An Evening with Mozart: Behind the scenes

When Letty Syquia, chairperson of "An Evening with Mozart" invited me to join its steering committee, she was so persuasive, I readily agreed. The concert, set for Monday, May 29, at the Santuario de San Antonio at 7:30 p.m., is being presented by Santuario headed by parish priest Fr. Tony Rosales, the Johann Strauss Society headed by Mandarin Oriental GM Helmut Gaisberger in collaboration with the Austrian Embassy headed by Ambassador Herbert Jaeger.

Fr. Tony, owing to his invariably hectic schedule, seldom attends the meetings, but when he does, he enlivens them with his wit, humor and lightning-swift repartee which sends us rolling in the aisles.

Already at the first meeting, and more so at subsequent ones, I realized how a single concert could involve a flurry of activities engaged in by so many individuals tackling countless duties and responsibilities. That Letty has kept her sanity still puzzles me. At each meeting, she goes through mind-boggling progress reports of the working committees: finance, musical program/artists, sponsorship/ads, tickets, publicity, souvenir program, physical arrangements, food, and ushers. She analyzes the reports and readily listens to proposals and suggestions.

The over-burdened, patient secretary Joey Soriano assiduously takes down the minutes. In manner of speaking, Joey is concerned with every aspect of the arrangements because he notes these on paper while airing his own ideas. Incidentally, Joey brings empanadas, enjoining us to eat them while they’re still oven-fresh. Oh, yes, Joey is also in-charge of ushers.

A heavy burden likewise falls on Amelita D. Guevara, choir master of the Coro de San Antonio. She is in-charge of the musical program, the rehearsals, the rooms where participants – orchestra personnel, soloists, chorus – should be billeted. She has to rent the music stands and chairs for the stage (from the CCP), and make sure the performers and stage crew are fed during rehearsals and before curtain time. And duly paid!

Minerva Tanseco – a big donor – must see to it that the food is where and when it is needed. Minerva is always glamorously garbed; she appears each time as though she were going or coming from a party – either of which is actually the case!

Danny Dolor has made provisions for buses to take the many performers – two choirs and the PPO to and from the church site.

Committee members coordinate their responsibilities so closely that Randy Limjoco, who is in finance with Susan Concepcion (chairperson) and Henrie Santos, also helps with tickets and sponsorship though he insists, in levity, that his principal duty is chaperoning his wife Cecile to the meetings! Cecile, in turn, is with the ticket committee chaired by Fanny Blanco, with Lucille Villanueva and Tessie Rodrigo assisting. Cecile goes from door to door in Urdaneta Village selling tickets to its residents! (That’s how determined each member is in making the concert a financial success.)

Haggling (strenuously) is therefore standard in arranging for services – church decor, food, printed programs, posters, rentals, etc. – with Susan, Henrie and Randy watching the budget like a hawk, their rationale being this: the more expenses are incurred, the less money will go to the landslide victims of Southern Leyte and the charity programs of Santuario. In this regard, everyone teases Fr. Tony about his "tremendous" influence and clout, claiming that a few words from him to a prospective donor will mean thousands of pesos pouring in. Fr. Tony vehemently denies this, pointing to how the members labor long and hard.

The quiet, soft-spoken Steve Lopez (souvenir program) is also in finance, and helps to bring in sponsors and advertisers. In fact, his own personal ad, which costs a fortune will be on the back cover of the souvenir program.

Peachy Maramba, publicity chairperson, regularly "feeds" the Parish Bulletin with her articles. The ever-smiling, unflappable Charisse Chuidian, Mandarin communications director, distributes press releases, handles the posters and cocktail menu and even proofreads the program! She’s also involved in other details too many to mention.

An ambulance and a nurse are to be on hand for emergencies; bouquets and leis are to be handed to performers, an attractive but inexpensive church decor is needed; the parking area for owner-driven cars is to be different from that of chauffeur-driven ones; tight security is imperative, etc. etc.

All available space in the church, including the mortuary, will be used by performers and guests, so each of us is hoping and praying nobody dies during the concert!

A generous soul unfailingly provides the merienda, but nobody cares enough to take credit for it – a selfless attitude characteristic of the entire group.

What follows completes the list of its members. Souvenir program: Nena Rosales, chairperson, Jun Alvendia; Program: Della Besa; Sponsorship/Ads: Maritess Suplico, chairperson, Justa Tantoco, Viola Cruz, Pet Lim, Alice Guerrero, Bobby Novenario, Dulce Fernandez; Physical arrangement: Tessie Fernandez, chairperson, Auring Villanueva, Menchu Lopez, Rose Avanceña, Lulu Goquingco, Elsa Regala and Mercy Cedo; Food: Entang Carballo, chairperson, Julie Gamboa; Secretariat: Jasmine Jabonete, Bernadette Andulte.

Still, Letty Syquia, over-all chairperson, can claim with President Truman, "The buck stops here."

I urge parishioners and music lovers to attend the concert because Letty and her committee have admirably projected it, because it is for a most worthy cause, and not the least, because the audience will be enjoying Mozart’s immortal music.