Scot singer enchants / Peña works to be heard / US pianist, MSO perform

The voice of Scot singer Katie Targett-Adams might be described by a poet as “heavenly” or “angelic”. Katie sang at the embassy residence of UK Ambassador Peter and Jill Beckingham who presented her before a select audience.

The tall, beautiful and slim-as-a-reed Katie entertained the guests with light, traditional, contemporary English, Scottish and international songs, interpreting them in a dulcet, gentle voice. She exhibited absolute control over this in a wide range of dynamics, from forte to exquisitely sustained pianissimos, conveying a similarly wide range of the most sensitive nuances.

In-between the songs, she gave a running description of each with a large dose of wit and humor that vastly amused her listeners. She enthralled them throughout with her charm, grace and mellifluous singing, touching the small Celtic harp nimbly to accompany herself, thus demonstrating her unique artistry as singer-harpist. Any performer will tell you how challenging it is to sing and play an instrument at the same time, focusing on two disciplines simultaneously. Katie marvelously combined these two, showing her effortless mastery of both.

She induced hearty audience participation in the Scottish songs The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lommond (Ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ the low road) and Auld Lang Syne. In the latter, to the words of Scot poet Robert Burns, guests stood up and locked arms, singing in the spirit of camaraderie.

Proving her versatility and knowledge of languages, Katie movingly rendered Besa Me Mucho — to the excitement of the hispanistas present — and a French song.

Guests expressed their profound thanks to the Beckinghams for the immense pleasure they derived from watching both a visual and auditory delight. Earlier offstage, they had learned that Katie was a soloist at the opening of the Scottish Parliament, had performed at the Olympics in Beijing for the British athletes and PM Gordon Brown, and for the British royal family, among other celebrated figures.

Angel Peña’s Igorot Rhapsody and Divertimento for String Orchestra have highly impressed me as works of a tremendously talented composer. On Feb. 8, in a concert titled “A Man and His Music”, the audience will hear at the Philamlife theater other works which have equally established Peña as one of our few leading composers.

The Honolulu Symphony, the Chicago Symphony and the PPO have rendered his compositions, and his jazz masterpieces have been played by top Filipino and foreign jazz ensembles like the Stan Kenton Jazz Orchestra. In 1956, Peña pioneered in fusing native indigenous music with Western jazz elements in such selections as “Fantasy for Jazz Orchestra” which created “Pinoy Jazz”. His best-known kundiman is Iyo Kailan Pa Man.

The forthcoming concert — a long delayed tribute to a prodigious, protean artist — will include the Petite Suite for Alto Sax and Chamber Orchestra which, written in the style of Schoenberg’s 12 tone technique, will be premiered.

Peña earned a Licentiate (MA degree) at the Royal School of Music in London. In 1969, he migrated to Hawaii, returning home only in 2002 and teaching double bass at the UP College of Music until 2005. His compositions, both classic and jazz, are regularly played here and abroad.

On Jan. 31 at 7 p.m., the Manila Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Molina and Lydia Artymiw, an American pianist of Ukranian descent, will perform at St. Cecilia’s Hall.

Artymiw has played with over a hundred orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, NY Philharmonic, Philadelphia and LA Orchestras under leading conductors. She has concertized in all major US and European cities.

Graduating summa cum laude from the U. of Arts in Philadelphia, she received both the Levintritt and Leeds International Competition awards. Wrote the NY Times of Artymiw: “She has such a satisfying musical soul.”

The Jan. 31 concert will feature Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C Major and Brahms’ Symphony in C Major.