Getting to know Stephanie Reese

The good news today is that Stephanie Reese is coming to town. If we can get all excited when somebody with Filipino roots makes it to American Idol, then it is also about time we learn about other Pinoys who are making waves as performers in other countries. Stephanie, a talented singer and actress, who is part-Filipino, is one of them and we now have a chance to watch her in concert.

Stephanie, who is said to get standing ovations whenever she performs, is the star of A Little Big Bang! The show will be held at the Music Museum in Greenhills on Friday, July 13 at 8 p.m. And take note, joining her in this performance is a very special line-up of talents — Jed Madela, Luke Mejares and The Philippine Madrigal Singers with Mel Villena as musical director conducting the AMP Band.

Honestly speaking, I’ve heard about Stephanie for the first time when I got this piece of news. I should make it a point to check out more often what other talented Pinoys are doing overseas, and I am very impressed with her credentials. As an actress, she was Kim in the German production of Miss Saigon, Esmeralda in the Disney world premiere of Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and most recently, she was Princess Tuptim in the West End revival of The King And I that starred Elaine Paige and Jason Scott Lee.

As a singer, she has done a sold-out solo concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall, with standing ovation, of course; performed with Patti Labelle and Natalie Cole, and worked with Lionel Richie and fellow Pinoys like Martin Nievera, Lani Misalucha and Jose Mari Chan. She also starred and directed the one-man show The Journey which successfully played in Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Francisco, an accomplishment that brings us to Stephanie’s other important talent, writing.

She has written not only the autobiographical The Journey but also a Christmas musical, The Gifts that she starred in with children of different ages and backgrounds. She also composed the songs for her two albums, Stephanie Reese at Her Best and This Is My Life. She was also the composer and performer of the theme song for UNICEF Germany’s 30th anniversary.

Given this background, it is not surprising that Stephanie is also a versatile performer equally at home with various types of music. This also accounts for her guests and their varied music styles. This means that the audience at A Little Big Bang! can expect to hear current pop favorites, soulful ballads, Broadway tunes and of course, because Mel and the AMP band will be there, also big band sounds. 

And this brings us to the other bit of good news from the show. Raymond Lauchengco is the director. It was also great to find out that Raymond will bring his immense background in theater and popular music to showcase Stephanie’s talents. He was one of the original boys of the landmark movie Bagets, is a stage actor since he was 12, that means he has acted and sang from The Sound of Music to Rama At Sita, and is a hitmaker whose songs have endured over the years, I Need You Back, Farewell, Saan Darating Ang Umaga. Raymond also acts on TV and in the movies and continues to do concerts. He has also now turned his sights toward directing. 

Among his recent efforts were social and corporate events like the 2011 Philippine Tatler Ball; the Bank of the Philippine Islands 160th Anniversary Gala; the 65th anniversary of Philamlife; the 50th anniversary of Carrier Philippines; and others. It was at the United Bank of Switzerland 65th anniversary celebration held in December last year that he first met and worked with Stephanie.

Stephanie Reese in A Little Big Bang! is produced by Artefice Events and presented by the Zen Institute. It is made possible by Island Rose, La Fleche, Fernando’s, Gluta/PreGroe and Ulysses King with media partners Business World, ClickTheCity.com and The Philippine STAR. Tickets are now available at the Music Museum and TicketWorld. 

Incidentally, part of the proceeds from the concert will go to the World Vision Foundation. Stephanie is also a committed philanthropist who has raised funds and awareness for charitable institutions like Gawad Kalinga, Bantay Bata 163 and the American Red Cross.