Libre: Public performance

FOR the past few months, I’ve organized GigAlive, where we invite a Christian artist to perform a few songs, immediately after the second Friday Novena to the Sto. Niño in St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Hamilton, New Zealand. Among the performers were Nicky Moran, Gamayon Sisters, Anna Norris and Ruel Sanchez & Friends.

Well, it’s my turn on Oct. 11. I am at home when singing inside the church, being a member of the music ministry TawagAwit that sings once a month in the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also in Hamilton.

If I was allowed to do only one thing in my life–I’d choose singing. Accompanying myself with a guitar, I can sing a whole chord book. This gig simply reminds me of some of the public performances, both wanting and memorable, that I did as a singer-songwriter.

Wanting. During the opening of the 1997 Philippine National Games in Cebu City, I performed “Shine,” the theme song of the event, as Olympic silver medalist Onyok Velasco was jogging on the tracks for the flame lighting ceremony. All the people were looking at Velasco, while nobody paid attention as I sang. It would have been better if they just played my song as the soundtrack to Velasco’s run; for in truth, I had become the background music. In the 1994 Palarong Pambansa, councilor Joy Young asked me to write the anthem, “We are Here,” that featured some of the important performers at that time including Eva de los Santos, Salome Oro, Sakdap and BTU’s Junjun Caro. We decided to sing live without having a sound check. Our voices came out uneven, if these were even heard at all. The only consolation was that the attention of the audience, that included President Fidel Ramos, was focused on the performers.

Memorable. In 1975, Sunog! a trio composed of Alan Montecillo, Mark de la Merced and myself, guested in a local TV show and sang an original Bisaya song, “Langgam,” long before some Bisrock musicians were born. And who would be the other guests? Members of Circus Band (including Basil and Hajji) who were doing a concert in Cebu. In the early ‘90s legendary DJ Johnny Kawa organized a groundbreaking concert that featured select acts of New Cebu Music (including 40-The Band, Ledger Line and Yo Emperado) performing their original Bisaya songs aired at Y101. I sang my pop-jazz anthem, “Daghang Salamat.” It was an unbelievable event. Cebu Coliseum was full-packed and amazingly the crowd knew most of the lyrics of every song rendered by the performers.

Yet, I’ve come to realize that the most sublime performance is when you are singing your heart out to the Lord. You don’t really need a huge audience. God is all ears to your offering and that is more than enough. When brethren join in the singing, surely, a choir of angels also fills the air with their harmony. You can hear them. You can feel them.

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