Thursday, May 24, 2007 Magsaysay: Paseo and piano By Jo Magsaysay Whaterever
THE music missionaries, Reynaldo G. Reyes and Ingrid Sala-Santamaria whose relentless passion to make music, bring music and teach music, will transport themselves and their listeners once again into a magical realm when they set off on their 14th Romantic Piano Concerto Journey (RPCJ) Tour from June 25-August 6, 2007.
This musical journey which started January 2001 reached out to audiences all over our country from as far up north as Banaue and Subic Bay to down south in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City and in our very own Cebu from Minglanilla and Argao the ASEAN Summit in CICC. They have played in convent schools, church ruins and outdoor parks, in foreign embassies and plush hotels. Moving outward they brought their music to far flung Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Busan, Maryland, Los Angeles, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and everywhere they played their classical concert performance on the music of the Romantic Period they gave a music education presentation on the background of style and bio-sketches of the masters of the romantic period: Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Grieg, Brahms, Schumann, MacDowell, Mendelsohn, St. Saens and Tschaikovsky.
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For this, their 14th Romantic Piano Concert, the artists have prepared three sets of programs and for Cebu in particular their concert scheduled on the 27th of July at the MB Fernan Press Center, Ingrid and her mentor, Professor Reyes will perform Tschaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 B Minor Op. 30. All three sets of programs will be performed in one afternoon on July 8 beginning 3 p.m., another concert at 4:30 p.m. and the third concert at 6 p.m. at the Turf Room, Polo Club in Forbes Park, Manila. The first concert of the tour on the 25th June will be held at the German Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 23 concert performances including the 3-in-1 afternoon concert in Manila seems an incredible feat but there is no mission impossible for these artists and pedagogues whose music reaches out to the mind, heart and soul of everyone who has ever loved music.
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Anyone who has ever loved shopping or just lazing around should drive over or stroll down to Paseo where all the action is. A young friend who had checked out the place earlier reports that Paseo is "like a flea market in a huge gym…everything and everyone is there…kutingting (What? You mean ‘bling-bling’?) No ma’am, bling is for the upper crust and hoity-toity…this one is for us, young people, to chill out in any of the hot bars, to look and see, to shop and buy, you know, all that stuff…"
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"All that stuff" and more is what I finally got to see at the opening of Paseo over there in F. Cabahug St. in Mabolo. As it should be, the young Secretary of Toursim Ace Durano and Congressman Raul del Mar with their pretty young ladies, cut the ceremonial ribbon amidst a razzle-dazzle display of fireworks, a thunder roll of percussion instruments and an awesome line-up of winning politicos Congressman Tony Cuenco, Mayor Tommy Osmena, Vice Mayor Mike Rama and Tommy’s big sister Minnie looking like a little teenager in jeans, sneakers and ponytail.
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A shimmering cascade of lights, and spouting fountains of fire ushered the program of entertainment. John Paul Chiongbian, leader of the gang of five young entrepreneurs (his sister Jaja Rama, Kenneth Kokseng, Albert Go and Derrick Yap) who invested their business savvy, their capital and their youthful enthusiasm in Paseo, gave his welcome address that inspired and gave fire to all the wonderful young businessmen and businesswomen who have committed their future to enterprise.
Having committed himself to several businesses of his own, I can almost see John Paul establishing his own holding company and earning the impressive monicker of JP Chiongbian.; Holding her own business stature Jaja Chiongbian- Rama has added another bee to her busy bonnet so to speak, with "Cebu’s newest style nook."
Ms. Shopaholic, a cozy corner stall "decked out in fuschia pink curtains accented with green, pink and lavender stripes designed to be every girl’s haven for everything fun, funky, frou-frou, and fashionably fabulous!", Jaja enthuses. That’s my girl! Chipping in their own styles and fashion flair along with Jaja in Ms. Shopaholic are Selina Selma, Xacah Chang and Sarrita Pimentel.
A hundred shops, stalls, bars and bazaars fill up the Nine Yards Night Market in Paseo, open daily from 2 p.m. to midnight. Late night shoppers will no doubt lose a lot of sleep and go berserk in Paseo's night market.
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Oops! Almost forgot. Some of those hundred bazaar keepers presented a fashion show to display some of their wears and wares. Twelve gorgeous boys and girls in their teens strutted up and down the runway showed off outfits that were remarkably stylish, fresh, perky, sassy, cool and really pretty to look at. I wish…
