Taldo is the director and conductor of the Loboc Children’s Choir, whose musical artistry has captured the hearts of a global audience, from the art centers of Europe to the nouveau theaters of South Korea and China. Her 30-plus-member choir is composed of young students (under 15 years old) from Loboc, all trained under her tutelage and baton.
The choir got its well-deserved honors by dint of hard work. After an "accidental" audience with a well-connected Manila-based music impresario, they got their first exposure in Manila. But it was Taldo’s tireless efforts at securing corporate support that the choir was able to fund their international travels. Bench, for instance, sponsored its latest stint in China.
The Loboc Children’s Choir is a national treasure, if only for the sweet, enchanting voices that it offers its listeners. But its story is even more poignant, considering that it emerged from the anonymity of the rural landscape by its sheer talent and by its own efforts – no big-time manager or corporate sponsor to promote them.
The choir’s story is representative of the many undiscovered artistic talents that our country is teeming with, but, alas, seems destined to be drowned out by commercial noise that is often mistaken for talent. It is not for lack of effort on the part of these aspiring artists; observe how TV shows that obscenely dehumanize anyone who tries his luck at a talent show attract droves of wannabes.
For such a gifted race, we seem to be lacking in the more refined art of appreciation, however. At the center of the reclaimed land that once proudly proclaimed the Philippines’ devotion to the muses, the Cultural Center of the Philippines stands as a forlorn temple trying desperately to restore pride to an artistic people – how has it come about that the call from foreign shores, the economic promise of dollar-based redemption, is also the death knell for our culture and arts?
There is hope that corporate sponsorships will prop up our arts, a much-needed shot in the arm for a community whose existence offers a glimpse into the national soul. The arts and business, according to a UK paper by David Cowan, benefit each other, when businesses sponsor the arts. Beyond philanthropy, there is sound business sense to invest in promoting artistic endeavors.
Cowan lists the five strengths of art sponsorship. Art sponsorship 1. attracts key decision makers to events; 2. attracts and involves politicians and community leaders; 3. generates goodwill for the sponsor; 4. creates good stories that make for good publicity, and, 5. builds brand values of creativity and innovation. On top of that, he says, it’s good value for money.
In the First World, such benefits are a strong attraction for many companies. It’s no wonder that the multi-spectrum world of art continues to flourish in these parts of the world. In a country like the Philippines, however, where the hunger of the body seems to be a more compelling need than the hunger of the soul, such corporate support is hard to come by.
There are, for sure, a number of art-oriented events that enjoy corporate sponsorships. Credit goes to these forward-looking companies that recognize the need to go beyond the here-and-now problems that we seem unable to extricate ourselves from.
One such program is ArtPetron, a worthy effort aimed at encouraging young Filipinos to hone their skills in the visual arts. In its fifth year, it has shrewdly and creatively blended its business objectives with corporate altruism, balancing project viability with its ulterior motive at promoting Filipino artistry. The competition receives over 400 entries each year. It prides itself in putting together a roster of art luminaries headed by Napoleon Abueva, National Artist for Visual Arts, to evaluate the submitted art pieces.
Towards Christmas of each year, many Filipino families look forward to receiving the colorful calendars given away by gas stations to its loyal customers. Petron’s traditional photographic calendars, highlighting different facets of Filipino culture and interpreted by models dressed in Filipiniana and posed before picturesque settings, has given way to displaying creations of these talented young artists.
What is outstanding about such efforts is its sustainability. Wisely, Petron has devised a way so that the project is self-perpetuating, using proceeds from the sale of its calendars to fund the art competition. By so doing, it is creating a regular venue for talent to be recognized.
PLDT also holds an annual competition for its telephone directory cover. There are corporate sponsors for such notable projects as Museo Pambata, Metro Pop and Concert at the Park. But there are not enough to propagate a national artistic renaissance, as it were. And not everyone can be like Taldo, who, almost single-handedly, brought the Loboc Children’s Choir to national and international prominence.
But can art sponsorship help a business attain its business objectives? Cowan thinks so. Art events attract opinion-makers and decision-makers. Senior and top business and government leaders find art events worth attending. Normally, artistic programs are held in swanky, classy venues, and this adds to the lure.
More than that, however, Cowan points out that art sponsorships create a special kind of goodwill for the sponsor that you don’t get in other sponsorships. It also reinforces brand values and reinforces the quality connotations, which your brand can be identified with. Whether it be an art exhibit, a philharmonic concert, a festival of artistic films or a choral competition, mature and progressive companies will find sponsorship aligned with their business objectives. It’s also good value for money. Petron apparently agrees.
Taldo and her choir are without long-term corporate sponsors yet. Neither do many other aspiring choirs, dance troupes, theater groups and painters and sculptors and artisans who populate a national landscape filled with creative genius. They are left with no alternative but to search for appreciation (and remuneration) elsewhere. Disneyland Hong Kong siphoned off many established talents from our ballet and theater groups. There will be many more such exodus – truly a national tragedy.
All the world’s a stage, said Shakespeare. The Loboc Children’s Choir may have already set foot upon it, but many more talented Filipinos aspire. And corporate sponsorships like ArtPetron may be the ticket for some budding artists to gain entry into the global art and culture scene