I can now breathe a sigh of relief. From December 26 – 28, 2015, the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus Batch 1990 celebrated its 25th Anniversary, and I helped in planning this whole event. Please allow me to brag a little bit, because I would say that it was a resounding success from all aspects—from the resort where we stayed in, the activities, the schedule, the food, up until the night of the concert. Every detail fell into its perfect place.
But, boy, this wasn't achieved with a sleight of hand. The biggest hurdle we had was the distance of the members from one another. Some lived in the US, some in Europe, one in Cebu (that's me, by the way!), and while most lived just in Metro Manila, our work and family responsibilities and other social schedules didn't permit us to have a meeting that easily. So how were we able to we come up with a reunion, and an ambitious full concert at that, if the members didn't have serious regular rehearsals?
Thanks to a very balanced (aherm!) organizing committee composed of Noriz Delos Reyes-Castillo and Lowell Esguerra-Reyes, and the support of two formidable hubby and wifey tandems of Lionel and Cynthia Guico, and Leo and Glynna Cabrera, and with the help of trusty ol' Facebook, we were able to do it! Those who were clueless on how this important event came to pass, let me give you a glimpse of the timeline of what transpired during the eight months behind the scenes.
April 25, 2015 – Egay posted a sentimental message recalling the UPCC Batch 1990’s World Tour.
April 26, 2015 – Lionel reposted some pictures greeting Batch 1990 on its 25th year. A barrage of comments ensued. That was when Egay suggested a reunion concert. People became excited. Hmmmm....maybe it was possible, I thought.
I've organized reunions of my high school batchmates twice, my husband's college batch's, and my parent's 50th wedding anniversary...all virtually, just in front of my Mac. So what's the big deal this time? The huge difference this time was, we needed regular rehearsals to sing as a group. This wasn't your ordinary reunion where you could attend the party and that's it. Twenty-five years is a long time for us to recall the songs from our old repertoire, blend voices, and...(bless us all!) do the choreography!
Speaking for myself, I hadn't performed in public after my chorus days, and I knew my vocal chords for singing had been sleeping for two decades and a half, so I was doubtful I could perform well as an alto. But the pull of friendship was stronger. I thought we had to do it. The opportunity was presenting itself to us, we might as well grab the chance.
Speaking for myself, I hadn't performed in public after my chorus days, and I knew my vocal chords for singing had been sleeping for two decades and a half, so I was doubtful I could perform well as an alto. But the pull of friendship was stronger. I thought we had to do it. The opportunity was presenting itself to us, we might as well grab the chance.
April 29, 2015: I made an exclusive UPCC Batch 1990 FB page. Since we were far away from one another, we needed a conduit where communication line would open. Thankfully, Lowell and Noriz were almost always virtually present on FB:-)
May 2, 2015: I started sending feelers via FB PM to each 1990 member to survey on how they feel about having a reunion concert. The responses were mixed—some were positive, others, especially those who live abroad, bowed out. Opo, marami ring nandedma. But of course, nothing could dampen our spirits.
Pero ang pinakabongga, si Noel. A month after I sent him a PM, BUMILI na ng ticket ang lolo n’yo!
Naunahan pa ang mga unang nag-yes na taga-abrowd!
Little did Nu knew that we were panicking. One balikbayan already purchased a ticket! That was the point of no return for us. This. Anniversary. Must. Push Through.
July 12, 2015 : We had our very first planning meeting for the 25th Anniversary Reunion. Coincidentally, Egay surprised all of us by coming home.
Lowell, Lex, Egay, and I were the only ones present during the initial planning session. It was then when we asked Lex if he was willing to be our conductor. He said yes. Everything was falling into place (or so we thought it was that easy!)
July 30, 2015: Menoy, Egay, Noriz, Lowell, Lex, and Lionel met again at SM Marikina to come up with a proposed repertoire.
August 9, 2015: First Trial Rehearsal. Lowell, Noriz, Glynna, Barcy, Lionel, Cynthia, Menoy, and (surprise!) Jerome attended.
August 10, 2015: Egay started uploading the pdf’s of the music pieces on our FB page. No excuses! Time to practice, no matter which part of the world we were in.
August 30, 2015: Only a handful attended the rehearsal—Lex, Glynna, Leo, Bracy, Lowelle, and Noriz. I was not able to fly in from Cebu at that time, knowing that I'd be in Manila after two weeks for my parents' 50th. We were feeling negative about this whole thing. They were not able to practice any songs this time. Fortunately, Leo’s prepared dinner always saved the day.
September 14, 2015: We were able to have a meeting but it seemed like everyone was not so hopeful that a serious rehearsal was going to happen. So we just decided not to push through with a full concert, just an out-of-town get-together plus participating at a GCF service and attending Lionel’s family reunion. Our main purpose at that time was to be able to celebrate our 25th Anniversary by hook or by crook, with our without the support of the majority. We decided to use more time in threshing out the details of the celebration. Attendees were: Lowell and Lex, Glynna and Leo, Noriz and I.
October 17, 2015: I flew in again from Cebu to Manila just for a night to attend this practice. It was good that the hubby backed me on this. I vowed to attend the monthly rehearsals thereafter, so I had to keep my word. Besides, I was sure mahihiya silang hindi um-attend dahil ako ngang galing sa Cebu, nagpupumilit mag-praktis, sila pang nasa Maynila? Hehehe!
We were able to complete the voices with three sopranos, four altos, one tenor and one bass. It was enough for us to practice the sacred songs. One of the trainees of our batch, Virna Caringal-Divino also joined the practice. Things were getting sunny. I thought we sounded good, considering the lack of guys.
October 23, 2015: To complement Egay's efforts in uploading the pdf's, I made some practice videos for the members to recall their parts. This was very helpful, especially for me, who can't sight read.
November 22, 2015: I flew in from Cebu again, as promised.
Itinerary--check! Pledges--check! Repertoire--check! Minor details needed to be settled but the major ones were agreed upon. I couldn't believe it. We were almost there!
December 13, 2015: It was Melanie who suggested the title of our concert after one of those sleepless nights of chatting with a fellow night owl. I drafted a working poster, and Gay finalized it.
Egay asked his sister to have some tarps printed. I just e-mailed Egay the design. Funny, because it took someone from the US to have tarps made to order in Quezon City. This is what technology can do!
December 20, 2015: The supposed FINAL rehearsal before the event was called. Sara (from Austria) and Nu (from the Netherlands) were already in Manila. Gay, Melanie, Lenelle, and the pianist were there attending for the first time.
And so there was no turning back. It was up until this moment when we became confident that the UPCC 1990 25th Reunion was really going to happen!
To be continued...
