INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED UST Singers mounted the concert, “An Evening of Music and Care,” last Feb. 26 in the UST Museum to raise funds for the UST Hospital’s (USTH) Benavides Cancer Institute (BCI).
This year’s fundraising event was a concert headed by USTH’s Department of Radiation Oncology and Department of Medical Oncology’s Dr. JC Jacinto and Dr. Jamila de Veyra, together with BCI’s chairwoman Teresa Ortin as the project adviser.
The program included Albert Malotte’s “The Lord’s Prayer, “Jesu Elberdin’s “Cantate Domino,” Mervyn Warren’s “Hallelujah!” and Andrej Makor’s “O Magnum Mysterium.”
UST Singers also performed choral arrangements out of George Hernandez’s “Ay! Ay! Ay! O, Pagibig!” Tats Faustino’s “Dadalhin” and Lucia San Pedro’s “Dalaga’t Binata”.
They also obliged with playful encore performances of “Come Alive” from the movie-musical “The Greatest Showman,” National Artist Ryan Cayabyab’s “Hibang sa Awit,” rock band Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Jonathan Larson’s “Seasons of Love” from the 1996 Broadway musical “Rent.”
Since 2015, UST Singers has been holding concerts to raise funds for BCI.
This year’s concert launched the “Suporta Para sa Kanser” (Spark), a cancer awareness movement. Jacinto said BCI wanted to raise people’s awareness as cancer had become the third leading cause of death among Filipinos. Raising awareness would help early intervention as the earlier cancer is screened, “the easier (it is) to treat.”
“We have been part of their goal to support cancer awareness through our music…We are always willing to have a concert for them,” said Mark Agpasa, assisting conductor of the UST Singers.
“We fully support BCI’s efforts in raising cancer awareness. We believe that if we continuously educate people in taking care of our health properly and eradicating the stigma surrounding this disease,” said choral member Mars Manalili.
BCI’s fundraisers, held every February to coincide with the World Cancer Day, are created to help in funding the University’s Cancer Research Institute and University Hospital’s cancer patients.
Sixty percent of the proceeds of the concert will go to the cancer patients of the University Hospital’s clinical division (charity ward) while the rest will go to Spark. BEATRICE NOLENE H. CRUCILLO
