Sal Malaki a heart bigger than his voice

When they invited me to a press briefing last Tuesday, I expected it to be the usual showbiz thing. You know, the usual, “Here’s this big star who loves Cebu so much that he really tries to squeeze our city in his tight schedule.” But there was none of that — in fact, it was more than that.

The mid-morning gathering was absolutely nothing of show business. The organizers didn’t hype a star, although there certainly was one around. Instead, they presented a cause, a noble cause.

The invitation said, “... a press conference with Mr. Sal Malaki, philanthropist and international Filipino tenor.” Sal was to perform in a show dubbed as “Christmas Showers of Grace” last Friday at the Cebu International Convention Center. The event was under the auspices of Spring Rain Global Consultancy, Inc.

I came early and found myself in a room filled with strangers. They were nice strangers, though; they greeted me warmly and even offered me refreshments just as I was still signing my name in the guest book. I sat down at the nearest table and instantly felt comfortable.

The venue was already all set. Yet everybody still busied about, doing something. The widescreen on the side was flashing pictures of nuns and kids. A woman was testing the piano with a younger man near her.

Soon the other members of the local media started coming in. Ms. Malou, the one who contacted me for the event, was like a big sister always checking if I was okay. One energetic lady was quite noticeably all over the place, pointing this and that to the staff, who in turn quickly responded accordingly. She turned out to be Daisy Baad (yes, the notable theater director), whom I knew from way, way back but did not recognize right away, after the wide interval of many years. 

As the briefing formally began, some key people were introduced. The modest-looking guy by the piano was actually Sal Malaki, the main performer in the upcoming Christmas concert. And the equally unassuming young lady whom I earlier thought was just “one of the girls” was Glenda Miro-Antonio, herself the driving force behind Spring Rain Global Consultancy. There were also nuns representing different orphanages and other charities.

Sal Malaki’s Christmas concert was a mission of love. He was performing in order to raise funds for the nuns and their worthy projects. Ms. Glenda’s company was the link between Sal and the chosen beneficiaries, while also taking on the responsibility of training these recipients in sound financial planning and management. The ultimate goal was to make the beneficiaries self-sustaining and independent.

Being the lone Filipino in the Los Angeles Opera Company, under the general direction of the legendary tenor and conductor Placido Domingo, and a tenured member of the highly professional Los Angeles Master Chorale, it was understandably difficult for Sal Malaki to find the stretch of time he would have to spend in the country for a series of performances. After Cebu, he was also scheduled to perform in Bohol and Manila. He would have to be away from his family for a while, a wife and three kids back in the U.S., waiting for his return for Christmas.

But Sal is only too happy to be sharing with his own people the gift he had been given. Despite his being blown away by fate to a foreign land, his humble beginnings in his hometown in Hinunangan, Leyte, continue to be his anchor. It was here where he first discovered he loved to sing and that he had the talent for it. It was here where he got encouraged by family and friends to pursue his love for music.

The provincial boy has since grown to become a world-class tenor performing across the United States. He has wowed audiences in such prestigious venues like the Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, La Mirada Performing Arts Center, UCLA’s Royce Hall, Macomb Center for the Arts, and the Morristown Museum, among others. He also regularly goes onstage at the state-of-the-art Walt Disney Concert Hall.

And yet Sal finds the time to come home. He comes home to give – of his talent, of part of himself. What an example of philanthropy that is! To give not only with what one has, but also with what one is.

Sal Malaki was kind enough to give in to our request for a song, during the press briefing. He sang Besame Mucho. And, boy, he sang indeed!

His style is such that he is, like, talking to you; and he is able to fully convey the feeling of the song. He has very good control of his voice, perhaps because of his formal training years at the University of the Philippines. The sound is powerful and yet gentle.

Sal Malaki has a big voice. Yet there’s something more adorable about the guy. His heart is bigger.

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