Some 33 years ago, in 1991, Presidential Proclamation 683 declared the month of February as the country’s National Arts Month “to celebrate the artistic excellence and pay tribute to the uniqueness and diversity of the Filipino heritage and culture.”
All over the art world, performing artists are the most talked about and the most glorified.
But where would they be without their parents who sacrificed for them and the special patrons who come to their rescue at certain points in their careers?
Where would they be without the cultural workers who make sure the performers have an audience and the venue?
Have you heard of artists starving during the pandemic when the theaters closed for more than 3 years?
Unsung heroes
Cultural workers are unsung heroes who make the impossible doable even if they themselves are in the same dire situation as the artists.
Always on hand to give their support for the arts, cultural workers have lent their time, effort, and resources to provide a public platform for performing artists.
The Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija has become synonymous with live cultural attractions not found in other big cities. Its Vice-Mayor Nestor L. Alvarez has spearheaded classical music concerts for more than 20 years.
More than 173 kilometers from Manila, the Science City of Muñoz has become the oasis of the performing arts, with frequent visits of Ballet Philippines, Philippine Ballet Theater, Ballet Manila, the Philippine Philharmonic and an array of distinguished soloists among them Romanian violinist Alexandru Tomescu, prizewinner of the Paganini competition and the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition.
It was Alvarez who spearheaded the city’s first live concert after the long COVID-19 lockdown, featuring prize-winning young violinist Jeanne Marquez with pianist Dingdong Fiel.
He has likewise invited world-class pianist Cecile Licad more than four times. In one concert, there was no less than a compliment of a symphony orchestra who traveled to Muñoz all the way from Manila.
In almost all his concert productions, Alvarez is able to gather an audience consisting of not just town executives, teachers and civil servants but farmers and fisherfolks as well.
Some audiences came on foot and on tricycles or pickup trucks normally used to ferry loads of palay, the city’s main produce.
In the past, the good mayor even provided financial aid to cover vehicle rental and gas so that people from as far away as Barangay Curba—some 14 kilometers from the venue—could watch the concerts.
For this reason, Munoz Vice-Mayor Nestor Alvarez along with Mayor Baby Armi L. Alvarez are worthy of the cultural award from the country’s cultural institutions.
Tough times
Before and after the pandemic, Richard Sy-Facunda was associated with intimate concerts at the Manila Pianos showroom in Makati City.
His series began in the last quarter of 2019 with several musicians among them pianist Dingdong Fiel and flutist Immanuel Nico Dioneda in an evening of French music for flute and piano.
In March 2020 with the theaters closed during the pandemic and live music making on hold, Facunda knew that performing artists were in for tough times.
“One of the goals we set for the creation of the artist series was to bridge the gap for performers and performance venues,” he said.
Facunda added: “For the musicians, I found a disparity between the established ones and the majority who, in spite of their innate talent, wouldn’t have enough resources to book a concert venue such as the CCP, Ayala Museum or the other commercial venues. Much like a flour sifter, the holes are too big and these musicians are left playing in community brass bands or worse shifting to non-music related jobs just to make ends meet. The pandemic of course made it a lot worse. Musicians were left without gigs – weddings, birthdays, fiestas and the like. Some even resorted to selling their musical instruments.”
From concert series, he also endeavored to host masterclasses. “We started the masterclasses when Alexander Tchobanov came to visit Manila. Since the Covid cases were low, we were allowed by the building to have more people on the floor. Normally, we would record chamber music without an audience and that would be limited to about 3 to 4 pax. The feedback from the music community was astounding. One teacher told me that since it has been two years since any masterclass was done face-to-face, students readily grab these opportunities.”
He is not just a one-man concert presentor. He records with his own equipment, mixes and produces the final master video and design the posters from his own photoshoot.”
With good results in the last three years, he derives fulfillment from the artists extremely happy to be able to make music and see live audiences after the pandemic.
For him, making money out of what he does is out of the question. “I see this more as an apostolic mission rather than a business venture. There are a lot of things that have to improve in the arena of classical music in the Philippines. The way that classical music is recorded, the way musicians come up with their programs and even the quality of pianos being used for performance. A lot of things can stand improvement,” he said.
Strong cultural ally
Last February 8, Zenaida “Nedy” Tantoco passed away. She was 77.
She is CCP trustee for more than 19 years and is the head of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc. On top, she was opera impresario for many years.
Newly installed CCP president Michelle Nikki Junia defined her fruitful 19 years as CCP trustee and unwavering love for arts and culture.
She recalled that Tantoco planned several fundraising efforts to help the CCP resident companies. She also raised funds for purchase of new musical instruments and repairs for aging ones.
Tantoco was instrumental in bringing the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) to the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York.
As opera impresario, she helped mount Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore (The Elixir of Love) in 2017, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor in 2020, and Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot in 2022, among others.
Concluded the CCP president: “The CCP and the arts community grieve the loss of a strong ally of cultural endeavors and promoting artistic excellence. May her soul rest in peace and rise in glory.”
Tenor Arthur Espiritu remembered the opera producer thus: “After the opening night, she gave me a wonderful barong as a gift with a personal note. She told me, ‘I hope you will enjoy this little token of my appreciation for your great performance. It’s good quality barong and will last you for a while.’ It was great to see her in that motherly role.”
To Ms. Tantoco, the tenor said: “Thank you for being the mother to most of us musicians.”
Licad was in a state of shock when she heard of Tantoco’s demise. Her message: “Rest in peace to this great lady I fondly call Tita Nedy. This action lady will be missed by so many who she had touched so deeply. Absolutely no words to describe her! I will think only of happy times with my very dear friend who inspired me in so many ways.”
For once, let’s remember the cultural workers like Tantoco who did a lot in improving Manila’s cultural landscape.