Loboc, Monday, 10 March 2008 15:57:55
Loboc Children’s Choir Sings for Heritage across the United States
After almost eleven years, the internationally renowned Loboc Children’s Choir (LCC) will embark once more on a cultural mission to the United States to sing for Boholano and Filipino-American communities. Considered Bohol’s pride and a national cultural treasure, having been a national and international champion in music competitions (NAMCYA-1st Place in 1993, 1995 and 2001, and Barcelona Song Festival, 2003), the LCC is invited to be the main musical demonstrator in an international conference in Los Angeles and in New Hampshire dubbed as ENCUENTRO FILIPINO. This twin-conference is an international symposium on the music and cultural heritage of the Philippines as a result of the historical interaction with Spain and will feature prestigious Filipino scholars delivering papers on various aspects of the Filipino-Spanish encounter. The conference will first be held at the University of California at Riverside, Los Angeles on April 24-25, and will move to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire on April 30-May 2. In both symposia, the LCC will sing parts of Filipino-Hispanic masses, hymns, folksongs, and other examples of music influenced or inspired by Spain.
As part of its cultural mission, the LCC will perform to close to 15 American cities to mobilize support for two major cultural programs for heritage protection and revitalization in Bohol. They will perform to raise funds for the restoration of the centuries-old Loboc Church and Convent which has been declared by the combined official Philippine corps of national agencies (National Museum, National Historical Institute, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts) as a National Historical Landmark and a National Cultural Treasure. In addition, the choir will solicit patrons for scholarships for their talented but financially needy alumni and alumnae wishing to take up music for their college education. This will ensure further sustainability of the LCC towards building a professional institution in the province.
To date, Boholano and Filipino organizations in the following cities have expressed commitment to host the choir: Seattle, Olympia, Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Houston, Laredo, San Francisco, Lincoln, San Diego, Kansas, and St. Louis. The last time the choir was on an American tour was in November 1996-January 1997, which included 10 cities from LA to Florida.
Its Artistic Conductor Alma Taldo and accompanist Baby Lina Jala, together with the Mayor of Loboc, Leon Calipusan, are leading the delegation.
To raise funds for this USA tour, the Loboc Children’s Choir will stage four concerts in Manila on April 12 and 13, 2008), with two shows each day (3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.) at the PETA Theater Center (New Manila, QC).
Supporting the LCC in providing beautiful music to the audience are four other choir groups who will join them in this meaningful event, namely, UP Cherubims and the Mandaluyong Children’s Choir (on April 12), and the Ateneo Chamber Singers and UP Singing Ambassadors (on April 13). To date, initial sponsors for the project have been OISHI-Liwayway Marketing Corporation, Bench, SPK Pinoy Incorporated, and Pioneer Insurance.
For inquiries for the Manila Concert of the Loboc Children’s Choir, you can call the Encuentro Secretariat (c/o PETA Office, tel. nos. 725-6244/410-0821 to 22, or call the Tours Manager Gardy at (0916) 361-1786 or Evelyn Silva at (0916)643-0848. Tickets are priced at P1,000.00, P700.00 and P500.00.
For information regarding the USA Concert please visit the choir website at www.lobocchildrenschoir.org or email them at lobocchildrenschoir@yahoo.com.
The Loboc Chilren's Choir