Kaliwa't Kanang Kalabitan is a Guitar Ensemble Festival held at St. Scholastica's College. Several groups were invited to perform during this 3-day event (August 29 to 31), including the Sibol Guitar Ensemble of UST. My nephew is part of this group which meant that he would be performing. He invited our family to watch the show so naturally, we did.
Six different groups performed on Saturday afternoon: Animaguitara Ensemble of St. Paul Pasig, the UP Guitar Quartet, Sibol Guitar Octet from UST, the UP Guitar Guild, the PLM Guitar Ensemble, and the CCP Kabataang Gitarista. It was a really amazing concert! I got introduced to so many beautiful and fascinating pieces and everyone was incredibly talented. You could tell that all the performers on stage, no matter what their age, had such a passion for music.
One of my favorite groups that afternoon was the UP Guitar Quartet who performed two pieces that I really enjoyed. Because there was no program, I didn't know what they were. Thankfully, I was able to ask one of the members of the quartet after the show and he told me what they played: Tafelmusik by George Philipp Telemann and Adios Nonino by Astor Piazolla. I now know that Tafelmusik by Telemann is actually a collection of many compositions, so I don't know exactly which one the group played. But maybe this gives me an opportunity to discover new music (or rather, new to me).
I did manage to note down a couple of other pieces and songs that were performed, either because I recognized them or because a voice-over shared what music that particular group would play. The PLM Guitar Ensemble performed the 3 movements of Habanero from Carmen and the UP Guitar Guild played a cool version of Bini's Pantropiko. Sadly, I wasn't able to note down much more than that. The youngest performers that afternoon were high school students from The Animaguitara Ensemble and the CCP Kabataang Gitarista. The Animaguitara Ensemble is composed of students from the Guitar 1 Class of St. Paul Pasig under their teacher Jonathan Gonzales. The CCP Kabataang Gitarista is composed of public high school students in Metro Manila and they have apparently won awards both locally and internationally, which is amazing!
Of course, the highlight for me was getting to see my nephew perform with the Sibol Guitar Octet. They played four pieces, starting with Introduction et Fandango by Luigi Boccherini. Apparently, this piece was originally written for a string quartet before being adapted for guitars and strings. They then performed three parts - I, III, and VIII - of Suite Polymorphe by Roland Dyens. Roland Dyens is a French classical guitarist and composer who is considered to be one of the best guitarists of his generation. I really loved their performance as well as their musical selection! Also, seeing my nephew play with such a high level of confidence and proficiency, together with other incredible musicians, made me really proud. Before the show started, my nephew suggested where I should sit to get a good view of him and thankfully, I went into the auditorium early and managed to get the recommended seat.
The downside to the afternoon was that most of my family was unable to make on time because of the heavy downpour that resulted in very deep floods in the Quezon City area. They got stuck on the road for hours and by the time they arrived at St. Scho, the performance of Sibol was over. Because of that, I took videos of my nephew's performance so that my family could still watch and enjoy it after.
Once the show was over, all the groups were asked to return one by one to the stage where they were given certificates of participation. They then all got together for a big group photo.
It really enjoyed this concert. You could really tell that it meant a lot to everyone involved, from the performers to the organizers. The energy both during the show and after was very positive, supportive, and inspirational. (I overheard one of the groups say that another group lent them some equipment.) Souvenirs were being sold at the venue, including t-shirts with the Kaliwa't Kanang Kalabitan logo on it so we got one for my nephew. (Apparently, there is a discount for performers which was cool!) I also purchased a CD: Philippine Treasures Vol. 3 by Ramoncito Carpio, who is one of the leading classical guitarists in the country.
I love the fact that my nephew is getting more and more opportunities to perform. Hopefully he continues to refine his craft and becomes even more successful in his music journey.
