Tag: Kilyawan

Date Night: Wafu and Kilyawan@20

Last Saturday, my husband and I celebrated six years of marriage. And he started the day with these lovelies:

For months, we’ve been talking about how to celebrate. Should we eat out? Watch a movie, a concert? Do we bring our daughter with us? Do we leave her with my mom and sister?

So, we finally decided on having lunch together with our little girl and brought her back home where my mom and sister will take care of her. The Schatzis were off to another date night: at Music Museum!

We rarely had official date nights. The last probably was this one, which I also blogged about. And it was last January! And we watched a concert as well, featuring my colleagues from the UP College of Music, and our Ninong Mark Carpio, who was also part of the Kilyawan@20 concert.

It’s safe to say that my husband and I bond well all these years because of food and music.

Dinner stop: Wafu in Greenhills

As we arrived Greenhills really early, we decided to look for something to eat. A light meal would do. The few minutes of walking around brought us to Wafu for some Japanese cuisine. We had these:

Wafu Salmon Sashimi. Fresh and yummy.
Wafu Salmon Sashimi. Fresh and yummy.
California Roll. Just enough to fill our tummy.
California Roll. Just enough to fill our tummy.
What's Japanese without Ramen? We split into two so we both got just enough.
What’s Japanese without Ramen? We split into two so we both got just enough.

And for these three, our bill was only less than P800! Pretty good deal. Must note, though, that prices do not include service charge and local tax. The less than P800 included them both already. The first two dishes were smaller servings, thus, priced less.

My view. The restaurant has high ceiling. I heard there's Teppanyaki. Must try soon!
My view. The restaurant has a high ceiling (which I really like). I heard there’s Teppanyaki. Must try soon!

Now, off to the main event: Kilyawan’s 20th Anniversary Concert!

Kilyawan poster

My husband and I were in for a treat–pure a cappella goodness, not just a cappella, but popular music, beat boxing, microphones, sung by seven fine gentlemen with amazing voices and a great repertoire. You’d be thinking if they do this regularly. Well, they used to, but now, unfortunately, not anymore.

These seven were originally part of the Kilyawan Boys Choir, which started 20 years ago as Claret Boys Choir. These used-to-be boy sopranos have staged concerts and won important competitions both here and abroad.

Their conductor, Mark Carpio (yes, the choirmaster of the Madz, no less!) actually SANG in the concert (save for one song he conducted with the Kilyawan Male Choir). And for those who missed it, his solo of “Time Will Reveal” brought the house down!

Their repertoire included mostly pop songs. Older songs include Nearness of you, Shout, Change the world, Moondance (Buble fan here, and Sir Mark sang the solo!), as well as newer songs like This Love, the Madagascar theme song Move it, and OPM hits Kapag Tumibok and Puso and Bakit Ngayon ka lang and Christmas songs, too. The other choirs of the Consortium of Voices–Kilyawan Male Choir and Voces Aurorae also performed that night.

To think they’ve not sung as a group for quite some time, they did an amazing job. This same group won the Category Prize back in 2008, for the Popcappella Category of the World Choir Games in Austria. And who would have thought, these used to be boy sopranos are now successful professionals and family men.

Definitely the star of the show, Ninong Mark! We've been telling him to sing more. Looking forward to the next!
Definitely the star of the show, Ninong Mark! We’ve been telling him to sing more. Looking forward to the next!
Some Madz members watched as well, supporting our Choirmaster.
Some Madz members watched as well, supporting our Choirmaster.

More photos can be found in this link, story and snippets by Nicco Valenzuela.

To the Kilyawan core group (ER, Rhett, Rem, Jaymee–who definitely brought most of the comic relief!, Dado, Punky, and Sir Mark), and to the Consortium of Voices, congratulations for 20 years of wonderful music. You are an inspiration to many, including our own choir, who is always in awe when we get to sing together during Madz et al performances. Big congratulations also to Teacher Hazel Copiaco, the group’s manager, who’ve been the group’s second mother all those 20 years! We wish you many more years of music (and hopefully, a repeat of this concert!).

And to the love of my life, thank you for saying yes to watch this! Thank you for the love, thoughtfulness, kindness, and respect you always show and selflessly give all these years. Ariadne and I treasure you so much! Looking forward to many more blissful years together with our little one (and the future little ones God will give us).

 

~ Touringkitty

From Boys to Men: Kilyawan celebrates 20 years of music

Kilyawan Concert

The boys are now grown men, with grown voices.

The Kilyawan Boys Choir (Kilyawan Core Group) reunites in this special one-night only concert this Saturday, November 8, 2014, 8:00 PM at the Music Museum.

The Kilyawan Boys Choir celebrates their 20th anniversary this year with a series of concerts and performances. Early this year, the Kilyawan Male Ensemble traveled to Japan to compete in the 7th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition where they bagged a Silver Prize for Category III. Last September, they presented a concert, entitled Beyond the Score, featuring the Consortium of Voices, the umbrella organization of choirs formed under the leadership of the Kilyawan Boys Choir, Inc. Founder and Artistic Director, Mark Anthony Carpio.

The group traces back its roots as the Claret Boys Choir formed in 1994 by Mark Carpio, current choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. The Kilyawan Boys Choir derives its name from the songbird Kilyawan, or the Golden Oriole, whose male counterpart is said to be a better warbler or singer. An award-winning and sought-after group, the Kilyawan Boys Choir has performed and competed extensively in prestigious halls in the Philippines and abroad. They bagged the Vocal Ensemble A Cappella Category Championship trophy in the 5th World Choir Games in Austria in 2008. Aside from the boys choir, the Consortium of Voices has expanded and formed the Kilyawan Male Choir and the Voces Aurorae Girls Choir.

Singing for this concert are pioneer members of the Kilyawan Boys Choir. Rem Valenzuela recalls, “This is the group where I learned how to sing. It has been 20 years and we share not only our music but our friendship with you. Before joining the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Kilyawan exposed me to beautiful music making.” Rem, an alumnus of the Kilyawan and the Philippine Madrigal Singers, is a Registered Nurse who is currently taking up medicine.

The boys are indeed grown men now, who are professionals, among them a lawyer, corporate managers of multinational companies, entrepreneurs, and a sound engineer.

Something to watch out for in this concert is a singing choirmaster. Mark will be singing with the ensemble the whole time, and not conducting.

“The Guys are very excited in this reunion concert. They have stopped singing together since 2009 because of studies and career opportunities here and abroad,” said Hazel Copiaco, manager of the Consortium of Voices.

Be prepared for a concert of pure a cappella music—from pop, dance, classical, alternative to the mushiest of love songs.

Tickets for the concert are at P500 and P300. For ticket reservations contact 0917-8169349.