town by Shostakovich in the role of Sasha.
Photos of concert organizer Tariman with Salonga, Salonga, Espina, Oracion and Fernando (left with cultural volunteer and music patron Wilson Go) by Sinag de Leon and Anna Leah Sarabia. The ground-breaking intimate concert series was first done at the Kiss the Cook Gourmet restaurant on Maginhawa st., UP Village, QC.
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Dear Music Lovers,
After the successful opening night of the UP Balay Kalinaw Intimate Concert Series on May 28 with violinist Gina Medina and pianist Mary Anne Espina, we would like to invite you to the remaining three concerts of the season: pianist Oliver Salonga on June 18, cellist Wilfredo Pasamba with pianist Mary Anne Espina on July 8 and baritone Andrew Fernando with mezzo soprano Clarissa Ocampo, flutist Christopher Oracion and pianist Espina on July 22.
Please fill up the ticket order form below, and Music News can deliver the tickets free. Or remit ticket payments through BPI Savings Account No. 2449-0956-88 under Account Name: Pablo A. Tariman and your tickets will be reserved on the night of the concert. Call us at (02) 7484152 or 09065104270.
Here is the background of the artists and their program.
Hoping you can join us in the forthcoming concerts, we remain
Very truly yours,
PABLO A. TARIMAN
Ticket Order Form
Music News
116 Edinburgh St.
Pasig Green Park Subd.
Manggahan, Pasig City
Gentlemen:
We would like to order the following tickets indicated below:
1. June 18, 2011 Concert of Pianist Oliver Salonga
( ) ____ tickets at P1000 (with dinner)
( ) ____ tickets at P500 (concert only)
( ) ____ tickets at P300 (student price)
2. July 8, 2011 Concert of Cellist Wilfredo Pasamba and pianist Mary Anne Espina
( ) ____ tickets at P1000 (with dinner)
( ) ____ tickets at P500 (concert only)
( ) ____ tickets at P300 (student price)
3. July 22, 2011 Concert of Baritone Andrew Fernando, mezzo-soprano Clarissa Ocampo and flutist Christopher Oracion.
( ) ____ tickets at P1, 500 (with dinner)
( ) ____ tickets at P500 (concert only)
( ) ____ tickets at P300 (student price)
Please deliver above tickets to the following:
Name:
Address:
Contact Nos. & Email Address:
* * *
Concert 2
Saturday, June 18, 2011, 6 p.m.
Oliver Salonga, pianist
Tickets at P1000 (with buffet dinner); P500 (concert only)
“What a dazzling pianist Oliver Salonga turned out to be! At his CCP concert, Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No.3 in C Sharp Minor and crisp-sparkling tones produced by remarkably nimble fingers. The distinctive phrasing, the brio, the sense of drama made the piece sound fresh and yes, even contemporary. Yet the style ummistakably hewed to Bach… the talent, the sensitivity, the impetuosity, the sense of drama are all his own.”--The Philippine Star
“He plays with power, technique, clarity, precision and coloring… A most satisfying evening!”--Business World
“…Remarkable musical sophistication… A clear standout!”--Malaya
Program
Piano Sonata No.58 in C Major, Hob.48 Haydn
Andante con espressione
Presto
Fantasiestucke, op.12 Schumann
Das Abends
Aufschwung Warum?
Grillen
In der Nacht
Fable
Traumes Wirren
Ende vom Lied
Intermission
Piano Sonata No.31 in A-flat Major, Op.110 Beethoven
Moderato cantabile
Allegro molto
Adagio espressivo
Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo
Apres une lecture du dante
"Sonata quasi fantasia" Liszt
Praised for his pianistic power and poetry, Oliver Salonga has gained a good following in his first recitals in the US, Asia and the Pacific. At a very young age, he has demonstrated an outstanding ability to communicate with audiences on a deeply personal level that made him one of the most promising pianists of his generation.
He was the winner of 2004 Lynn Concerto Competition and was a two-time Grand Prize winner in piano of 2003 and 2004 Madelyn Savarick Annual Scholarship Competition of the Centre for the Arts in Boca Raton, Florida. He had master classes with Sarah Davis Bueckner, Yoshikazu Nagai, Rebecca Penneys, Cecile Licad, Jon Nakamatsu, Jerome Lowenthal, Robert McDonald, John O’Connor and Philip Evans where he received positive comments and great appreciation. At Lynn University, Oliver graduated summa cum laude under the tutelage of Dr. Roberta Rust.
