Celebrate Filipino heritage through song

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This article was published 19/06/2023 (850 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A celebration of traditional Filipino love songs, popularized during the American occupation of the Phillipines at the turn of the 19th century, will help mark Filipino Heritage Month.

Anak Dalita, Bakya Mo Neneng, Saan Ka Man Naroroon and O Sole Mio will be some of the songs performed by the Musica Singers of the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba (PCCM).

The group, composed of musical enthusiasts, students, performers and teachers, will present An Evening of Kundiman and Philippine Art Songs at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre.

They will be joined by the Winnipeg Symphony String Quartet, Noah Macandang, DJ Feliciano and students from grades 4 to 6 in the heritage language class of Keewatin Prairie Community School.

There will also be showcase of Filipino fashion, featuring local professional and amateur models wearing traditional barong tagalog for men and Filipiniana dress for women.

“We are celebrating Filipino music, art songs and love songs called kundiman, which become popular during the American occupation,” says Musica’s artistic director, Dante Aviso. “That was when Filipino composers went to Europe and America to study and when they came back to the Philippines, they introduced this new genre of music.”

Some of the kundiman — which translates to “if it’s meant to be” — masqueraded as love songs and were sung in protest against the American occupation, Aviso explains.

“There is some symbolism involved; at that time, if you wrote a protest song you would either go to jail or get executed,” he says.

The show’s repertoire traces the development of the kundiman from its folk music roots to its modern art song form, and highlights its western music influences and its use in wartime propaganda. All the songs will be in Filipino or Italian.

“The singers are volunteers, helping promote the kundiman and Philippine music with guest performances around Manitoba throughout the year,” Aviso says. “This diverse ensemble is composed of professionals whose deep love and appreciation for Philippine music has brought them together as the Musica Singers of PCCM.”

av.kitching@winnipegfreepress.com