Monday, October 27, 2008 Tausugs triumph in France music festival
JOLO, Sulu -- Given the opportunity, Tausugs (natives of Sulu) can always emerge triumphant. Who would think that the Tausug maggabbang (brass instrument player) and the magbibiyula (violin player) have turned the renowned music festival of France into a very meaningful and memorable one?
Crossing boundaries of distance and time, of experiences and cultural differences, the Tausug gabbang (brass instrument) and the biyula (violin) players wowed the French audience in a performance of a lifetime -- the first time in the history of the France music festival held recently in Paris.
A standing ovation was given to the group, especially after playing the Christmas song "Jingle Bells", in gabbang and biyula.
Tantung Isbarani, Mama Banni, Almasud Jalaidi and Tilma Jalaidi recently brought fame and glory not just to the Sulu province, but to the Philippines, as well, when they performed at the music festival on invitation from Le Baroque Nomade and under the direction of Jeane Christopphe Frisch.
The invitation was made possible through the help of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) that invited the performers to a music festival in 2005 in Manila where David Irving, a musicologist and friend of Frisch, performed with the players from Sulu. The invitation was coursed through the tourism office of the Provincial Government of Sulu.
The officials of the Province of Sulu led by Governor Abdusakur M. Tan were elated with the representation made by the local performers, who went to see them before they left for their Paris trip.
One of the renowned Tausug artists is Abdul Mari Asia Imao, whose artworks are famous around the world. Sulu has several of his works, including a 1984 painting of an inscription of Allah's name, which hangs at the Sulu Museum, and a set of stained glass murals at the Provincial Capitol. Imao is one of the country's national artists.
The France music festival has confirmed that there are many Tausugs who excel in many talents, from music to arts, making the Tausugs proud by showing that Tausugs are not only peace-loving people, but very talented as well. (Press release)
