06 January 2014 - World-class singing group from the Philippines, the Loboc Children’s Choir, mesmerized Vietnam with the exceptional talent and professionalism of its young members during the group’s performances in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from 09 to 12 December 2013.
The Choir entertained elementary and middle school students from Saigon South International School on December 09 with well-loved tunes from Disney such as Mulan’s “Reflection,” Little Mermaid’s “Under the Sea” and Lion King’s “Hakuna Matata,” and with the lively songs of the season such as “Jingle, Jingle” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The Choir also performed a French Folksong called “Jean Qui Pleure” for the students.
A full-packed Ho Chi Minh Conservatory of Music greeted the Loboc Children’s Choir during their performance on December 10 where they added more sophisticated songs to their repertoire such as “Impossible Dream” from Broadway musical “Man of La Mancha” and a medley of favorite songs from “The Sound of Music.”
From Ho Chi Minh City, the Loboc Children’s Choir flew all the way to Hanoi for a special performance on December 12 at the Au Co Art Performance House. Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Jerril G. Santos watched the performance with delight and pride as the Choir’s angelic voices reached out to the audience to amaze them.
The Choir was able to promote Philippine culture in Vietnam through the generous sponsorship of Mr. Carlos Chan of Oishi/Vietnam Liwayway Joint Stock Company. The arrangements for the performances were made by Oishi in close coordination with and through the earnest efforts of the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi and the Philippine Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. Former Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Nguyen Vu Tu, initially recommended the visit of the Choir to Vietnam.
The Loboc Children’s Choir is dubbed as a “cultural treasure” of the Province of Bohol in the central part of the Philippines. The Choir itself consists of about 30 members who all attend the Loboc Central Elementary School.
The Choir has garnered numerous awards and has been hailed as a three-time champion of one of the most prestigious music competitions in the Philippines: the National Music Competition for Young Artists. The Choir has also been internationally acclaimed through the “Europe and its Songs Festival 2003” which was held in Barcelona, Spain in 2003 by winning the First Prize in the Children's Choir category and “The Europe and its Songs 2003 Cup.”
The Loboc Children’s Choir has performed before many distinguished guests including local and foreign dignitaries and diplomats in the Philippines and abroad. It has staged outstanding performances in various parts of the world through a series of concert tours in the United States and in Europe, among others.
The Choir’s current Musical Director and Conductor, Ms. Alma Fernando-Taldo, has been trained by well-known Filipino conductors such as Edgardo Manguiat of the University of the Philippines Singing Ambassador (UPSA), Ramon Santos, Chino Toledo, Andrea Veneracion of the Philippine Madrigal Singers and Francisco Feliciano.
In between their performances, the Choir enjoyed brief city tours of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The members were able to visit the Notre Dame Basilica and the Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Presidential Palace in the capital Hanoi.
The town of Loboc was recently hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in October and affected by the wrath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November. Despite such devastation, the Loboc Children’s Choir continued to sing messages of hope to their people. About one week after the typhoon, the Choir staged a charity concert in the Philippines to benefit the victims of the calamities that hit their beloved province.
Musical Director Ms. Alma Taldo deems it the mission of her Choir to help in rebuilding their province. Their performances aim to inspire the world by showing that the Filipino spirit and faith can overcome every challenge that lies ahead. END