WHEN notes harmonize with beautiful musical pieces, choirs are almost always the innocent culprits. Choral groups tend to elevate music a nick higher since their songs reverberate glory, power, and majesty.
For its launching concert titled “First Verse” last October at the Angelo King Auditorium of the UST Hospital, the inVoce Choral Arts Society did not fall short of evoking an ambience of majesty. In fact, the concert showed the impeccable voice and maturity of experts rather than the pretense and insecurity of neophytes.
The leadership of Jonathan Ayson, a choral conducting student of UST Singers’ conductor, Prof. Fidel Calalang, proved to be of great significance in honing the music skills of the 24-strong choral group.
“We chose music that will tickle the fancy of the uninitiated to choral music and catch the attention of the well-versed,” Ayson said.
For their first full concert, the group devised a repertoire of songs coming from different periods and genres such as: the Renaissance piece, “Exsultate Justi,” by Ludovico Viadina, the Baroque “Crucifixus” by Antonio Lotti, the Classical “Jubilate Deo” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the Romantic “Abendlied” by Josef Rheinberger.
Stunning the audience was inVoce’s beautiful rendition of the spiritual, “Down to the River to Pray,” which was part of the soundtrack of the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” that won the 2002 Grammy Awards’ Album of the Year.
Filipino contemporary songs also made the list, including “Lord, God Our Father” by Alejandro Consolacion II and “Memorare” by Ryan Cayabyab. The choral group’s version of “Pobreng Alindahaw,” a Cebuano folksong for courting, did not fail to entertain the spectators. With their inclusiuon of local pieces, they were able to showcase not only their singing prowess but also the splendor of musical scores arranged by Filipino composers.
The concert ended with Elton John’s “Circle of Life,” which left pleased fans clamoring for more. The choir gave in by singing a jovial parody of Imelda Papin’s “Isang Linggong Pag-ibig,” bringing down the house once more.
Music with a mission
The choral group was aptly named inVoce—Italian for “in the voice,” because “the voice is our vehicle for expressing ourselves and it is through our singers’ voices sounding as one that we bring delight to your senses,” Ayson told the Varsitarian.
But there is more to inVoce than delighting the senses. Founded in July of this year by Ayson, this community-based group serves as a venue for choral music excellence as it aims to explore the vast choral music literature. The choir, having an all-Caviteño group of singers, was recognized by the Municipality of Imus as cultural ambassadors showcasing the talents and products of their hometown every time they perform.
Even as a young group, inVoce has already received invitations to perform in various events such as the Manila Cathedral Music Festival, the Lakbay Sining TV program of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the annual Paskuhan sa Imus Festival.
Adamant in their dedication to share their talents, the choir is working with the Imus government to teach the art and values of choral music to public elementary schoolchildren. Their project will culminate in a concert this December.
The inVoce Choral Arts Society has a long way to go, but having started its “First Verse” with a blast, it has proven itself to be majestic not just in music but in purpose as well.
