MANILA, Philippines - To silence the sounds of war in some parts of Mindanao, Rafaelita P. Pelaez opens the cultural season this weekend at Rodelsa Hall, the cultural center of Cagayan de Oro City, by presenting new voices in Philippine music.

Titled “Prizewinning New Voices,” the voice concert features 16-year-old Aya Tanciongco of the University of the Philippines in Diliman College of Music and 23-year-old Nomher Nival of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music.

“They are a power-packed duo whose voices will create stillness in our souls and make us hear with poignant clarity the plea for peace of all our common humanity,” says festival musical director Peter John Porticos, a professor at the UST Conservatory of Music.

Nival is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance under the tutelage of professor Randy Gilongo. He has performed in several concerts both as soloist and a former senior member of the UST Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble.

He has also been part of several zarzuelas and operas, including “Bukas May Liwanag,” a zarzuela by Dr. Rose Puertollano; “Something to Crow About,” a zarzuela by National Artist for Literature Alejandro Roces; Peter Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin”; and the operetta “Die Fliedermaus,” where he played the role of Dr. Blind.

He won first prize in the prestigious 2007 National Music Competition for Young Artists (Namcya) Voice Competition, Male Category C.

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Tanciongco is under the tutelage of professor Ma. Cecilia Ongslako-Valeña of the UP College of Music.

Recently she was Philippine delegate to the 2008 Asean Youth Camp held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Her Cagayan repertoire: Mascagni’s “Santa Maria”; Obrador’s “Chiquitita la novia”; “O mio babino caro” (from Puccini’s “Gianni Schichi”); “Cuando m’en vo” (from Puccini’s “La Boheme”); “Habanera” from Bizet’s “Carmen”; “La donna e mobile” (from Verdi’s “Rigoletto”); Silos’ “Dahil sa Isang Bulaklak”; and Abelardo’s “Mutya ng Pasig.”

Nival’s repertoire include Schumann’s “Widmung”; Leoncavallo’s “Matinata”; “Pouquoi me reveiller (from Massenet’s “Werther”); Di Capua’s “O sole mio”; San Pedro’s “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan”; Santiago’s “Pakiusap.”

Rodelsa Hall is the first theater for the performing arts in Mindanao. Inaugurated by Cultural Center of the Philippines president Nestor O. Jardin and pianist Ingrid Sala-Santamaria in 2005, Rodelsa Hall is named after lawyer Rodolfo and Elsa Pelaez, founders of Liceo de Cagayan University.

This year’s Rodelsa Season includes concerts by the violinist and indie-film actor Coke Bolipata and accomplished flutist Ray Sison; theater performances by Repertory Philippines, which will bring “Tuesdays with Morrie” topbilled by Bart Guingona and Miguel Faustmann under Rep’s artistic director Baby Barredo; a colloquium on popular culture, “Pag Sure Bah!”; and film festivals of rarely seen films in partnership with Instituto Cervantes and the European Commission.
Highlight of the season is the Mindanao Theater Festival under the artistic direction of Nestor Horfilla, with funding from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

“In Cagayan de Oro, we make art, not war,” says Mozart Pastrano, artistic director of Rodelsa Hall. “And all shows are free of charge to our students as part of our university mission. Of course, others may watch the shows by buying tickets or subscribing to the season.”

Call (88) 8584093 to 95 local 249; e-mail rodelsahall @liceo.edu.ph.