The timeless AC Chorale

Where there is music, there is love.

This is what I learned from my niece Alex Dayrit, 15, a proud member of the Assumption College Chorale.

Alex and her group recently performed “Timeless,” an annual concert at the Black Box Theater, the latest addition to Assumption College’s campus in San Lorenzo, Makati. The event was held as a part of the 50th anniversary of Assumption College.

Alex said Julliard-trained Tina Yulo-So started Assumption High School Chorale 21 years ago. She taught the young girls to sing and she taught them to love each other. She taught them to be selfless and kind, through her own example. What she didn’t know was that 21 years ago, she started a legacy. She started one of the biggest musical families of today. Every year the members of AC Chorale come together and put on a show. This has been going on from the very start, and the AC Chorale has grown and matured, with the annual concerts getting bigger and better every year.

Tina said: “The AC Chorale is my family, and my students are like my own children. It is my pleasure to take them under my wing, nurture them and send them back into the world with the gift of song and the joy of giving. They are my jewels, and I am the proudest teacher on earth.”

This year’s concert was aptly entitled “Timeless” since the members performed hit songs from 50 years ago until today. And even deeper than this, the event was titled such to signify that AC Chorale is timeless.

“In Chorale, there are no generation gaps and being a Chorale girl lasts for life. The secret of AC Chorale is love. We get so much love from Tina, the old girls and each other, and all this love directly translates into beautiful music and wonderful performances,” Alex said.

This year’s “Timeless” was directed by Lara Sia with assistance from Carlyn Monastrial. The show’s secretariat was headed by Abby Rivera with Yssa Nanagas (assistant musical director), Kaye Ang and Denise Villasenor (stage manager), Jam Padilla (choreographer), Maita Concepcion (props consultant), Richard Ando (technical director) and Barbie Barbieto (lights director).

Alex added: “What sets us apart from other choirs is that every year, our concert is run almost purely by our members, new and old. It stars the current high school members but behind the scenes, working hard day and night, are all the old girls. They constitute our production team.”

Indeed, the AC Chorale is a labor of love.

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