Belgian choir performs / Sotheby’s, Baldemor’s special exhibitions

The Belgian Boys Choir performs Saturday, July 17, at the CCP main theater. Concerts also set at the Metropolitan Cathedral and Cebu’s SM City.

Founded in 1959 by its current conductor Fr. Michael Ghijs, the choir consists of pupils in St. Martin’s High School Institute in Aalst. a town 30 kilometers from Brussels. The choir, which aims to "sing to the Lord", hones its kills by rehearsing ten hours a week.

Quite uniquely, the boy sopranos are often engaged in various professional choral productions; thus, it has sung under the direction of such eminent conductors as Seiji Ozawa, Sir Colin Davis and Claudio Abbado.

The 13-member choir is internationally recognized for its renditions embracing all genres of Western choral music, from Gregorian chants, Renaissance polyphony, Baroque compositions to contemporary scores.

Winner in several international competitions, the choir was received by the Pope in 1993 and 2001, and has performed in Europe, US, Canada, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Singapore and Thailand, and for the Belgian royal family. It was named "Cultural Ambassador of Europe" in 2002.

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Maria Clara "Kim" Camacho, Sotheby’s Philippine representative, is extending an invitation to the exhibition of Philippine masterpieces today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Galeria Joaquin in San Juan.

Some 20 to 30 paintings by renowned artists are on view and these will be auctioned off on October 10 at the Regent Hotel in Singapore. The works are by Luna, De la Rosa, "Botong" Francisco, Amorsolo, H.R. Ocampo, Manansala, Joya, J. Elizalde Navarro, Magsaysay-Ho, Saguil, Tabuena, Lorenzo, Olmedo, Pacita Abad et al.

The sneak preview gives art lovers a rare opportunity to see many masterpieces at one time and place. Another viewing, by appointment only, is set for tomorrow, July 8, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Asian Tiger Lane Moving and Storage.

Philippine paintings are increasingly being appreciated by connoisseurs the world over.

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The works of outstanding Global Village painter Manuel D. Baldemor will be exhibited at the Art Space, Galerie Y, on July 19 under the auspices of the Portuguese Embassy and the Fundacion Oriental. It is titled "Obrigado Portugal" (Thank you, Portugal). The show ends July 28.

Living in isolation for a month at the Convento de Arrabida, an old monastery nestled in the hills facing the Atlantic Ocean, Baldemor painted scenes in a program underwritten by the foundation for deserving artists of different fields to stimulate cultural exchange and maintain the historical and artistic relations between Portugal and the Orient.

Baldemor has likewise painted scenes in over 50 countries, including Germany, France, Amsterdam, Brussels, Austria, Russia, Switzerland, exhibiting his works in each country.

Having been a UNICEF artist for 14 years, he has widened the audience for our culture, traditions and customs on canvas.

At the moment, Baldemor is still abroad and will return mid-month.