Opera singer comes home for Christmas

MANILA, Philippines - Sal Malaki is on a mission to spread the popularity of opera music in the Philippines.

Sal Malaki who?

Unknown to many, Sal is one of the country’s top opera singers, the only Filipino member of the LA Master Choral and the Los Angeles Opera, US’ fourth largest opera house under the baton of world-renowned tenor and conductor Maestro Placido Domingo.

Sal, a tenor, is in town to perform in a concert billed Christmas Showers of Grace, a series of homecoming concerts for the benefit of abused children and women.

The concert series started last Dec. 2 in Cebu, Dec .4 in Bohol and will culminate on Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. with matinee at 3 p.m. at the Star Theatre in MBC Building, CCP Complex, Pasay City.

Sal will be joined by soprano Tricia Amper-Jimenez and child prodigy Kris John Paul Santos in his Dec. 11 concert.

At a recent press conference, Sal admits that opera is not making a headway in the country because of two things: First, it’s expensive to mount an opera production in the country; second, there’s a dearth of opera singers here.

“ Opera is not very popular in the country because few would want to produce opera productions because it takes lots of resources. Also, few people here are exposed to opera,” says Sal.

His guests for the concert are Tricia Amper-Jimenez...

But Sal sees some hope that opera can also be popular here like mainstream pop and rock music.

He says kids like Kris, who took a liking to opera, is a sign that the younger generation can also love this kind of music.

 “I’ve heard Kris sing and he’s so talented. He can sing in a multi-lingual repertoire of Broadway, Tagalog, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, French, Chinese, Armaic, Spanish and local kundimans as well. What he needs is a big break,” Sal says.

Kris, for his part, says it’s always been his dream to follow in the footsteps of great opera singers like Luciano Pavarotti, Placido and Andrea Bocelli.

“I started to like opera when I was very young. My dad has been supportive of me and we even perform together,” Kris says.

Kris has performed during special occasions including the party tendered by Gov. Chavit Singson for boxing champ Manny Pacquiao and at Fr. Suarez’s fund-raising concert at the Tent City in Taguig.

Sal says there are a lot of ways to make opera popular in the country.

“Social networking sites can help make opera popular. There should be budget productions. I think staging an opera should be a concerted effort between the government and private sector so that our children can be exposed too to this kind of music,” he says.

Call it destiny or fate, but Sal admits he didn’t expect to be an opera singer. He came from humble beginnings in Western Samar and they didn’t even have a piano.

...and Kris John Paul Santos

He knew he really wanted to be an opera singer when he saw a grand production in 1979.

“I was in awe of the opera singers. They were like demigods to me. We didn’t have money, but I kept my ambition alive,” shares.

Naturally gifted with a good singing voice, Sal trained and practiced on his own.

His life dramatically changed when he auditioned for the Los Angeles opera and was chosen.

Now based in the US, Sal has been a resident at the LA opera for 16 years now and has performed several productions.

Sal says he will always return to the country to share his music.

“I may not be able to stay here for good, but I promise to always return and share my music. Here is my roots and I will always come back.”