Proud again

Mom Ligaya flanked by son Gerard and the author —Michelle Lim/CONTRIBUTOR

What a fantastic time we had!

Over the weekend I had concerts with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC), and two mini shows on Oct. 2 at Sha Tin Town Hall).

My brother Gerard Salonga was our conductor. This doesn’t sound too out of the ordinary, except that this was his first gig during his tenure as assistant conductor of this magnificent orchestra.

Mom and I flew out to Hong Kong on Wednesday morning. Gerard’s first rehearsal was that afternoon, so right after we got ourselves settled into our hotel, my mother and I (with our assistant Tin Samson) headed over to the HKCC Concert Hall to listen to them play. We sat in the stalls, not too far away so my mom could see Gerard conduct. And once he started, so did her waterworks.

She dug into her purse for some tissue, and began to dab her eyes, brimming with so much pride you could practically see flow out of her. I have no idea what was going through her mind at that moment. Perhaps she was thinking of when he was a little boy, playing with an old open reel tape machine, turning the reels over and over for what seemed like hours. She might’ve been thinking of his first piano lessons at 5 years old, and the first time he was my accompanist a couple of years later at a show in Chicago (totally my fault; I volunteered him when the tape machine at the venue stopped working). She could also have been thinking of his directing a college musical while still a student at Ateneo; graduating summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music; numerous gigs with many artists including Geneva Cruz and Regine Velasquez; conducting for or playing at many of my own concerts; and being music director for ABS-CBN Philharmonic.

And now this. Oh heck, just thinking about it all makes me emotional, too!

At the actual concerts, whenever a song had a long introduction, I would use that as an opportunity to just watch my brother conduct.

His stroke is fluid but precise, and never confusing. All his years on the podium conducting numerous orchestras have done so much to get that stroke just right.

To say that my mom and I are proud of him is a monumental understatement.

The author (right) with mom at the HKCC Concert Hall —Tin Samson/CONTRIBUTOR

Strength

One thing my brother had mentioned after the concerts were over was my physical strength with the singing, that there was greater force behind the notes. My sister-in-law mentioned control, especially with my diminuendos (gradual decrease in volume). I’m noticing that I’m not as exhausted following two hours of singing, something I would be very paranoid about. At this round of concerts I felt good, even after the last encore.

Gerard asked, “What have you been doing?” I said, “My trainer has been focusing on working my core. I guess that’s it.”

Let me be perfectly clear: I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a gym rat. However, after my brother pointed this change out (and given how often the two of us work together, that’s a big deal), it has given me more incentive to keep working out. No, not only for my health or my figure, but to make me a stronger singer.

Today at the gym, with every little bit of core work my trainer made me do, I would tell myself, “It’s so I can hit that high note … sustain longer … have greater control.”

No pain, no gain. Let’s see how much gain I can get.