by Kenneth C. Esguerra, UPCS Erste Stimmen

What better way to celebrate NAMCYA's 50th anniversary than through a concert featuring select choirs that have won the choral competition category in the past years?

The U.P. Cherubim & Seraphim, Balon Dagupan Children’s Choir and Loboc Children’s Choir
(photo by Rex Reynaldo Cabugon, courtesy of Ayala Museum)

Last Saturday, the 29th of April at exactly 7 o’clock in the evening, Ayala Museum set the stage by hosting a night of children's choral music.

First to step on stage was the U.P. Cherubim and Seraphim with 26 of its regular members singing hymns in Filipino, German, and English that were selected from a long list of the choir's repertoire borne out of its 51 years of existence.

Witnessing the children sing their melodic songs straight from the heart, matched with smiling faces that evidenced their joy in what they were doing, and that contributed to those perfect tunes, I can’t help but reminisce our time when decades ago, we were the UPCS being taught how to sing properly by the late Prof. Flora Zarco-Rivera. Now, we all know that her daughter, Dr. Elena Rivera-Mirano has taken rein, and has been leading the choir for many years now. This is an assurance that the UPCS tradition will live on.

UPCS 2023 with Director Emeritus Elena Rivera Mirano and pianist Michelle Nicolasora
(photo by Rex Reynaldo Cabugon, courtesy of Ayala Museum)

And going back to the concert last Saturday night, the audience was composed mostly of the children's parents, grandparents, friends, other relatives, and guests. A handful of the UPCS alumni (like myself) also joined the wonderful evening of music.

*UPCS 2023 with alumni who joined the 1973 NAMCYA Competition and 1990s alumni with children in the current group*

And by the way, also present to provide their style of choral singing were the Balon Dagupan Children’s Choir, as well as the Loboc Children's Choir. These choirs also won the choral competition of NAMCYA some years back, and have now established themselves as chorales with their own style of singing.

It was truly a night to remember because of the perfect combination of family, friendship, reunion of ties, and children's music.