Wokshops, music master classes to be held before Chris Botti concert

Chris Botti. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The concert “Christmas With Chris Botti,” which also features Renee Olstead, Jacqui Magno, Richard Merk, the Philippine Montessori Center Instrumental Ensemble (PMCIE) and Temple Hill International School Instrumental Ensemble (THISIE), will be held on Dec. 6, 8 p.m., at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila (RWM).

The concert will be preceded by two activities on Dec. 5, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Maxims Terraces, 5th floor, Maxims Hotel, RWM, as follows: an acting and singing workshop with Olstead; and a master class with drummer-record producer Bobby Colomby on music production and the business of music.

Olstead, who has appeared in a number of TV movies as well as feature films, recorded with trumpeter Botti on his 2005 album “To Love Again: The Duets,” and appeared on the 2006 DVD “Chris Botti Live With Orchestra and Special Guests.” Her singing style is influenced by legendary jazz vocalists Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

Colomby, cofounder of the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, was the producer of jazz bass virtuouso Jaco Pastorius’ self-titled debut solocomeback album “Destiny”;Botti’s albums “December,” “When I Fall In Love,” “To Love Again” and “Italia”; Paula Cole’s album “Courage” and Jeff Lorber’s album “He Had a Hat.”

The PMCIE is a musical group of pre-school children, ages 4-6. A brainchild of the school’s music directress, Mrs. Iluminada Woellhaf, the group was formed as an after-school activity to provide more musical stimulation to children who showed more interest and potential in music.

Different batches of the PMCIE have performed at The Francisco Santiago Hall, Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Theatre, The Podium, and Malacañang Palace.

Philippine Montessori Center Instrumental Ensemble. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The THISIE, formed in 2001, has long been performing in and out of school, locally and internationally. The most notable was the group’s participation in the 2004 VSA Art

(Vision, Strength Artistic Expression) in Washington D.C. for its Arts Festival in June 2004, held at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.

Different batches of THISIE have performed at Concert at the Park, CCP, Meralco Theater, among others.

The PMCIE and THISIE were guest performers of the Children’s Orchestra Society of New York at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in May 2010.

For more details of the acting/singing workshop and the music master classes, call or text 0917-8191135; 0917-3230825; and 0917-8865310.