Fil-Am orchestra honors awardees led by Sylvia La Torre

Filipino American Symphony Orchestra awardees (from left) Titus Verzosa, Maria Christina Navarro, Sylvia La Torre and Cecilia Coo-Cruz with Vice President Leni Robredo (center). —MARC PIJUAN

LOS ANGELES—Sylvia La Torre, sprightly at 84, arrived just as the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (Faso) was about to play to commence the program part of “A Night of Symphony—Excellence Awards Dinner and Gala.” With her husband of six decades, Celso Perez de Tagle, smiling beside her, Sylvia rattled off several songs she wanted to perform.

Obviously, there was no more time to rehearse. The Queen of Kundiman, lovely and ageless in a baro’t saya, and Celso, sat down instead on their table as Robert “Bob” Shroder conducted the orchestra.

Based in Los Angeles, Faso
—a nonprofit organization led by its president Arlene Ferrolino—has been giving well-received concerts since it was founded in 2008.

The setting of the program, energetically hosted by Jannelle So-Perkins, couldn’t be more Hollywood-perfect. As the late afternoon lit everything with a golden glow, guests sat on the front lawn of the former mansion of a pioneering woman in Tinseltown—America’s original Sweetheart, Academy cofounder, producer and actress, Mary Pickford.

Edwin Raquel, a Faso board member, his wife Lani and their daughters, the current owners of what is known as the Mary Pickford Estate, graciously opened their manse to the elegantly dressed guests.

The June 17 gala, chaired by Rocio Nuyda, presented Faso’s inaugural Excellence in Music and Service Awards. Sylvia and singer Maria Christina “Kit” Navarro earned the honors for music while Cecilia Coo-Cruz and Titus Verzosa garnered theirs for service.

The evening also raised funds to sustain the orchestra and its music education and outreach programs, especially to Fil-Am youths.

I had the honor of writing and reading the citation for Sylvia. The words just flowed when I sat down to draft my tribute to Ibyang, who would celebrate her 80th anniversary in show business next year.

I began my ode to the Queen of Kundiman and the First Lady of Philippine television with these words: “Before there was Beyoncé, before there was Madonna, even way before Barbra Streisand…”

“We had Sylvia La Torre. Our beloved Queen of Kundiman pioneered and conquered them all—the stage, radio, television, recording and film. She is the first Filipino talent to enjoy a very successful career in all those major entertainment fields in the Philippines.

“Just imagine that when Sylvia was only 5 years old in 1938, she competed in a singing contest and won.”

My citation ended with, “When Faso announced that Sylvia would be one of our two Excellence in Music Awardees, a friend of mine commented that Sylvia should be declared a National Artist of the Philippines. It’s a long overdue recognition. But to me, Sylvia is already our National Artist and treasure in our hearts and minds.”

After Bob awarded the medallion to Sylvia, she launched into her spontaneous, humor-tinged acceptance speech. She acknowledged what I mentioned—that she was indeed also known in the Philippines by her beloved radio and TV character, Ibyang.

Sylvia cracked that when she immigrated to the US, she became Sylvie. As in, she quipped, “May I silbi (serve) you?”

Then, she and Kit segued into an unrehearsed duet, “Sa Kabukiran,” backed by Bob and the orchestra. It was thrilling to hear the two sopranos sing the high notes of the classic Filipino song that Sylvia recorded in 1954. The guests rose in standing ovation.

A former member-soloist of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Kit has performed with top opera companies around the world.

Cecilia was honored for devoting countless hours to assist the orchestra (where she also plays the violin) in various volunteer capacities.

Titus, an accountant, was cited for volunteering his tax and accounting services in forming Faso as a nonprofit organization.

Cecilia and Titus embody the volunteer energy that propel the orchestra and its events, including this first gala which drew many individuals and organizations to donate their time, effort, services and products pro bono.

Vice President Leni Robredo, the night’s guest of honor, congratulated the four awardees and posed for photos with them.

In her keynote address, the veep noted the volunteerism spirit behind Faso, which also permeates Angat Buhay—her antipoverty program. She talked about the program’s efforts to help improve the quality of life of people, especially in the Philippines’ poorest and most remote areas.

Many of the guests were struck to learn about Agutaya, 10 hours by boat from Coron, Palawan, whose residents are among the recipients of Angat Buhay program.

In honor of the special guest, singer-composer Nilo Alcala sang “Never Ever Say Goodbye,” the late Willy Cruz’s song which has meant a lot to Leni since her husband, former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, died in a plane crash.

Another performer was Mikaela Bautista, one of the participants of Faso’s music education programs, who performed “Bituing Walang Ningning.”

Kaitlyn Aquino, a high school student who plays the violin, spoke on behalf of the youths who benefit from the orchestra’s year-round outreach programs: “Faso is much more than an orchestra. As Louie (Ramos, vice president and arranger-in-residence) mentioned, Faso provides children the opportunity to refine their musical abilities through workshops and outreach programs.

“My hope is that Faso will continue to grow as an educational and cultural resource for Filipino and non-Filipino families looking to master their musical abilities.”

Earlier in the evening, several Faso board members, plus supporters and volunteers, danced the Rigodon de Honor, to the live music of the orchestra, no less. The guests cheered the dance as they savored the tasty Filipino fusion dishes by hot chef Clint Nuyda. He flew from Hawaii to volunteer his cooking skills.

Singer Djhoanna Garcia (aka Giji Kocher), Faso board member John Mina and Jannelle presided over a fundraising auction, capped by an animated bid for a week’s stay at an apartment in Champs-Élysées in Paris, courtesy of Loida Nicolas Lewis.

Djhoanna closed the night on a high note with her signature “This Is My Life,” which never fails to elicit a standing ovation. And, of course, she did, with matching cheers and appreciative whistles.

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