Tag: opm


Oct
2015

Touringkitty music: Angel of God

categories: Music

Today, October 2nd, is the Solemnity of the Guardian Angels.

Ariadne loves to pray to her Guardian Angel. The Prayer to the Guardian Angel is the first prayer she learned and memorised since she was about two or three years old.

Ariadne acted as an angel during our church's Palm Sunday Mass for this year's Holy Week.
Ariadne acted as an angel during our church’s Palm Sunday Mass for this year’s Holy Week.

It goes like this:

Angel of God, my Guardian dear,

to whom His love commits me here,

ever this day (or night) be at my side,

to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

 

Source: Catholic Online

 

One night, when my daughter was around three, and praying this before we slept, a melody entered my head. I put the words into that melody, and sang that to my daughter since. Now she’s memorised the melody by heart, and here we are ready to share this wonderful prayer-song with you.

This is a non-pro recording, which we did last Monday, September 29, Solemnity of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Rafael.

Be blessed, be a blessing!

~ Touringkitty


Jul
2015

#KoristaAko: Mcoy Fundales

categories: #KoristaAko, #TKEurope2015, Music

Choristories (2)

Welcome to another edition of #KoristaAko! This is a special edition, because we have a real star from a different side of the music spectrum–rock music. Yes, friends, you’ve read it right. No less than Mcoy Fundales of the Pinoy Ako/PBB/Orange and Lemons/Kenyo fame started as a korista. And just recently, he revisited his choral singing experience on a European concert tour.

Musikerong Daddy ng PBB. Photo: www.pep.ph

In Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition, he was known as “Musikerong Daddy” who hails from Bulacan. His former band, Orange and Lemons, were behind the success of Pinoy Ako, PBB’s theme song. I got the chance to really get to know Kuya Mcoy during our rehearsals and our trip for the Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation, Inc., where we were both invited to sing and tour Europe with last June. I got to know how really talented he is (he doesn’t read notes, but has a very good ear in music). He’s singing tenor. The fact that we were only ten, and they were only two tenors in the group, is testament to how he did well as chorister. Not only that, we encountered a funny, positive, and very humble rockstar dad especially during the trip. He doesn’t look like he has a college graduate for a daughter already (yes, he has, and he looks and is very young, in fact). It was a blessing to know him personally.

In one of our performances, Vienna, Austria.

He graciously agreed to appear in this month’s #KoristaAko, and here’s what he had to share:

Name: Marco “Mcoy” Fundales

Current profession: School owner/president (Young Achievers Montessori School), Vocalist/songwriter KENYO (formerly known as Orange and Lemons), TV and movie writer (he’s part of the Creative Team of Pepito Manaloto on GMA7).

Choirs joined (and years if possible): Mariano Ponce High School Choir and San Agustin Parish Choir (both in Baliwag, 1992-1994).

Why did you join the choir? What was that something or someone that influenced you? : I’ve always been fascinated with the marriage of voices, choir music takes me to another level of consciousness every time I listen to it. I’ve often wondered what it takes to form a group and what happens behind the scenes in order to create harmony among members (literally and relationship wise)

What is your favourite song arranged or composed for choir and why?: Ato del Rosario’s take and arrangement on the traditional Pasyon Senakulo. It’s so pretty, you’d want to sing it throughout the year if possible. We brought this work to Europe, and is one of my favourites, too. –> see a portion of the work here

What was the hardest piece you’ve studied? ANAK (Robert Delgado’s) –> this one we studied for the trip, and it was indeed hard!

Any choir/s or vocal ensembles you look up to and why?: Philippine Madrigal Singers! They are always a treat and an experience to listen to! I’m also a fan of The Company. The members are even great people off stage. Great friends. They took OPM to a higher level because of their work.

What is your most unforgettable choral moment?: To sing with a choir in a European cultural mission/tour after almost 2 decades of hiatus from choral singing.

#KoristaAko dahil: Dito ako nagsimula bago ako pinalad sa larangan ng pagbabanda. Hindi mawawala ang pagmamahal ko sa musika ng isang koro tulad ng pagmamahal ko sa iba pang anyo at sining ng musika.   Thank you for your wonderful answers, Kuya Mcoy! And thank you for inspiring us to sing in a choir, too.

With the rockstar and certified korista, Mcoy Fundales!
With the rockstar and certified korista, Mcoy Fundales!

To end, here’s our performance of his hit song, Pinoy Ako. So now you probably know why and how starstruck I am during this trip. No less than its singer performing his own song with you, in a choir. Such a rare privilege!

#KoristaAko is powered by Touringkitty. Tune in for the latest post every last Wednesday of the month. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates.


