Same Scene, Different Stage
by Rachelle Bueno
“All the world’s a stage.”
Now, our homes are our stages.
It's not easy to change sets in shows, especially abruptly due to a change of circumstance. But the scene has changed and the cameras are rolling for “Aurea Carmina.”
Five years ago, the last anniversary concert, “How Can I Keep From Singing,” was held to celebrate UPCS's 45th anniversary. Many of my batchmates now were young then, or weren't even in the group yet.
It has also been more than a year since the pandemic began. We managed to successfully get through our last in-person concert, “Come Alive,” merely days before the world shut down.
UPCS 2020 at “Come Alive,” the group’s last on stage performance before the pandemic
Once in a while, I think about how euphoric it feels to be able to perform on stage. The sounds, the feelings, the audience - nothing beats the notion that you're culminating months of work to give an amazing show to express our talents. I would have given everything to have this 50th anniversary live in person with all the amazing people who have helped the UPCS become what it is today.
The young 10-year-old me of 2016 wouldn't be able to believe that the 15-year-old me of today would get this far. It has been a rollercoaster ride in the past few years I've been in the group, and there has never been a better experience. Nothing matches the joy of performing with people who have only one thing needed in common to work together - the love for singing and music.
We've been through so many performances and events together that the synergy we created made it so easy for us to mesh together as a singular unit. I remember growing up in the choir singing with so many people I admire; now as one of the seniors of our batch, I see all the new members entering a world of wonderful people and music and feel so proud of what we've all done through time.
“Aurea Carmina” was made possible through the hard work of all the staff and organizers. I cannot thank these people enough for giving us an opportunity to share our talents to the world with a wider, more varied audience during this time of the pandemic. Usually, our performances were in large auditoriums or open-air fields with a few hundred or thousand people attending, but what's amazing is that even if this circumstance has forced us all to stay at home and sing separately, it's given us the chance to show even more people from so many different parts and platforms of the world something that all the members of the UPCS have enjoyed preparing for. The people who used to not be able to attend our concerts can now be able to watch from wherever they are, and people who are new to our group will also witness what we have to offer in our performances.
UPCS 2021 singing together virtually at the group’s golden anniversary concert
From the unwrapping of costumes, the crisp wood of the platform, the dark and closed curtains, the lights and microphones aloft, and the hundreds of seats of the audience, we're now faced with our gadgets, and a click of a button is all we need.
Even if it's seemingly simple and ordinary, it's still a stage. And with every stage we have is a new opportunity to sing.
Five years may have passed, but many things have stayed the same. We may have been deported back inside our homes, but the power and our love of music has once more broken through walls and extended through people to let our voices resonate to the world.
Every stage we have is a blessing. Now, our world is our stage - it's time for our golden voices to be heard.
