MANILA, Philippines - The elegant two-story residence along the corner of 11th Street and posh Broadway St. in New Manila had seen better days. For the mother had passed on, and her children had settled down elsewhere in the metropolis. The Kalaw-Katigbak house, in fact, was due to be torn down to give way to ?a project.?
Grace Kalaw-Katigbak and her brothers, however, remembered the good times they shared in this place with their mother, Evelina Kalaw Pines, an operatic soprano. (Evelina had two other equally distinguished sisters-Purita Kalaw-Ledesma, who was into painting, and Maria Kalaw-Katigbak, who was into writing.)
And so the dutiful daughter decided not to demolish the structure but to transform it instead into an art gallery where indoor exhibitions and outdoor events could be held. The place, dedicated to the memory of Evelina, was cleaned up and given a fresh coat of white paint; the swimming pool became well-maintained; and the lovely garden spruced up and manicured.
A good venue for a garden soirée, or a concert under the stars.
Which is exactly what happened one recent evening?as a rainbow filled the sky?when Grace announced the opening of the Kalaw-Katigbak Art Center, its inaugural exhibit and the attendant outdoor activity, ?A Night at the Opera.?
Unveiled in the garden where four monumental horses created by Grace?s son, sculptor Donald Teodoro Katigbak. Among those who did the unveiling was soprano-librettist Fides Cuyugan Asensio, who informed the audience that she was working on a new opera-songbook on AIDS.
Program host Kalaw-Katigbak, who has many anecdotes about her mother and her contemporaries, recalled that her mother once wanted to play ?Tosca,? but her mentor, Jovita Fuentes, no less, refused. ?I will pay for the production,? Evelina threatened. Whereupon the great Maestra immediately agreed.
?In one of the rehearsals,? Kalaw-Katigbak said, ?the Maestra was keeping time and her foot was so emphatic she dug her heel through the wooden floor of our house in San Juan!?
One of the performers that evening was her brother, Teodoro (Dory) Katigbak, who once played Hamlet in a Rolando Tinio production. He read with fervor Rizal?s Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell), but the impact was lessened because it was in English translation (by Nick Joaquin).
The moonlight concert featured the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Arturo Molina with a lineup of promising as well as established singers: tenor Juan Alberto Gaerlan and baritone Leo Logdat, sopranos Camille Lopez, Jennifer Uy, Lena McKenzie, and Tata Poblador.
The familiar, beloved arias and duets from Mozart, Puccini and Gounod unfolded, and one was transported. In fact, one?s appreciation of the music was enhanced by the free-flowing red wine?
The concert was capped by two of our greatest songs, Abelardo?s ?Mutya ng Pasig? and San Pedro?s ?Sa Ugoy ng Duyan,? with Cuencos ?Gaano Kita Kamahal? providing a fitting finale for the ensemble.
We have a new home for the arts in Quezon City, near the Cubao area. Voila!
