The heart and soul of Maria Callas

The legend that is Maria Callas enthralled the local theater scene when the Philippine Opera Company re-staged the Tony Award winning play Master Class with multi awarded thespian Cherie Gil in the role of the legendary opera diva Maria Callas.

Maria Callas (1923 to 1977) was acknowledged by both critics and the public as being the greatest dramatic soprano of her generation. Being a fan of La Callas since his adolescent years, Master Class is Terence McNally’s ode to the artist as it delves into the triumphs and tragedies of Miss Callas’ professional and personal lives: her restless and tempestuous personality which led to disputes with opera managements and feuds with rival singers, her insecurities despite her genius and dedication as an artist, her personal passions and emotional longings which created upheavals of scandalous proportions in her private life, her being adored by the public and being constantly watched and scrutinized by a fascinated media.

And although McNally’s Master Class tackles Miss Callas’ public and private lives, its primary focus is the art of dramatic singing. The play depicts McNally’s fictional version of Callas in a music class, teaching her students, two sopranos and a tenor, not only the finer points of singing in an opera but also bears upon them the burdensome demands of dramatic singing as an art: what it really takes to imbue the music with real honest emotion.

In a role equal to her caliber as a lauded thespian of Philippine cinema, television and stage, Cherie imbues Callas’ character with both the resplendence of a legendary icon and the humanity of a passionate woman.

For Cherie, Callas is larger than life and was known to be the epitome of discipline.

“Having an intense passion and love for her art, I was compelled to get to know her though I knew it would be a very difficult show to fill. Perhaps, I was looking into seeing my own art through her eyes and finding a fresh start to loving my craft all over again,” exclaimed Cherie.

When asked what similarities as an artist and as a woman she may share with the legendary Callas, the inimitable Cherie, whose line from one of her earliest movies 20 years ago where she essayed the iconic diva superstar Celina Arguelles remains most oft quoted even today, candidly commented, “We gave up a lot of ourselves totally for love and along the way ruined our voices.”

Truly the angst remains volatile when an icon portrays a legend.

Directed by Michael Williams, Master Class also featured the most lauded performers in Philippine music theatre: Juan Alberto Gaerlan and Al Gatmaitan alternate as Anthony Cadolino, Florence Aguilar as Sophie de Palme, Ana Feleo and Kay Balajadia-Liggayu alternate as Sharon Graham, and Francis Amora as the pianist Manny.

Master Class played at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium of the RCBC Plaza, Ayala Avenue, Makati

The Galileo Enrichment Learning Program

Malcolm Gladwell talked about the “10, 000-hour rule” as a prerequisite for great achievements. He presented an idea that it takes about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to really master a subject area or skill - the common denominator shared by the likes of Bill Gates, Bill Joy, and the Beatles who are the legends in their fields. 

This is an ambitious way of saying that an outstanding performance is not innate but a product of years of practice and coaching. 

The Galileo Enrichment Learning Program will conduct a two-day conference on “Giving Children the Winning Edge” on Oct. 1 and 2 at the SGV Hall, AIM Conference Center, Makati City from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. It will tackle the latest updates in brain and child development while touching on the proper intervention and enrichment programs that will empower children. Featuring talks from Efren Peñaflorida — CNN Hero of the year — and Dr. Queena Lee-Chua from the Ateneo de Manila University, among other speakers and educators renowned in the field of education, the conference will focus on effective techniques to prepare a child during these rapidly evolving times.

Providing the best education is one of the goals of Galileo Enrichment Learning Program, an English and Math enrichment program for children aged 3 to 12. The program believes that investing in a child’s education ensures a better and secure future for all of us. A firm foundation of the proper skills, values and learning methods allows a child to become independent in the long run and will guide him towards success.

For inquiries and reservations, call the Galileo Head Office at 895-2509 or e-mail at [email protected] for more details.