A tribute to the grand old lady of Philippine theater
MANILA, Philippines - Stalwarts in the performing arts such as Tony Mabesa, Chinggoy Alonso, Ben Farrales and Leo Valdez recently paid tribute to their late friend and mentor, Conchita “Conching” Chuidan Sunico, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) with a special performance titled “Mga Ginintuang Alaala ni Conching Sunico at ng Met.”
The 90-minute concert — directed by Mabesa and Floy Quintos, who also wrote the script, and with Chino as musical director and conductor — is part of a series of cultural activities and events held in celebration of the National Heritage Month in May. Sunico led the Manila Metropolitan Theatre to new glory as its executive director during the Marcos era (1978-1986), decades after the Second World War ruined it, forcing its closure in 1945.
“Mga Ginintuang Alaala” demonstrates her vision, taking the audience on a four-part journey. Mabesa book-ended the program by introducing the two types of musicals that Sunico produced for the Met. The first, Broadway and West End favorites from Camelot, My Fair Lady, and Sound of Music, and the second highlighting homegrown, well-loved Filipino musicals such as Maalaala Mo Kaya, Sarungbanggi, Dahil Sa Iyo and Hindi Kita Malimot.
The middle act focuses on the development of the Manila Symphony Orchestra, its instrumentalists and artists under Sunico’s tutelage, with an annotation by Chinggay Lagdameo. Other artists appearing in this production include Karla Gutierrez, Raul Sunico, Clarissa Ocampo, Ana Feleo, Rachelle Gerodias, Maestro Lucio San Pedro and the Metro Manila Community Orchestra, and the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group.
The Filipino Heritage Festival (FHF) features exhibits, performance festivals, symposia and conference, culinary gatherings, and tours of heritage sites held in various regions. FHF partners and sponsors are the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), the Department of Tourism (DOT), Security Bank Corporation, Air Philippines, Zonta Club of Makati and Environs.
For information, visit http://filheritagefest.fateback.com, or call 892-5865.
