Technicolor dreams

A few weekends ago, my nieces Alex and Sam Dayrit invited me to watch them and the other members of the AC Choral perform at the BDO Tower in Makati. Dubbed as the “AC Chorale in Technicolour,” the concert was an experience for me because I witnessed how passionate these young Assumption girls were about their music.

It was a meaningful, albeit tearful performance for Alex who had been with the Chorale through all of her high school life. She graduates this March, moving on to Ateneo for college to enrol under the Management Honors Program, carrying all the beautiful memories and joyful tunes of this group she holds so dearly in her heart.

Several days before the concert, I would always hear my talented nieces rehearsing at our home. I asked Alex why she always had that untiring energy for her group and she intimated to me, “I have always been drawn to images that show the stark contrast between dark and light – candles in the darkness, fireworks on New Year’s Eve, city lights in the far-off night. These images remind me that there is always hope in every situation, and that there is nothing that our inner goodness cannot overcome. AC Chorale gave me the opportunity to relay this image through what I love to do best – to sing.”

This year’s AC Chorale concert featured various classical, Broadway and pop songs that inspired a vast spectrum of emotions in every single person in the audience. The 25 dedicated members of Chorale truly shone under the direction of Tina Yulo-So, the club moderator and founder, and Lara de Ubago-Sia, the show’s director. It also featured numbers from special guests, such as the AC Chorale Alumni and Quadri Serenade, the AC Grade School Choir.

One of the memorable performances that night was when my brother Mark sang “Edelweiss” from the “Sound Of Music” with his daughters Alex and Sam. Mark cried on stage, perhaps because he was engulfed with so much love from his two girls and the rest of the family who watched them perform.

For its members, the AC Chorale is not just a choir; it is a family. They are like a “box of precious jewels” that the amazing Tina Yulo-So has collected, polished and shown off for the past 23 years.

(Would love to hear from you at miladayjewels@yahoo.com)