The first time I heard these musicians play was at the Quezon City Parangal Awards in 2011. They were playing the Orpheus Overture, the musical score from the movie “Lion King,†and an OPM medley so animatedly, so professionally, I thought they were from the Philharmonic Society of the Philippines. In a brief chat with former Mayor Sonny Belmonte, I learned they were members of the Quezon City Symphonic Band. “You should write about them,†said the now Speaker of the House.
The other day, I finally got to where the band rehearses — on the eighth floor of the city’s Civic Center building. During the times I was at the building for a meeting with the members of the award-winning QC Gender and Development Resource and Coordinating Office on the seventh floor, I would hear trumpets and saxophones blaring from the floor above, and I’d feel thrilled listening to themes from movies and snatches of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, and then my day was made.
Aside from the regular Monday and Friday flag-raising and retreat ceremonies at the city hall grounds, the band plays at the city’s barangay fiestas, and at functions of private companies, religious events (like processions), and holds concerts in malls and school campuses. On June 12, 1997, it won the Best Conductor and Best Band award during the Metro Manila Band Competition held at the Luneta grandstand under the sponsorship of the Philippine Cultural Movement. Their winning piece was Veteranos de la Revolucion, the local equivalent of Tchaikowsky’s 1812.
The band has been invited to play at functions at faraway places as Capalonga in Camarines Sur, Quezon province, Batangas, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Cardona, Rizal, and Santiago, Isabela. Just last weekend, they played at the Holy Family Parish in Kamias, and the litson festival in Marilao, Bulacan. Their repertoire, depending on the requests of inviting parties, range from classics adjusted for bands, modern, contemporary, pop, rock, ballroom music, and of course, to martial marches. They recently performed 1812, complete with a cannon, at a concert during the Marilao fiesta, matching their wits with the 40-person Marilao provincial band. They’ve also played at shopping centers as SM, Robinsons, and Fish Mall, the Meralco Theater, and over DWW774 radio.
First organized by city ordinance in 1989, through the sponsorship of Councilor Jose Paculda and go-signal of Mayor Jun Simon as a 59-member brass band, it is now called QC Symphonic Band, and is still under the supervision of the Cultural and Tourism Office of the city, and of late, is a happy concern of Vice-Mayor Joy Belmonte.
The 63-member symphonic band is composed of the “finest selected musicians all over Metro Manila and the National Capital Region,†band master Arnel Sevillano, 50, said. Ages ranging from 25 to 55, they come from different bands in Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Bulacan and Nueva Ecjia. Some are holders of bachelor of science in music degrees, others are undergraduates, some high school graduates. But they all have to pass audition tests given by the conductors, Enrico Adacruz and Amado Sarreal. As band master, Arnel is in charge of band activities, including listing of appointments and incoming engagements. A fourth key man, also a musician, is Balagtas Recana who takes care of transportation for the band’s engagements.
The city provides the band’s musical instruments, although from time to time some members bring their own instruments to the rehearsals. One fellow has an portable organ.
According to Arnel, a brass band consists of woodwind, brass, wind and percussion instruments, but it does not have critical instruments like oboe, Ebclarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, baritone saxophone, marimba, and electric guitar which make up the symphonic band. A brass band performs outdoors, and walks around, like in a parade. The QC Symphonic Band is like a symphony orchestra; although it does not have string instruments, it performs indoors, like in a concert.
Most of the QC symphonic band members are small-town boys with a great love for music. And many were exposed to local bands playing at parades and festive occasions. Arnel’s father played the snare drum with the Banda Puti of Navotas, and his son Arnel followed the band wherever it performed. He started playing the clarinet at the age of 10, and joined the St. Peter Band of Navotas, under the tutelage of Maestro Manuel San Pedro.
By being a band member, Arnel enoyed full scholarships in high school at Arellano University in Malabon and at the University of the East where he took up civil engineering. After graduation, he worked for two construction companies, then joined the QC brass band as a clarinetist. He left for Korea where he worked as factory worker, then after a year, returned to Quezon City where he eventually became one of three band masters. Two of them – Willy Cruz and Larry Bartello, both UP music graduates, left for Bahrain where they are currently teaching a military band. The musicians, understandably, would like to work as musicians abroad where they could make more money, said Arnel.
When his schedule allows it, Arnel plays with the Banda 4 Malabon as principal/soloist clarinet (under the baton of Maestro Msgt. Pamfilo Cruz), and the Malabon Community band as principal clarinetist. He would have wanted to watch concerts and play with a band in Korea, but as he was an undocumented worker, he could not do so. Nor could he bring along his clarinet, which he had bought at P8,000 from savings he made in high school and college. Today, the QC band Buffet clarinet he plays costs P200,00.
Music runs in the Sevillano blood. The eldest of Arnel’s sons finished the civil engineering course at the University of the East on full scholarship as a clarinetist, and another son, a sophomore, plays the trumpet as a scholar also at the U.E.
The members are regular city government employees, who spend most of their time rehearsing if not performing, and sometimes, do mean jobs for the city cultural office. Their salaries range from P6,098 for musician, to P8,067 for band master, to P13,715 to P16,667 for Conductor IV. As Conductor III and band master, Arnel receives P13,715. Members are given free uniforms, monetization of leave credit, productivity incentive and anniversary bonuses.
Invitations for the services of the band are addressed to Vice Mayor Belmonte. The band is not paid when they perform for city government functions. Private companies hand over a small amount – the highest P20,000 – and this is spent for the band’s needs -- a water cooler and water supply, music scores, and repair of instruments.
That they are able to play in other parts of the country makes the musicians’ job enjoyable. When they went up north, they were able to go swimming at the beach.
Two members are females; one plays the French horn, the other, the trumpet. A plan to organize an all-female band, said Arnel, was abandoned when some of the women got married and resigned, if not went abroad.
The players’ collective dream, said Arnel, is to perform in other parts of the country.
And still another wish: To have a building of their own. They used to rehearse at the grandstand, but since that has been torn down, they now rehearse and keep their instruments in a room on the eighth floor of the Civic Center building.
My email:dominitorrevillas@gmail.com