May
2014

Touringkitty’s Top Ten Mr. C songs

categories: Music, Uncategorized

On May 3, Filipino composer Ryan Cayabyab, or Mr. C to many, celebrated his birthday eve with a tribute concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The concert, led by conductor Gerard Salonga and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, featured true OPM gems like Hajji Alejandro, Kuh Ledesma, Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, Celeste Legaspi, Mitch Valdes, and the newer ones like Noel Cabangon, Bugoy and Morisette, Piolo Pascual.

the-music-of-ryan-cayabyab-concert-2014

I was a proud wife and aunt, happily watching with my mom and daughter. My husband was invited to sing with the Ateneo Chamber Singers, while my niece (daughter of my cousin), Leana Tabunar, sang a song from the musical Katy, where she acted as the young Katy last year. It was first time for her to sing with a full orchestra, that’s why the whole Macanaya clan is proud of her. Check out a video of her performance here:

As part of the orchestra’s Spotlight Series, they featured an all-Mr. C repertoire, which brought so much nostalgia to many OPM babies, like me. But not all Mr. C songs that I like are OPM, or Original Pilipino Music. I also liked his choral works, some we have sung with the Madz, and some with my children’s choir.

So, without further ado, here are my favorite Mr. C songs in random order. Full credit goes to the owners of these videos. Thanks for sharing and posting on Youtube, especially the older video clips:

1. A questa me guiaba/O noche que guiaste. The text of this piece is from the poems of St. John of the Cross. We sang this in the Florilege Vocal de Tours in France in 2006, the competition where we earned the spot for the European Grand Prix the following year. Listen to the sudden unisons and key changes, they are quite challenging to approach.

2. Aba Po, Santa Mariang Reyna. Another favorite of competing choral groups, I first heard this song when my husband (then suitor) sang this with the Ateneo College Glee Club back in 2000. I immediately fell in love with the dissonances of the female in the beginning. I remember the story of this song. Madz founder Prof. Andrea Veneracion, or Ma’am OA, asked Mr. C to write a new work for the Madz, and this was it.

UPDATE: This is a most recent version of the Ateneo Chamber Singers. Have always loved their rendition of this.

3. Kailan (Smokey Mountain). I was a young seven years old then, and we were in a trade fair at then PhilCite at the CCP Complex (don’t compute my age!). I was a super fan of Smokey Mountain (yes, Geneva Cruz, James Coronel, Tony Lambino, Jeffery Hidalgo, I was a fan!!!) and of their songs. My dad entered me in a mini-talent showcase in one of the trade fair’s events, with the late great Pepe Pimentel as host. I told him I will sing the song Kailan (When, in English), but he teases me as to when I will sing! I got to take home gift packs after I finally sang…after all the teasing!

4. Paraiso (Smokey Mountain). Another Smokey Mountain song I like is Paraiso. I loved it more when I sang it with the Madz. Here’s our New York performance in 2007:

5. Gloria (from Misa).  My husband was the soloist for this song during their 2000 Ateneo College Glee Club tour for one of their competitions. I was able to watch it during their farewell concert, and he definitely gave a great performance! (Now, if only there was a video of it!). But here’s an audio recording from their 2000 tour.

6. Hibang sa Awit.  Umiikot, sumisirko. (Twirling, tumbling.) This is definitely a “Tatak Korus” song. Korus is the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus, who adds challenging choreography in their singing. Here is their performance during the group’s 50th Anniversary and reunion concert in 2012. Check out the inset, same choreo and energy through the years!

7. Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika. An award-winning song synonymous to a singer named Hajji Alejandro. This won the 1st Metro Manila Popular Music Festival (Metropop) in 1978, and as this song opened last Saturday’s concert, it still proves timeless, beautiful, and classic.

8. Can this be love (Smokey Mountain). This was sung again by Sarah Geronimo as theme song for the Sandara Park-Hero Angeles movie of the same title.

9. Kumukutikutitap. Famous director Joey Reyes wrote the lyrics of this Christmas favorite. Check out a video of my choir’s performance during the Christkindlmarket in 2012 (the beginning of the song was not taken, though, and this video included other repertoire). To whoever uploaded this on Youtube, many thanks! (PS: Spot my little princess!)

10. Prayer of St. Francis (from Mass for Peace). I first encountered this when I was a freshman at the UP College of Music. The librarian was selling only a few copies of Mass for Peace and I immediately got one. My choir still sings this during our masses. Here was our performance in our concert at the GSIS Museum last October.

 

What’s your favorite? Any other Mr. C. songs in mind? Would love to hear from you!

 

~ Touringkitty