Born in Manila on June 26, 1986, Salonga started playing the piano at age 7 under Prof. Carmencita Arambulo. He gave his first solo public recital at age 11 playing Mozart's Piano Concerto in d minor K. 466. He recently obtained his Master of Music in Piano Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the guidance of 2001 Van Cliburn Silver Medalist, Antonio Pompa-Baldi and was awarded the Sadie Zellen Piano Prize for his superior musical talent. Under his guidance, Salonga won Gold Medal in 2008 Joenju International Piano Competition in South Korea He is continuing his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music as an Artist Diploma candidate.
Concert 3 Wilfredo C. Pasamba, cellist
Mary Anne Espina, pianist
Friday, July 8, 2011, 6 p.m.
Tickets at P1000 (with buffet dinner); P500 (concert only)
Program: Barber’s Sonata in C Minor, Debussy Sonata and Brahms’ Sonata No. 2 in F Major
Pasamba has performed worldwide as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. His recent performances include guest solo appearances at the Heidelberg New Music Festival performing the music of George Crumb, and at the Olivier Messiaen Centennial in Missouri; collaboration in the Arnold Schoenberg Retrospective at the University of Missouri-Kansas City; a chamber music appearance with the Omaha Chamber Music Society, and guest solo recitals in San Francisco, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
He has appeared with the Juilliard Symphony, Reno Chamber Orchestra, Wichita Symphony, Syracuse Chamber Orchestra, Ithaca College Chamber Orchestra, Manila Symphony Orchestra, Cebu Philharmonic and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. He has attended music festivals in Tanglewood, Norfolk, Bowdoin and at the Ithaca Violoncello Institute and a conducting fellowship in South Carolina.
He has performed in cello master classes of Janos Starker, Natalia Gutman, Colin Carr, Bonnie Hampton Aldo Parisot, Bion Tsang, Einar Holm, Lawrence Lesser, Michael Grebanier and Carter Brey and has collaborated with conductors such as
Pierro Gamba, Pamela Gerhardt, Basilio Manalo, Arturo Molina, Robert Olson, Michael Palmer, Ruggero Barbierri, Vahe Kochayan, among others.
Pasamba has garnered top honors at the Jennings Butterfield Young Artist
Competition, Juilliard Cello Concerto Competition the National Music
Competition for Young Artists, Reno Chamber Orchestra Competition and was
a semi-finalist in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
No less than The New York Times hailed Pasamba for his “audacity and
brilliance” at his New York debut at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie
Hall. He has since appeared in concerts at the Merkin Concert Hall,
Metropolitan Museum, Rachmaninoff Hall, Sviatoslav Richter Museum and the
Omaha Chamber Music Society. He has extensively performed throughout the
US, France, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Russia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
As a chamber musician, he has performed with Peter Wiley, Ani Kavafian, Benny Kim, Karl Paulnack, Reynaldo Reyes, Albert Tiu, Raul Sunico, Brendan Kinsella and with artist members of the Beaux Arts, Argenta Trios, Alexander, Orion and Ying String Quarters. As cellist and co-founder of the Battig Piano Trio, he embarked on its first European concert tour in 2001.
Pasamba is a product of an exceptional music education. He began his music
lessons on his mother's lap, the accomplished pianist, conductor, composer and now music ministry director, Angelita Cariaso Pasamba. At 14, he started cello lessons under the late Martiniano Esguerra. Two years later, he won first prize in the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA). Soon he received a full scholarship at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory in the former
Soviet Union. Later, he took postgraduate studies at the Juilliard School
of Music in New York and the University of Missouri-Kansas City
Conservatory. He studied under master cellists Natalia Shakhovskaya, Fred
Sherry, Carter Enyeart and later with Maria Tchaikovskaya and Alexander
Rudin.
After his studies abroad, Pasamba came back to his homeland and taught as
assistant professor at St. Scholastica’s College Manila and at the
UP College of Music. He has lately served as faculty member at Pittsburgh State University, and at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Previous orchestral positions include membership with the Kansas City, Omaha and the Des Moines Symphony Orchestras.
Concert 4 Andrew Fernando, baritone, Clarissa Ocampo, mezzo soprano, Christopher Oracion, flute, and Mary Anne Espina, piano
Friday, July 22,6 p.m.
