Amid the holiday shopping hubbub, executive producer Eddie Yap wished guests to pause for a bit and listen to some yuletide music at the “Classical Christmas Concert” at The Fifth at Rockwell inside Power Plant Mall in Makati City.
“I would like them to appreciate the tradition, to forget for a while the commercial aspects of Christmas; that Christmas is not just parties and shopping.”
Organized by the Rotary Club of Makati under the chairmanship of Tony Albie Lopez and the leadership of Keith A.D. Harrison, the concert was a medley of stirring carols and contemporary Christmas ballads performed by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), under the baton of conductor Herminigildo Ranera; the Coro Tomasino Choir, led by Mark Raniel Agpasa; and soloists Rachelle Gerodias-Park, Byeong-in Park, Gerphil Geraldine Libanan, Nomher Nival, Krissan Manikan-Tan, and Sherwin Sozon.
The two-hour show opened with a spirited rendition of “Hark the Herald” by the PPO, followed by “Adeste Fidelis,” sung by tenor Nival. “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” had Libanan and Coro Tomasino performing with the orchestra. The opening numbers made for a fitting celebration for the telling of the story of Nativity.
Soprano Libanan also sang a poignant “What Child is This,”“First of May” and “Ave Maria,” while Coro Tomasino performed with PPO a gleeful “For Unto Us A Child is Born.” The orchestra played a playful “Kumukutikutitap.”
Nival sang a moving “O Holy Night,” while mezzo-soprano Manikan-Tan sang a heartfelt “Stille Nacht (Silent Night).” The latter joined the sopranos for a lively “12 Days of Christmas.”
Tenor Sozon delivered a heartwrenching “Pasko Na Sinta Ko,” and led the ensemble for “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit.”
The choir joined soprano Gerodias-Park for an exultant “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Joy to the World,” and a heart-rending “Light of a Million Mornings.”
Baritone-tenor Park joined his wife for a lovely rendition of “Panis Angelicus,” and later sang solo a heartwarming “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” He shared the stage with the rest of the singers for an ensemble performance of the Philippine Christmas Medley and the “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Christmas spirit
“For this concert, I would like to instill the Christmas spirit; that Christmas is about Jesus Christ,” said Yap, who worked on putting together the musical performance for less than two months. The last time he produced a similar fundraising concert, he said, was in 2006 at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish, after Typhoon “Milenyo” pummeled Luzon.
This year, the show was held for the benefit of the Sisters of Mary Schools (SMS) Boystown and Girlstown in Silang, Cavite, whose hand bell ringers performed enchanting Christmas tunes during intermission. Performers from the charity institution had collaborated with rapper Apl.de.ap to launch the Grammy winner’s Christmas song, “It’s That Time of Year.”
The Sisters of Mary Congregation was founded by Fr. Aloysius Schwartz in Korea in 1964. Almost two decades later, he would also establish its child welfare programs in the Philippines, where it now has two campuses each in Cavite and Cebu.
“Sisters of Mary is a charitable institution that aims to alleviate the suffering of the poorest of the poor by means of educating them at the junior and senior high school levels,” said student Hannah Jhoy Abellon.
“Apl.de.ap went to our school and then he saw those amazing girls. He said he wanted to help us through that song.”
“It’s That Time of Year” can be streamed on Spotify and other platforms. Proceeds from streaming the song will support the education of SMS students. INQ