Jake & his violin

MANILA, Philippines – He moves like Michael Jackson, gets his musical influence from violinist Itzhak Perlman, and used to sing Celine Dion songs as a kid. His training is classical, but he plays more pop. Such are the contrasts of 27-year-old Jake Gacang when he is with his violin.

“Having my eyes closed while playing the violin is involuntary because I really get lost in the music sometimes. It’s like I’m there, but I’m not,” says Jake, who now has the title WCOPA Champion next to his name. “But when I play upbeat pop, I look at my audience with eyes open so I can encourage them to dance along. I just love entertaining them.”

It has only been 10 years since he first took fancy on his older brother’s violin. It was more out of curiosity than anything for young Jake, who was then more into playing drums and the piano.

“Everything requires hard work. With the violin, it’s harder. It’s not an easy instrument to learn, but I didn’t stop until I got it to actually make an ear-friendly sound,” Jake says with a bashful laugh.

“The violin, for me, is the instrument that comes closest to the human voice,” he explains.

Classical and pop, young and old, submissive and irreverent — that is how Jake makes his audiences stand up and listen. This generation needs more musicians like Jake. Conservative in his choice of instrument, yet unconventional in his expression of music. - Carmie Dulguime