Violin whiz at Feb 8 concert/ Mrs G’s best-kept baking secret

Violin  virtuoso Joaquin Maria “Chino”  Gutierrez returns to the concert stage on Saturday, Feb. 8,  at 8 p.m. at the Insular Life Auditorium, Insular Life Tower in Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang. This concert will be held before the young virtuoso returns to Munich, Germany, where he is enrolled at the Munich State Academy of Music and Theater.

The 23-year old Gutierrez, who began his violin career at age 7 under the tutelage of Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata, won second prize in NAMCYA and eventually first prize before he even reached his teens, will be accompanied by accomplished pianist Corazon Pineda Kabayao as collaborating artist.

Chino will repeat the repertoire he played at his Nov. 30  concert at the Francisco Santiago Hall in Makati last November. The classical works will include immortal pieces by Ysaye, Ceasar Franck, Stravinsky, Dvorak, Wieniawski and Ravel.

Special  numbers  will be Chino’s renditions of the composition of Dr. Jose Rizal, titled “La Deportacion,” as transcribed and first played in public by violin maestro Gilopez Kabayao, and  the stirring “Bayan Ko,” as arranged by the late maestro Redentor Romero.

After only  two years of instruction from Bolipata,  Chino won second prize at the 1999 National Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), grade school division. Three years later, he ran away with the first prize at the 2002 NAMCYA, high school division. At 12, he was the youngest competitor in his category. He made his orchestral debut at the Cultural Center of the Philippines at the age of 10 in a performance of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. Similarly, his first solo recital at the age of 10 in a program of Bach, Mozart, Paganini, Sarasate, Wieniawski and Kreisler, earned public and critical acclaim.

After finishing first year high school at the Philippine Science High School, Chino left for Germany to train under the renowned violin pedagogue Jens Ellermann, who instantly recognized him as “a major talent of the violin.” He was admitted into the prestigious Hochschule für Musik und Theater München (State Academy of Music and Theater in Munich) where he studied violin while simultaneously attending a regular German high school. Multi-talented and gifted, Chino made splendid progress with the violin even as he reaped success in math, science and languages. At 14, he emerged Landdessieger (champion) in the state math competitions in Bavaria. In addition, because of his linguistic abilities, he was handpicked to co-author a book on etymology in five languages.

Chino has participated in master classes in the Philippines, Germany, Italy and USA. He has performed as soloist with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra and the Metro Manila Community Orchestra under the baton of Chino Toledo, Francisco Feliciano, and Oscar Yatco. He has been the recipient of a scholarship from the Miriam College Music Center, as well as  German grants from the Dorian Stiftung in Stuttgart and the Theodor-Rogler Stiftung in Munich. Currently, Chino is finishing his bachelor of music in violin performance at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München under the tutelage of respected pedagogues Olga Voitova-Bloch and Christoph Poppen.

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Chino’s collaborating artist, the internationally known pianist Corazon Pineda Kabayao graduated magna cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, with a bachelor of music degree under the tutelage of Aida Sanz Gonzalez, in the same year she received the University Rector’s Medal, the highest recognition for academic excellence given to graduating students. She has been a soloist with the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton  of Dr. Herbert Zipper, Oscar Yatco, Sergio Esmilla Jr. and Gilopez Kabayao and in chamber recitals with the UP String Quartet, the PPO String Quartet, violinist Gilopez Kabayao, flutist Billy Watts, and cellist Amador Tamayo.

A musical partnership with her husband, world renowned violinist Gilopez Kabayao, took  them to countless performances all over the Philippines, in many places in Asia and in the major cities of Australia, Japan, China, Canada and the United States. For the past four decades, the Kabayaos pursued a musical crusade of bringing classical music through  thousands of lecture-recitals in schools that reached out to millions of students from different school levels. The Kabayaos also produced a Listening Program for the Filipino Youth which has been widely used for instructions and music appreciation. For their exceptional contribution in the field of Music, Gilopez and Corazon Kabayao received the Gawad Alab ng Haraya from the NCCA and the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the first time such awards were given to a husband and wife.

Tickets to Chino’s February   8 Insular Life concert are priced at P1,500 and P1,000 for orchestra front and back, and P800 for balcony, with senior citizen discount of 20% and 40% to students with ID. For ticket inquiries, call (02)2181864/0915-1892998 and 0917-8177261.

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When you meet Amie C. Geronimo, who  recently opened Mrs G, a pizza, pasta, pastry shop along Katipunan  Avenue, Kingspoint Subdivision, in Novaliches, Quezon City, you wouldn’t guess that until three years ago, she was wheelchair bound due to poor knees. She too was almost blind as cataract growth hampered her vision.  These  aggravated her insulin-dependent, asthmatic, hypertensive, and 3-stents infused heart condition.

 Enough reasons to vegetate? Not for this  feisty Ilocana, who hails from Laoag City, the eldest of physician Constante Sr.’s three children. She’d play with clay pots and cook real vegetables from their garden at age 3. Yet, all these illnesses she  has managed, thanks to her desire to regain the quality of life  not just for herself but for  her family too as husband Nanie P. Geronimo, and only son, Niccolo, unceasingly motivated her to go back to the what she does best — create culinary gems.

This time, she whips up cakes and pastries, her original cheese and cream cake, espresso and cream cake, cheese mocha and choco pies which are now the bakeshop’s bestsellers. Her own versions of favorite pizza and pasta dishes are also favorites of her customers  living within her community, served in a quaint shop that she renovated herself, literally from scratch. She  was foreman, decorator and product creator all in one, she proclaims. From her recipe-by-accident pastries to light, tasty cakes which have become all-time favorites,  to salads, pastas, and her latest meal offering of caldereta, callos, chicken cordon bleu, special sirloin tapa, and tocino, all home-made and  guaranteed no preservatives used,  Amie promises  there will be more and new offerings in store, including her own version of sans rival,  macapuno-pandan cheescake, and her own toffee cream pie with mango.  And, as summer approaches, her homemade and refreshing halo-halo will be available too.

A writer by profession, Amie was at one time creative director of Resource Ads. She even won an Araw Award for innovative menu copy. She also became consultant to several fine and casual dining restaurants. Amie’s forays in the kitchen isn’t at all surprising. She was introduced to  making kitchen marvels by her mother, Estelita Caluya, who put up the now institution, C&E Pasta Pizza in Laoag City, which has five branches managed by her youngest sister, Candy Caluya.

 Mrs G is one venture of a home entrepreneur who believes that there will always be room for second servings of hearty, home-cooked, and specially baked goodies, at very pocket-friendly prices, in this part of Quezon City.

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 Email: [email protected]