Music for the Children of The Ark

Special people have special friends. A foundation that cares for abandoned mentally handicapped people believes so.

On August 11, four of the country’s best performing pianists– Raul M. Sunico, Della Gamboa Besa, Mary Anne Rivas Ammovit and Anamaria Gregorio de Guzman– will perform at the Francisco Santiago Hall of the Equitable PCI Bank Tower 1 in Makati City.

"Quadrille," an ensemble concert which will feature classical and Philippine music, is no ordinary performance for the veteran pianists who have graced the world’s most prestigious concert halls.

This evening of music is a special performance to fund more homes for children and adults with mental disabilities.

Currently, there are two homes for mentally handicapped people in Cainta, Rizal run by Arko ng Pilipinas Inc., a civic organization patterned after the L’Arche International, a French federation of communities which welcomes people with mental handicaps.

In Arko’s "homes," members are cared for in a family atmosphere where they are nurtured to live productive lives. The older ones are trained in skills such as making paper, cards for all occasions and book marks while the more advanced ones are taught to read and write.

Run by the L’Arche community, the homes are fittingly called Punla, from the Tagalog word meaning seed. In addition to the two Punla homes, Arko also runs a daily day care center for poor mentally handicapped children.

Arko said that in the Philippines, most handicapped people are normally cared for by their families. However, children and adults who are profoundly handicapped or whose families do not have the means to support them are often abandoned or neglected.

The vision of L’Arche and Arko is to give these disadvantaged people a home and family life where they can grow intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Professional help is also provided by psychologists and psychiatrists although the core philosophy behind their care is love and acceptance.

This echoes the original charter of L’Arche, which seeks to offer not a solution but a small step in creating a community founded on welcome and respect for the weak and downtrodden.

The beginnings of L’Arche itself is very modest. In 1964, Jean Vanier first welcomed two mentally handicapped men to live with him in a small house in a French village near Compiegne.

His generosity of spirit has snowballed into an international effort to provide homes for the mentally handicapped, including the Philippines which started the Arko mission in 1987.

It is said that music is a great healer because it uplifts the soul to the highest ideals of humanity. When the acclaimed pianists themselves lead in sharing their music to benefit those who have less in life, music takes on a new meaning.

Armovit and Besa, who are both Bachelor of Music graduates of St. Scholastica’s College, studied piano ensemble at the Paris Conservatory under the auspices of the French government. They have been playing together since the mid-70s.

De Guzman, who also earned her music degree from St. Scholastica’s College, is an active civic worker. She is the first Filipina full-fledged Jaycee member and has taken on numerous fund raising concerts locally and in the United States.

Sunico, on the other hand, has Bachelors degrees in Music, Mathematics and Statistics from the University of the Philippines, a Masters degree from Julliard School and a doctorate from New York University. He had won various international music competitions and is a prolific recording artist and author of music textbooks.

The concert’s repertoire includes "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin, "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by Franz Liszt, "Begin the Beguine" by Cole Porter, "Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal" and "Bato sa Buhangin" by Ernani Cuenco and "Malagueña" by Ernesto Lecuona, among others. Concert organizers hope that these sublime pieces will provide upliftment and inspiration for those who have the means to help others.

From Vanier himself: "We have so much to learn from those who, though stripped of power and knowledge, are so rich in their hearts and in their simplicity."

Quadrille goes on stage at the F. Santiago Hall of EPCIBank Tower I on Aug. 11 at 7:30 pm. For tickets, call The Arko secretariat at tel 878-4359.