Filipino Musicians Give their Best at Kalayaan 2023 Celebration in Chongqing
12 June 2023 – The Philippine Consulate General in Chongqing hosted its first post-pandemic national day celebration on 12 June 2023 with a live concert dubbed Two by Two, A Gift of Music from the Philippines to Chongqing.
Staged at the concert hall of the Guotai Arts Center, an iconic landmark of Chongqing, the concert brought together for the first time in the mega-city the duo soprano known as The Nightingales and the Lakbai Guitar Duo. The quartet showcased the musical dexterity of Filipino musicians in a one-hour program that included contemporary and popular Filipino, Western and Chinese songs. Their masterful renditions of Diablo Rojo, Nais Ko, Sa Kabukiran, Iisang Bangka, The Moon Represents My Heart and Shine, among other pieces, enthralled a full house.
In her remarks at the official reception immediately following the concert, Consul General Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo acknowledged the Filipino teachers and engineers who have been sharing their own talents in Chongqing. “They are our unsung ambassadors of goodwill, and long acknowledged by the Philippine Government as our modern-day heroes. This Independence Day reception celebrates them first and foremost. It is on their behalf that the gift of music is offered to the people of Chongqing in appreciation of the warm hospitality given to the Filipino community and the tremendous support extended by the municipal government and business sector to our official mission here,” she remarked.
“Our featured performers played beautifully the tune of Philippines-China friendship that is rooted in centuries of our people-to-people ties. Our long history of shared prosperity continues today --- China is the Philippines’ top trading partner with total trade valued at 39.14 billion US dollars in 2022. China is the Philippines’ third biggest export market, our number source of our imports and a major investor in the Philippine economy,” Consul General Mayo added.
The evening’s Guest of Honor, Mme. Chen Yuanchun, Vice Chair of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress, cited the common understandings of the Heads of State of the Philippines and China to “stay good neighbors helping each other, good relatives sharing affinity, and good partners pursuing win-win cooperation.” Towards this end, Mme. Chen affirmed that Chongqing will work more closely with the Philippines to deepen cooperation in trade, culture, logistics and technology. For her part, Consul General Mayo extended assurances that the Philippine Consulate General will continue to do its utmost to cultivate more business partnerships for common prosperity, to undertake more cultural programs to deepen mutual understanding and to promote two-way tourism for Filipinos and Chinese to discover each other’s best.
The Philippine Consulate General in Chongqing spearheaded the concert in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Sentro Rizal. The Consulate also partnered with the Panhua Group, Air Asia, Eva Air-Uni Air, Oishi and the Chongqing Expat Guide to mount the concert in Chongqing. The event was covered by Chongqing TV.
Jennifer de Vera and Jeffrey Malazo compose the Lakbai Guitar Duo. As students at the University of the Philippines, they won top international prizes in guitar competitions in Malaysia and Japan following which they have been performing in various parts of the world.
The Nightingales’ Bianca Lopez-Aguila and Keiko Cayanga are seasoned sopranos who have likewise captivated audiences abroad with their arias, Broadway classics, folksongs and popular standards. END