Monday, July 21, 2008 Fron Rey Roa, with thanks By Jenara Regis Newman
THERE are three free piano-violin-voice concerts coming to Cebu, featuring pianist Rey Roa and his protégé, violinist-singer June Philipp Ong. They will perform at the Pedro Kalungsod Shrine on July 22 at 8 p.m., at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral on July 25 at 1 p.m. and at the San Francisco (Camotes) church on July 28 at 7 p.m. The concerts, says Camotes-born Roa, are a gift to his fellow Cebuanos.
Roa’s first teacher was his mother, Floripinas Roa. Then he studied with Mila Nadala at the Colegio de la Inmaculada School of Music, before taking master classes with Mauricio Borromeo at the University of the Philippines. He honed his musical skills under voice and choral masters in Austria and France. Aside from an Education Administration degree from Columbus University, he has a master’s degree in Music History and Theory, summa cum laude, and is presently working on his doctoral degree in music. In Cebu, he was music director of the University of Southern Philippines Glee Club; head teacher of the Yamaha School of Music; choirmaster of the University of the Philippines Concert Choir; and music director of the Bradford United Church of Christ.
He left for Guam in 1996, serving as music director and chairman of the St. Anthony School. He had a concert tour in the United States in 2003, with his student, Anna Concepcion, after which he decided to stay in Salt Lake City, Utah. There he has his own studio, the Roa Music Studio. In 2004, he became pianist of the Christian Life Center, and, in 2005, music director of Layton Christian School. He also founded the Salt Lake City Fil-Am Vocal Ensemble.
He has performed in numerous concerts in Asia, Europe and the United States.
June Ong, on the other hand, took her first violin lessons under Prof. Jeffrey Solares and had dance (ballet and folk) lessons at the Mandaue School of the Arts (MSA). In 2005, she was finalist at the National Music Competition for Young Artists, voice category. When MSA went on a US tour arranged by Roa in 2006, she was among the dancers. While June was jamming with the group at the Roa home, Roa discovered her voice potential. With his help, she got a full academic scholarship at the Layton Christian Academy, Utah, and a full music scholarship to study voice, violin, music history and theory at the Roa Music Studio.
Three months after she began her studies with Roa, she was proclaimed state champion during the Utah High School Activities Association Fine Arts State competition, in both voice and violin. While in the US, she also studied for a month with Olga Katkova-Trevino, concert master of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Of her study in the US, June says she became a stronger person, learned to be independent and also to be humble.
Musically, she learned “music is not only for you to learn but a relationship between you and your teacher, the accompanist, the audience, and all the people involved in a performance.”
Now that she is back, 17-year-old June is studying BE- Education at the Cebu Normal University, but she hopes to go back to the US on a music scholarship with the help of Roa her mentor, who believes she should take up musical theater at the Weber State University in Utah. She is also having violin lessons under Francis Balo.
While here, Roa will guest-conduct the Cebu Chamber Choir, which he co-founded with Dennis Sugarol, his former student, and which won three gold medals at the recent Asean Choral Competition held in Jakarta. Aside from the concerts he and June are doing, the musical duo will also make four recordings: “Filipiniana”, featuring Filipino kundimans; “The Best of Broadway”; “Easy Classics,” featuring arias from various operas; and a self-titled album with a classical repertoire, with Rey Roa, at the piano and June Ong, playing the violin. These will be launched Aug. 1 and the proceeds will go to the Cebu Chamber Choir which plans to compete in Korea.
To the budding artists here, Roa has this message: “To persevere, to continue, no matter what; and if there’s an opportunity to study abroad, grab it!”
