Three for the show

What do Ivy Violan, Jinky Llamanzares and Anna Fegi have in common?

Aside from their svelte figures, they’ve garnered considerable acclaim for their singing talents. By industry standards, they’re considered belters – the chosen few blessed with the power and ability to reach the highest notes without even resorting to falsetto as a crutch.

However impressive, soaring through hair-raising pitches is not in itself an accurate gauge of a belter’s success. More relevant attributes, such as timbre and musical taste should also be considered.

Judging from these criteria, these three ladies – who will be fusing their talents for a one-night show called Stages at the Captain’s Bar tonight have definitely made the grade, and it’s not just us Filipinos who wax ecstatic about their sheer vocal artistry.

Ivy Violan made headlines in foreign shores when she bagged the Grand Prize in the 4th International Midnight Sun Song Festival in Lahti, Finland in 1991, for the song Easy to Love You and Chilly Winds. Two years earlier, she was the Best Performer and Grand Prize winner in the 1st ABU Golden Kite World Song Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Jinky, on the other hand, played Gigi in the Canadian production of the hit musical Miss Saigon. Not long afterwards, she auditioned for the role of the Acid Queen in Pete Townshend’s Tommy, a rock musical. Would you believe that the role was primarily intended for no less than Tina Turner? But as luck would have it, the role, all of which took six minutes, fell on Jinky’s lap without much effort.

Anna Fegi, the youngest in the group, is a BMG Records artist who played Pontius Pilate in the Manila production of Jesus Christ, Superstar early this year and will play Maureen in the Singapore Repertory Theater’s Rent in February. Last October, Anna bagged the People’s Choice Award as interpreter for Dodji Simon’s entry, Larawan in the ABS-CBN Himig Handog sa Bayaning Pilipino Songwriting Competition.

Anna has a long and fruitful career ahead of her, with the makings of another diva-in-waiting. After all, she was raised by the best mentors. She was in the second batch of Ryan Cayabyab’s seminal pop quartet, Smokey Mountain, the same group that spawned the likes of Geneva Cruz and Jeffrey Hidalgo.

The 22-year-old lass attributes her discipline to her brief stint with the Cebu-based Theater for Arts and Culture, headed by Dr. Mila Espina. "She was really one of my most influential mentors," recalled Anna. "Through her workshops, I learned how to internalize and be able to trigger emotions instantly." Despite her busy schedule, she still finds time to visit her most-revered pedagogue at least once a year.

There have been dozens before, and there will be many more after them – proud bearers of the musical torch that perhaps remains our only remaining source of nationalist pride in trying times like these.