BELOW THE LINE
By AMBASSADOR JOSE ABETO ZAIDE
Ambassador José Abeto Zaide
Rarely do our envoys double as impresarios. But they did it this year - for the two-month European swing of the Pundaquit Virtuosi String Orchestra, a tour de force led by Artistic Director Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata and the Conductor Maestro Ruggiero Barbieri.
To mark the 121st anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and in anticipation of the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines. our embassies in Europe joined hands in “Viva Virtuosi,” a 6-week 8-country joint venture engaging Brussels, the Vatican, Bergamo, Milan, Paris, Vienna, Frankfurt am Main, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Fatima, Alentejo, and Berlin.
July 1-2, Germany. To begin from the end, on July 1 the ensemble performed at the WW2 relic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Kurfürstendamm before a German and Filipino audience, interpreting classic pieces and popular Filipino ballads. In welcoming guests, Philippine Ambassador to Germany Theresa Dizon de Vega said that “music, and the people who bring it to life, will touch hearts, encourage greater understanding, and celebrate both the diversity and connection that music engenders throughout the global community.” She pointed to the church ruins as symbol of “our collective desire for peace and understanding among all peoples.” The day after, July 2, the ensemble rendered another performance at the Embassy. Music luminaries present included the composer Jeffrey Ching, his better half the soprano Andion Fernandez-Ching, (who, BTW, was once- upon-a-time a member of the Philippine Embassy Berlin), and the classical guitarist Lester Demetillo.
”Viva Virtuosi”, a youth string group (30 youngsters, ages 11 to 23), showed the world that, in the field of music, Filipinos can be second to none. The Pundaquit Virtuosi arts program of Casa San Miguel in San Antonio, Zambales, schools the young in classical music and the arts, recruiting gifted talents, (including from the local fishing village), to produce musicians who chase after their dreams. Casa San Miguel is a cultural initiative of the Juilliard-trained “Coke” Bolipata, a musical prodigy discovered at 8 years old, who had a roller coaster ride in different directions, before returning to pursue his Muse of Music.
May 26-28. Belgium. The ensemble dropped running at the Ostend Anchor Festival on board the Museum Ship “Amandine,” a restored 36-meter-long fishing vessel. The bi-annual festival at Belgium’s north coast celebrates Europe’s maritime heritage. (We could likewise remind the hosts of our seafaring tradition.) On Day 2, at the Philippine Embassy Garden, we proved that Filipinos can… not only sing… but can also speak: Ambassador Eduardo Jose A. De Vega thanked the guests in Flemish for giving the string ensemble a warm welcome. Guests cheered the performance, and, likewise, the Ambassador’s Flemish. (BTW, the ambassador is also the husband of our lady envoy in Berlin.) On Day 3, the embassy hosted a fellowship night for the Pundaquit Virtuosi with students of the Woluwe Saint-Lambert Academy of Music.
May 30, Vatican. Ambassador to the Vatican HE Grace Relucio Princesa, welcomed to the historic Church of Santa Prudenziana the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, as well as her colleague, our Ambassador to Italy Domingo Nolasco and other similarly accredited diplomats, and the Filipino community. The church is the earliest site of Christian worship in Rome. (Pious belief is that Saint Peter first consecrated bread and wine at Holy Mass there. It is the church for Filipinos and was the Papal Residence until 313, when Emperor Constantine offered the Lateran palace to His Holiness.) Pundaquit Virtuosi lived up to their billing, as Ambassador Princesa critiqued – “Flawless rendition … Filipino flair on top of technical excellence…mixing Asian serenity…then bursting at times with Filipino vigor and rhythm” – all of which she credits to “our unique Latin heritage in Asia.””
June 4-6, Milan. Consul General Irene Susan Barreiro Natividad hosted the performance at the Santa Maria del Carmine Church. The ensemble received rousing applause, (“stomping and standing ovations”), for classics by Italian composers Vivaldi and Verdi and favorites by Jenkins, Tchaikovsky, and Offenbach. Another booking followed at the Templo Votivo Limbiate.
June 8, Paris. Philippine Ambassador to France Maria Theresa P. Lazaro rated the performance at the American Cathedral in Paris “as a testament to the Filipino’s versatility and excellence in any field pursued”; and she acknowledged musical director Bolipata’s love of music and, more importantly, his love of country.
June 20-21, Madrid. Ambassador Philippe Lhuillier welcomed the guests to the Ateneo de Madrid; (no connection to a namesaked Jesuit institution at Loyola Heights.) A standing ovation and cheers of “Bravo!” for the classic and Filipino pieces. At the Palacio de la Capitanía General in Barcelona for military personnel and Consular Corps for the 121st Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence and the 17th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day; and Pundaquit Virtuosi workshop with young music students at the IES Jaime Veira of the Accion Social por la Música.
June 23-29, Lisbon/Fatima/Aletejo. – Ambassador Celia Ana M. Feria and the Philippine Embassy hosted performances of Pundaquit Virtuosi (June 23 – Jointly with the Orquestra Ceracao. June 25 – During Holy Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. June 29 – at the Festival of Terra Sem Sombra Ferrera de Alentejo.)
A last word on logistics for the tour de force: The Pundaquit Virtuosi criss-crossed European capitals, thanks to the Philippine embassies and the Filipino community providing home-stay accommodations and other traditional hospitality.
SPORTS. Looking to the July 21 (Philippine date) Pacquiao vs. Thurman 147-pound super-fight, a reader commented that the Philippine government is remiss in not granting tax-free privilege to Manny Pacquiao, our Kamao ng Bayan.. Pacquaio has given us so much pride and honor. In fact, the same tax privilege ought to be given to all Filipino sportsman and sportswomen who reach world-renowned status like Efren "Bata." After all, we can afford to give away so many freebies like free-rides in our MRT and LRT trans.
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