The Sydney Sonata Singers will be present at Balik Bayan, and just like us, they are looking forward to it.
As Louisa Tagudin, the music director, said, « it is an honour for the Sydney Sonata Singers to be part of this project to share the rich culture of [their] country the Philippines, through [their] kind of music and costumes ».
Indeed, the members of the group really care about their culture, country and music, which is why, for Balik Bayan, they « will be singing “Kundiman”, a classic form of Filipino music that expresses ones undying love to beloved and love of country ». As the « group’s mission is to preserve and promote the enduring songs of yesteryear, as it is now fading away in this new generation », they decided that Kundiman represented the best songs that « embed Philippine culture and traditions ».
Beyond this project, it won’t be their first performance far from it ! The members are used to gather and sing together for an audience. Therefore, they use music to communicate because it is « a universal language ». In fact, music is so strong that it is what « binds [them] together while promoting friendship and harmony in the community ». But music didn’t just bring the group together, it also « connects [them] in the Australian community as [they] provide [them] a glimpse of the culture of the country that [they] came from ».
As a result of this choir, « music for Sydney Sonata members, offer [them] a sense of belonging through community participation and lend [them] meaningful quality of life after retirement ». So this group really matters to all the members who just care and want to share their love of their culture through Filipino music.
Besides, there is a reason why Filipino music is so important to the Sonata Singers. Not only it « is a major part of [their] culture and heritage and is a binding thread that never fails to unite [them] », but it is also a way for Filipino to « express their thoughts and feelings » through music. Louisa also added that the « country’s history is preserved through the implicit and explicit meanings embedded in every song ». But most importantly, « Filipino music depicts the personality of the people », so that everyone can find themselves in it.
Moreover, this kind of music is, as Tagudin described it, « smooth, flowing with mellow and soothing rhythm at dramatic intervals that is reminiscent of Filipino romanticism : loving and caring, gentle and kind, accepting and tolerant »…
Now, we have to wait until next September to have the chance to see the Sydney Sonata Singers perform and share their love for the Filipino music…
