UST Christmas concert gala / Other Yuletide events

The UST Conservatory of Music, headed by dean Raul Sunico, presented its Christmas Concert Gala with its best faculty members as well as its best choral and instrumental ensembles performing in the festively decorated chapel. Soloists — e.g., pianist Sunico, soprano Rachelle Gerodias and tenor Lemuel dela Cruz understandably shone far more than those who sang as a group — sopranos Nenen Espina, Thea Perez and Naomi Sison, tenors Eugenio delos Santos, Ronan Ferrer and Randy Gilongo — because one was not quite able to discern their individual merits.

Sunico rendered Tchaikovsky’s ballet music from “The Nutcracker Suite”, displaying his usual masterful skill and nuanced expression, with the UST Symphony Orchestra assisting under Herminigildo Ranera. How Ballet Manila dancers would have wished him to accompany them in their current “Nutcracker” production!

In “Rejoice Greatly” from Handel’s oratorio “Messiah” and a pop number, Gerodias again demonstrated her beautiful timber, superb vocal control and remarkable expressiveness. In “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”, Dela Cruz’s powerful voice soared so rousingly that the audience clapped to the rhythm of the music. The Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble provided the choral background.

Harpists Lourdes de Leon Gregorio and her student Christian Caragayan interpreted “Greensleeves, What Child Is This?” so exquisitely, the very lyrical melodies lingered long in the memory. One was further moved by the fact that Christian is autistic.

The UST Brass Ensemble, energetic and, well, brassy, opened the concert with “Christmas Fanfare” under conductor Michael Jacinto. The internationally-awarded Coro Tomasino directed by Ronan Ferrer followed with Tres Villancicos and F. Santiago’s Gising Na. Earlier, the UST Symphony Orchestra, the evening’s instrumental mainstay, played Christmas songs with appropriately joyful spirit and cheer.

An indubitable highlight was the performance of the UST Singers under the incomparable choir master Fidel Calalang, Jr. In its various world tours, the choir has garnered countless awards but for the sake of brevity, it won the title “Choir of the World” twice in Wales, UK. For R. Cayabyab’s Kumukutitap and D. Foster’s “The Prayer”, Calalang provided the piano accompaniment, with Mylad Rubio and Jose Rubio singing the solo parts with profound feeling. The choir’s luminous voices, thoroughly cohesive and disciplined, registered varying dynamics to express the whole gamut of emotion or mood. Like a martinet, Calalang could draw any volume from the singers, change it abruptly or sustain it at astonishing length, as he did similarly in Alleluia and Kampana ng Simbahan which he himself arranged.

The choral ensembles, augmented by the UST Conservatory Chorus, climaxed the highly impressive concert with other Christmas songs, the audience joining the entire cast in Adeste Fideles and “Joy to the World”.

Rector Rolando V. de la Rosa and Fr. Isidro Abaño gave prefatory remarks, calling to mind the UST’s quadricentennial next year, making it older than Harvard U. Maricris C. Zobel, concert gala co-chair, spoke on how funds were raised for the restoration of the UST museum and for scholarship grants to Conservatory students.

Among eminent UST alumni present were the celebrated, international glass sculptor Ramon Orlina, and former National Museum director Corazon Alvina, now a UST faculty member.

I consider myself a UST alumna by osmosis. My great grandfather Benedicto de Luna was a UST alumnus who, according to my mother (Severina Luna Orosa), earned three doctorate degrees from the pontifical university. He served as the only Filipino jury member among the Spanish faculty examining UST candidates for doctorate degrees.

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Tomorrow at 8 p.m., Olivier Ochanine wields the baton over the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at the CCP main theater in a program which includes Charles Ives’ “Unanswered Question”, a work scored for trumpet, four flutes and string orchestra, and Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Ramini.

On Dec. 11 at 8 p.m., Ballet Manila and the Choi So Bin Company will perform jointly at the Star Theater. Principal ballerina will be Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.

On Dec. 12 at 3 p.m., Martin Lopez will present his annual “Come to the Stable”, a fund-raising program for his principal charity project. Featured will be Toronto-based soprano Lilac Cana and the Sta. Isabel Guitar Quartet. Venue is the Ritz Tower lobby. Minerva Tanseco and her friends are the principal sponsors.