Tickets at P1,500 (with buffet dinner); P500 (concert only)
“A major presence!”--Musical America
International Filipino Baritone Andrew Fernando is the First Prize winner of the prestigious 2003 Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition in the United States and an alumnus of the world renowned San Francisco Opera Merola Program. Also a prize winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions in the Los Angeles district and in the Pacific region, The Palm Springs Opera Vocal Competition, a recipient of the Opera Buffs Inc. scholarship grant and the Grand Prize winner in the Pasedena Opera Guild Vocal competition in 2004 and a grand finalist in the Licia Albanese Puccini International Vocal Competition held in New York in 2003. He was Opera Pacific’s resident baritone from 1999-2002 where he worked constantly with internationally acclaimed conductor John De Main.
Andrew has performed as principal artist with San Francisco Opera Merola, Opera Pacific, Eugene Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Singapore Lyric Opera, The Orange County Performing Arts Center, The Cultural Center of the Philippines, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Macau Sinfonietta, The Hong Kong Arts Festival/Los Angeles Opera, The Hong Kong Urban Council, First Act Opera of England, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Pops Orchestra, Palm Dessert Orchestra, Herbert Zipper Hall, The Los Angeles Metropolitan Symphony, The Walt Disney Hall, the International Bamboo Organ Festival, Syrinx Concerts Orchestra of France, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra among many others. The Los Angeles Times has hailed him as “The young singer to watch.”
In 2005, Andrew made his debut with the Syrinx Concerts Orchestra in Cote D ’ azur France singing the baritone solo in Handel’s The Messiah and appearing as Sagestrano in the Opera Pacific’s production of Tosca under the baton of acclaimed conductor Christian Badea. Andrew recorded the tone poem Sa Dalampasigan with the Global Symphony Orchestra in the Philippines. Also in 2005, Andrew made his debut at the Walt Disney Hall as Baritone Soloist of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
In the 2005-2006 seasons, Andrew gave an acclaimed performance as Count Almaviva in the Singapore Lyric Opera production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. In the same season Andrew gave full concerts in the city of New York, Boston, Panorama, Los Angeles, Manila, San Francisco and New Jersey. Seen in the title role of Eugene Onegin at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Andrew was praised by critics for his beautiful singing and powerful presence.
Andrew, as a young artist, had the opportunity of being presented in public master classes given by Carlo Bergonzi, Tom Krause, Jane Eaglen, Deborah Voight and Dolora Zadjick and has performed on the opera main stage with Helen Donath, Vinson Cole, Maria Ewing and Federica Von Stade, Lauren Flannigan to name a few.
Andrew sang Rigoletto in Modesto in February 2007 to critical acclaim. He created the role of Powhatan in World Premiere of Linda Tutas Haugen’s and Joan Vail Thorne’s Pocahontas presented by the Virginia Arts Festival in cooperation with Virginia Opera in May of 2007 as a contribution to the 400th Anniversary of the settlement in Jamestown and the story of Pocahontas.
He recently sang the role of Bluebeard in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle presented by Let’s Shout Out Inc of Boston. Musical America called him “A major presence!”
Andrew’s 2007-2008 season include his debut season with New York City Opera and his participation in their productions of Cendrillon and Tosca; singing the title role of Rigoletto in his Opera San Jose debut and the baritone soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and singing the title role in Bluebeard’s Castle presented by the MCO Foundation in Manila.
This past season Andrew participated in the world premiere of Stephen Schwartz’s first opera Séance on a wet afternoon where he covered the role of Mr. Cole and sang as Reporter #1 with Opera Santa Barbara. Also in this past season Andrew was heard at the San Agustin International Music Festival singing the baritone solo of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. He was guest baritone soloist of the Jakarta Simfonnia and Oratorio Society in their production of Faure’s Requiem.
Andrew started the current season by doing a US tour giving recitals and concerts. He sang Vison Infernales at a recital in Fullerton with esteemed colleague Benjamin Makino. He is appearing as Alfio in the University of Santo Tomas production of Cavalleria Rusticana and will be performing the baritone solo in The Messiah with Simfonia Jakarta. Andrew will be the featured bass-baritone soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. He returned to Long Beach Opera for Moscow, Cherry Town by Shostakovich in the role of Sasha.
Photos of concert organizer Tariman with Salonga, Salonga, Espina, Oracion and Fernando (left with cultural volunteer and music patron Wilson Go) by Sinag de Leon and Anna Leah Sarabia. The ground-breaking intimate concert series was first done at the Kiss the Cook Gourmet restaurant on Maginhawa st., UP Village, QC.
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