Thursday, February 14, 2008 Celebrate Valentine's in most romantic style By F. B. Ramos Jr.
WHAT better way to celebrate Valentine's Day with your beloved spouse or partner than listening to love songs and romantic music at the ballroom of the Grand Regal Hotel tonight?
Dabawenyos are once again going to be regaled by the performances of Ramon Acoymo (tenor), Aileen Espinosa-Cura (soprano), Edna Marcil Martinez (violist), and Nita Abrogar-Quinto (pianist).
They will perform in a UP Centennial Valentine Concert organized and produced by the UP Mindanao Foundation Inc. for the benefit of the Faculty Development and Student Scholarship Programs at UP Mindanao.
Ramon Acoymo has performed in Davao City on several occasions, and true to form, he has earned rave reviews and standing ovations from his enraptured audience.
His resume would require several pages to mention here but among his most recent achievements are: he is the dean of the UP College of Music; Music Committee chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education; and national program director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines resident company "Music Competition for Young Artists."
He recently returned from performances in Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States.
Lyric Soprano is how they refer to Aileen Espinosa-Cura. The awards she has received and the various roles she has portrayed in musical presentations are a fitting tribute to her exquisite vocal qualities and superb acting talent.
She was also a former member and soloist of the Philippine Madrigal Singers from 1976-1983, Alumni Ensemble of the Philippine Madrigal Singers from 1986 to 1989, and the Himig ng Lahi Ensemble in 1980 and 1984. As such, she has also performed in various concert stages here and abroad.
Edna Marcil Martinez is an accomplished violist. What's that? She is a violist, a person who plays the viola (pronounced: "vee-oh-la").
Okay, so you ask, what's a viola? Well, a viola is a member of the violin family between the violin and the violoncello, more popularly called the cello. That's all for music 101, let us look at the violist, Ms Martinez.
She is a graduate of the UP College of Music and holds a Teacher's Diploma in Viola, a Bachelor's Degree in Music Literature and a Master of Music Degree in Musicology. She holds the distinction as the first viola graduate of the University of the Philippines.
Nita Abrogar-Quinto is a professor of the College of Music (Department of Keyboard) of the University of the Philippines. In layman's terms, she is a pianist. An outstanding and award-winning student in competitions, she received the Outstanding Music Graduate Award, and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi International Honor Society for Academic Excellence.
Awarded a British Council Scholarship in 1975, she took the Post-Graduate Course and the Certificate in Advanced Studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England where she studied piano under James Gibb and the Alexander Technique under Nelly Ben-Or.
While there, she was awarded a Silver Medal for achieving second highest honors throughout the British Isles in the Licentiate Diploma Examinations.
The UP Mindanao Kombuyahan will also perform during this event. This group is the in-house cultural company of UP Mindanao and is fast becoming known in the city and the region for their artistic and cultural shows.
These four exceptionally gifted and brilliant performers will surely give you an unforgettable Valentine's Day you will remember for the rest of your lives. So if you feel that the romance has gone out of your love life, bring your wife, husband or partner to enjoy the concert "Iba't-Ibang Mukha Ng Pag-Ibig" at the Grand Regal Hotel at 7 p.m.
