Undoubtedly, it was worth the group’s long wait as audiences from various major US cities accorded the artists enthusiastic standing ovations at the end of their performances.
The five-week concert tour, starting March 13 up to April 20, brought The CompanY and Aiza to Virginia Beach, Washington DC (Lisner Auditorium of the George Washington University), Jacksonville, Florida (Florida Theater), Staten Island, New York (Manila Alley), San Jose California (Sta. Clara Convention Center Theater), Los Angeles (Orpheum Theater), South San Francisco (Solita Bar & Grill), Vallejo (Vallejo Maritime Academy Theater) and La Canada, California (Degheri Performance Arts Theater of St. Francis).
The CompanY presented a repertoire showcasing their versatility and mastery in vocal harmony, authentically tackling several music genres that included their Original Pilipino hit songs from their 12 albums, a cappella showstoppers, traditional Filipiniana, vocal jazz, timeless standards, traditional/classical choral music and recycled pop classics. The group peppered their performances with witty and self-deprecating spiels and banter; hence establishing immediate rapport with their audiences.
"We entered this tour with no illusions. We were well aware that some people in the US did not know who we were. However, a segment of the audience who really knew us were the loyal fans or those who moved to the States not more than 10 years ago. Considering those were the givens, we really had to prove ourselves in every concert. We were thrilled that by the end of each show, the audience gave their unqualified stamp of approval with the ovations!!!," explains CompanY artistic director, Moy Ortiz.
The CompanY HITS USA Tour 2003 was organized by veteran concert tour promoter, Miss Susan Lim. Musical director was Ms. Beth Martin, who played alongside fellow instrumentalists – Jorge San Jose (Ugoy-Ugoy Band), Joji Magadia (PPO) and Andre Bush (US based session player). Bambi Santos of Stages & Trumpets was the tour’s Road & Production Manager. All costumes were created by Danilo Franco.
To celebrate the success of The CompanY’s first US tour, the group will have three performances as part of a special series of shows at the Hard Rock Café tonight, May 14 and on May 21 and 28, all Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.
The CompanY will be launching its 12th album titled Live at the CCP! It is released under CCP audio products and distributed under Pop Art Music/Viva Records. This latest release is an audio-video box set documenting The CompanY’s highly successful concert at the main theater of the CCP last year. On the album’s television launch, The CompanY’s last album, Storybook, shall also be given a gold record award. Storybook, the group’s first all-OPM album in six years, has already garnered an Awit Award for Best Duo/Group Recording performance for the a cappella song – Gusto Ko Ng A Cappella. Furthermore, the Storybook album spawned the group’s latest original hits – Baka Ikaw and Pag Nagkataon. Finally, The CompanY is now in pre-production with their upcoming studio album, Portfolio.
The CompanY is Moy Ortiz, Annie Quintos, Andre Castillo, Cecile Bautista, Reuben Laurente and Sweet Plantado. The CompanY is managed by Boy Abunda’s Backroom, Inc. For any of all information about The CompanY, please visit http://www.geocities.com/thecompanyph/index.html or www.popartmusicmanila.com.