In Baguio, ‘Viva Voce’ sings carols of gladness

THE VIVA Voce Singers return to Baguio to sing carols of gladness and cheer in a series of open-to-the-public performances this weekend at different venues in the city.

To Viva Voce, Baguio is a second home with roots digging deeper when their streamlined, chamber version of Puccini’s “La Boheme” was mounted to thunderous acclaim at Hill Station in May this year.

The singing of Iona Ventocilla as the tragic Mimi and her lover Rodolfo (played by Carlo Mañalac) left some audience members in tears.

Viva Voce opened as a summer voice camp for classically trained singers in Baguio in 2010, the first of its kind in the country. Leading it were voice teachers Camille Lopez Molina, Pablo Molinda, Randy Gilongo, John Glen Gaerlan and Rica Nepomuceno.

Lopez Molina said the workshop aimed to give young singers a venue to get to know their voices, hone and practice their craft “in a dynamic, demanding but constructive environment so they could face the real-life pressures of performing professionally with confidence and real self-expression.”

The schedule for the Baguio tour: Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. at The Manor of Camp John Hay; Dec. 20, Broadway songs and Christmas carols at 3 p.m. at the University of Baguio (UB) Centennial Hall; and Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. at the opening of the holiday lights at the Baguio Country Club (BCC) Christmas Village.

“Viva Voce: A Baguio Christmas” is a coproduction of UB, University of the Cordilleras, Camp John Hay and BCC.