Truly making beautiful music together

The tables may have been turned. Ivy Violan (with friends Dulce and Janet Basco) may be the producer (with her said singer-friends) of Hearts in Season. Still, Ivy can’t help but behave more like a talent than a businesswoman.

This means any of several things, like extending rehearsals to perfect even just one number. It could also mean adding a novel touch to a production number to make it more effective. The first increases studio rental fees; the second jacks up production cost.

That’s why Ivy’s sister Girlie’s role is crucial. It is Girlie who brings the three performers back to earth and tells them, "Look, this will ruin your budget."

You can’t fully blame them. Years of performing and loving what they do have taught Ivy, Dulce and Janet to focus on their repertoire, not on how much a show costs.

On the other side of the coin, it is the artist in Ivy, Dulce and Janet that makes them click and bond so well they decided to extend their partnership even after the show. The trio plans to compile their songs in an album called Sisters in the Name of Love. They are also booked for a series of shows at the Mandarin Hotel next month.

Thus, the Valentine show is only the tip of the iceberg where the trio’s partnership is concerned. Even their Hearts in Season musical director, Toti Fuentes, is tossing his hat into the ring.

Fuentes, who shuttles from Manila to the US, has already negotiated with a producer to bring Hearts in Season on a US tour in September. The acclaimed musician wants to package the three as the female version of The Hitmakers, composed of Rico J. Puno, Hajji Alejandro, Rey Valera, Nonoy Zuñiga and Marco Sison.

Although they have yet to coin a collective name for their partnership the way The Hitmakers did, Fuentes, Ivy, Dulce and Janet see an exciting new world of possibilities ahead of them.

The rapport is built-in. Ivy, Dulce and Janet don’t have to hem and haw to mount a show and trade repartee on stage. They know each other too well to feel when one has to keep quiet or when the other has to speak up to keep their show rolling merrily along. They are friends who know when a glance means, "Go talk!", or when a wave of the hand says, "I’ll take care of this spiel."

Ivy, Dulce and Janet can, and will produce more shows together, never mind the long hours of planning, wracking their brains for concepts and solutions to problems.

"There is more honesty and maturity among us now," Janet says.

And they’re not resting on their laurels. The three are taking up voice lessons under Kitchie Molina to prepare for Hearts in Season, set Feb. 13 at The Peninsula Hotel Rigodon Ballroom.

Dulce is excited over the prospect of finishing a song way down to its final note. Her guestings in many a TV show only frustrate the Cebuana singer, who rues that she is only allowed to sing one-eighth of a song on air. That’s torture for someone with several awards from international songfests tucked under her belt.

Ivy is preparing, not only her voice, but her body, for the show. A health buff who loves body building, swimming, tennis and golf, Ivy is building up her stamina all the more for the show.

She takes meals rich in carbohydrates before and during rehearsals and makes sure she gets a generous serving of steak before every show. That’s for the enormous amount of energy she will need for crooning, prancing and walking around the stage come showtime.

It will be showtime, not only for Ivy, Dulce and Janet but for two new talents they will introduce on stage. Miguel Castro will cross over from theater to singing while George Tagle will again prove that he is as he is an artist.

"It’s payback time for us," says Ivy. "Now, it’s our turn to help young singers find their niche." Now it’s time to share the gift of music to a newer generation.

It’s still too early for Ivy, Dulce and Janet to pass the torch. But the fact that they’re paving the way for others who can be like them someday is a good sign. Here are three senior artists so secure of themselves they’re not afraid to let the younger ones bask in the spotlight with them.

Besides, if you’ve paid your dues like Ivy Violan, Dulce and Janet Basco have, there’s nothing – absolutely nothing – to be afraid of.