A Thursday Concert at the GSIS MUSEUM: ‘Ay Yano Ka Naman Ay!’ by Himig Banahaw.

This is a blog that I thought everyone and not only PHA’ers would like.  Take a breather from your busy schedules, read and relax.  I hope you enjoy the photos as well.

The GSIS Museum is truly a place lovers of art should see. 

It contains a collection of paintings by various Filipino artists, most notable of which are pieces by Amorsolo, Botong Francisco, Federico Alcuaz, Hernando Ocampo, among others.

More  photos of pieces displayed in the GSIS Museum:

Late last week, I received a text message from the amiable and hard working Museum Manager, Ryan Palad, to attend a free concert at the GSIS Museum in the evening of 26^th May, 2011. 

Invitation:

That’s moi:

I arrived at the museum at 6pm and got the chance to go around and enjoy the art pieces in the lobby as well as in the lower museum level.  It seems there are something new always going on in the place.  This time, they are celebrating the life and works of a National Artist, Hernando Ocampo, giving prominence to his works. 

Photos of some of Hernando Ocampo’s works:

I then saw the Museum Manager, Ryan Palad and he led me to the area where the “Himig Banahaw” would be performing.  It was truly an auspicious setting. A low platform/stage was set up amidst the works of art of various artists , with the painting “History of Music” by Fernando Amorsolo as backdrop.  It is a mural painting that used to adorn the old Manila Metropolitan Theatre (MET).  The said painting, as stories would have it, was found abandoned in a corner of the similarly forlorned (pre restoration) MET .  The painting survived bombings  during the Japanese occupation as well as several calamities.

Photo with Museum Manager Ryan Palad and my son Maickey, with a copy (done by artist San Miguel) of the Amorsolo painting "History of Dance" on the background:

I took my seat among the 50 or mix of young and not so young audience and the program started with the choral rendition by Himig Banahaw of the Philippine National Anthem.  I thought I have never heard that hymn sang as beautifully as the way it was delivered by the group that night.

The group consisted of young artists (one is a nurse, another is a teacher, and the rest are students) who hail from different parts of Quezon Province, bonded by their love for music. Song after song, the crowd was generous with their applause and when the group took their bow and bidded their goodbyes, shouts of encore made them go back the stage to sing another song .  Vhyck Nosce (hope I got it spelled right but I wouldn’t know how to pronounce it ), their musical director who accompanied and joined the group in the singing , did a good job, especially with the song he wrote reminiscent of his childhood years in Tayabas, Quezon, by the foot of Mr. Banahaw:  “Ay Yano Ka Naman, Ay!”. Good job too by the Museum Staff led by Ryan Palad.

Photos of the group:

 The group taking a bow before the audience after the performance :

The every last  Thursday of the month series will go on up to November of this year, barring an earlier closure of the museum. News items had it that the priceless art pieces are to be auctioned off to raise funds to pay for the GSIS’ indebtedness.   That would certainly be a pity, don't you think?