Russian pianist stars in concert for soldiers
Friends of Overseas Filipinos Inc. (FOFI) will sponsor a concert for the benefit of soldiers and their dependents based in Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac on Nov. 19, 8 p.m., at the CCP Main Theater. Featured artists are Russian Steinway artist, Carnegie Hall regular star Katya Grineva and Filipina soprano Joanna Ong Go.
In a press conference held at the Javea Room of the Best Western Hotel in Makati Avenue, FOFI president Ofelia M. Bakker said, “It is about time that the soldiers, many of whom are retired, and their dependents were given help, being one of the most neglected members of our society, risking their lives for the security of our country.”
Originally committed to the welfare of overseas Filipinos, FOFI has evolved its concerns towards the more needy, focusing its welfare efforts on soldiers. FOFI has initiated livelihood projects that are environmental friendly, such as planting native flower and fruit bearing trees and ornamental plants, and setting up seedling banks at Camp O’Donnell.
In July 2006, Bakker got involved in planting along the highways andn inner towns of Tarlac and highways in Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga. Fire trees known locally as caballero trees are what they planted and these are expected to flower soon.
FOFI supplied shoes to barefooted soldiers who helped plant the trees.
The advice of former President Fidel V. Ramos, then a chance meeting with AFP Chief of Staff General Alex Yano helped Bakker secure some five hectares of land for this purpose.
Some friends from the UP Los Baños assisted in identifying the type of soil suitable for the different trees/plants to be planted. FOFI supplied water pipes, which already have been installed, and some 2000 ilang-ilang trees have now been planted in the five-hectare land alotted by Camp O’Donell by Camp Commander General Carlos Holganza andhis “refoland” warriors led by Lt. Col Johnny Dalmas.
The Camp has slowly been rehabilitated, together with the established refoland program of the AFP; the funds are direly needed to sustain ongoing projects, which have all been based on the UN principles for sustainable development, thanks in great part to the research of the AFP.
Former PCSO chairman and general manager of PCSO, now director, chairman Manuel L. Morato is extending his help in a personal capacity. He said he believes in the meritorious cause FOFI is undertaking.
Morato is a friend of pianist Grineva. He himself is a pianist, having studied piano in Spain and in the United States, and with noted piano pedagogue Julio Esteban Anguita as his mentor while in Manila, before he took a course in economics at the Loyola University in Los Angeles, California.
He said it was his dream to be a concert pianist then and perform for charity. It was upon his behest that former First Lady, Amelita “Ming” Ramos, has committed her involvement in the project and help FOFI realize its avowed goals. He acted as the perfect gracious host for the press conference emceed by the amiable Irene Rada, that included a sumptuous lunch.
Russian pianist Katya Grineva said she is happy to be involved with this laudable humanitarian endeavor. Noted by the New York Times for her “liquid and dreamlike” playing, she has chosen a “beautiful and easy to digest” program that consists of works by Schubert-Liszt, Ravel, De falla, Chopin, Granados, and Piazolla. A recipient of the prestigious Guzi Peace Prize from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2007, she studied with Professor Pavel Messner of Moscow Conservatory and with Nina Svetlanova on a scholarship at the Mannes School of Music in New York. She also studied privately with Vladja Mashke.
Grineva had her debut at the Carnegie Hall in 1998 and has performed as a soloist with the Acadiana Symphony; ARS Nova Musicians Chamber Orchestra; Manhattan Virtuosi Orchestra; European Philharmonic Orchestra in France, and the Guayaquil Symphony Orchestra.
Soprano Joanna Ong Go will render Mozart songs and arias, namely Alleluia (Exultate, Jubilate K. 165); Ach, Ich Fuhl’s (Die Zauberflote), and Non Midir (Don Giovanni K. 527). Najib Ismail is her collaborating pianist. Soprano Go earned a bachelor’s degree in opera performance at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She has performed as guest soloist of Clarion Chamber Ensemble, Singapore’s Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and Choir, and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.
FOFI is a SEC-registered, non-profit, non-partisan organization that has been educating bright and talented yet underprivileged youth living in challenging circumstances in the Philippines.
It comprises people from all walks of life such as environmentalists, educators, musicians, civic leaders, retirees and young career professionals around he world — all of whom are volunteers, supporters, movers and donors of FOFI.
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For information, visit www.fofil.org. For ticket inquiries, call FOFI at 893-6533; CCP Box Office at 832-3704 and 832-1125 loc. 1409; and TicketWorld at 891-9999. Tickets are also available at National Book Store outlets.
