By Charo Garcia*
Up close the sounds emanating from the UST Singers are as beautiful as when you hear them from afar. The advantage of sitting in the first row is that one can hear the individual voices as well and, aside from a rare tired voice in some songs, this did not disappoint. On the contrary, for my sister and me, it was pure joy listening to voices attempting to perform some rather difficult choral pieces with zest and energy as well as exhibiting that remarkable musicality that is just one mark of its conductor, Maestro Fidel G. Calalang, Jr.
But make no mistake, the sound of this particular group of singers, embarking after Holy Week on their 18th international concert tour, is decidedly different from the already established choral sound of this world standard choir. As Prof. Calalang explained briefly in a post-concert sharing, he found himself “at a standstill for a year and a half”, trying to work around, through and with the limitations and capacities of his young singers. After all, from the beginning, the choir has been composed of non-professional singers, many literally coming from the cold and trained, nay molded, under the expert handling of the conductor.
Departing from the robust sound of earlier years, the choral sound is much fuller and substantial, the fortissimos built up with better nuances, the over-all sound hinting at musical depths still nascent in the group but which hopefully will come out as they go through their coming concert tour – competing and concertising. To work at still are the occasional pianissimo parts that demand stricter vocal control and discipline.
As the opening number of last Sunday’s (March 21) performance at the UST Museum attests, the group can sing a madrigal as expertly as it can tackle in succession two Eric Whitacre songs with all the nuances that are demanded of two divergent choral styles. Tomkins’ “See, See, the Shepherds’ Queen” set the standard for the evening concert. And yet there were surprises further on in the concert. The powerful rendition of the Whitacre’s “Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine” that faintly echoes the program music of the late 19th century except that this is a thoroughly 21st century piece, Eudenice Palaruan’s very interestingly composed “Gapas” that demanded agile vocal dexterity, and the traditional song “Rock My Soul” that showcased the powerful voice of a pint-sized tenor singing with all the gusto and brio of a seasoned performer are but some examples.
Aside from that tenor, Ronald Allan Bautista, there are other promising singers who held their own against a dynamic choral backdrop: petite Ma. Pilar Charlene Ramos with her clear, crisp soprano, willowy Vidagrace Kahlil Mirang, soprano, who sang beautifully “Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran”, Jose Mari Rubio, tenor, poignantly singing “Yesterday”. Of particular note was the “New Music” by Stephen Flaherty, a medley that featured Juan Alfonso Mendoza, tenor, Jeanna Bometivo, Soprano, Jemeson Tiburan, tenor, and Marie Alethea Ysabel Adriano, alto, singing their parts credibly well considering the powerful voice of baritone Noel Azcona – all terrific soloists!
The evening’s performance had an added and very welcome featured group: the UST VocalBRIDGE, UST Singers Alumni in the Philippines. Members of this new choral group have been delegates of previous international and world tours, starting with the very first tour in 1993 (represented by three members: Joshua Jenaro Badilla, Victoria Simbol-Engo, and Laura Villa). Their first song, Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia” – in the first and heavier part of the concert - brought tears of memories to this writer. After all, in the choral tradition, this is a piece singers sink their teeth in to learn, and having thus sung it, come out changed – as a chorister, a believer, and a human being!
Gone is the competitive edge of the voices, many of whom I’ve heard during the farewell concerts of the different batches. In its place is a mature, more refined choral sound that sounds and IS confident. Even should the group decide to go on tour and compete too, it definitely has an edge – the members have passed through the proverbial needle’s eye of international scrutiny and come out more musically mature. It will be tempting to rest on the successes of the past tours – after all several of them were tour members when the USTS was awarded Choir of the World in 1995, the Gran Permio Citta Di Gorizia in 1998, and the Grand Prize in the 2002 Tonen Competition in the Netherlands. But the discipline and dedication are already deeply ingrained; the group cannot but go from excellence to excellence.
Let me end this review with some words for my friend, Prof. Fidel Calalang, Jr. Re-inventing choral sound is no mean feat especially when one deals with young, non-professional singers who may not even be music majors, to begin with. And yet, Fidel has again exhibited that rare musical intelligence that already has marked him as one of the, if not the, most outstanding choral conductor of his generation. Even his conducting patterns have evolved; his hands flow with the music, pulling out from his singers vari-colored sounds, yet never distracting to the audience.
During this particular concert, inasmuch as I was seated in front, I found myself watching him conduct as much as watching the faces of his singers light up at particular moments or their bodies swaying ever so slightly to the music coming out of them. The immortal “Somewhere” was thus so beautifully and lovingly rendered. The intensity with which he feels the music, flows more naturally from his conducting hands now, reserving the bigger movements for the grander choral sounds.
At the end, after all that has been said, this writer chafes at the inadequacy of words to express a truly musical evening that has excellence already stamped on it.
I wish the USTS 2010 all the best in their 18th international concert tour!
* Tour manager together with Frau Leonora Dietz/member of USTS’ first European tour, 1993
Soprano: U.P. Saringhimig (1976- 1979; 1980-1981); Camerata Singers (1982-1984)
Tour member: 1980 and 1981 Saringhimig European tours; 1983-1984 Camerata Singers International tour
Currently handling: Cantata Maria (female vocal ensemble) and Munting Tinig (children’s choir) – both based in her home parish, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, U.P. Village, Q.C.
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