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People turn out for CASA San Miguel and Alfonso ‘Coke’ Bolipata

Intimate concert marks 31 years of journey of a rare art community in Zambales

Alfonso 'Coke' Bolipata welcomes guests

3 Decades: 1 Mission must have been one event where each guest knew not only its significance, but also the detailed narrative of a 31-year journey, step by each difficult step: how an idealistic musician turned his dream into a reality that bred generations of musicians.

Renowned violinist Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata, with utmost warmth and familiarity, welcomed guests to 3 Decades: 1 Mission at Ayala Museum, January 10, a Friday evening, to celebrate 31 years of CASA San Miguel, the community hub for the arts he founded 31 years ago in San Antonio, Zambales, which became the home of generations of Filipino violinists, the Pundaquit Virtuosi, who have performed here and abroad. CASA San Miguel now also has the Anita Magsaysay-Ho arts program and a community program training the youth in music, dance, visual arts.

In his welcome remarks Bolipata described the evening as “a celebration of 31 years of passion, perseverance, and community through the arts.” He said, “Tonight, we gather not only to reflect on our shared journey but to dream of a future where creativity continues to flourish for generations to come.

“Since CASA San Miguel’s humble beginnings, we have been guided by a singular mission: to transform lives and uplift communities through the of arts. Over three decades, we have witnessed the extraordinary power music, performance, and visual arts to inspire, heal, and connect us all.”

Bolipata, one of the country’s foremost artists, has been recognized here and abroad for his contribution to cultural development. An alumni of the Juilliard School of Music, he has performed with leading orchestras and ensembles here and abroad, and has won awards, including the 2001 Ten Outstanding Young Men Award, the 2018 Gawad Tanglaw ng Lahi. In 1990, inspired by his work bringing culture to rural communities in the US, he returned to the Philippines to establish CASA San Miguel. This community has nurtured nearly 2,000 children and alumni in music and the arts.

Anthony Lambino (Photo by Bianca Arreola)

CASA San Miguel’s supporters and patrons filled the Ayala Museum hall, led by Ayala Foundation Inc. president Anthony Lambino, who gave the opening remarks. The event also kicked off the art sale and auction to benefit the Casa San Miguel Foundation’s projects.

The program opened with the main showcase of the evening, the Pundaquit Virtuosi, the acclaimed string ensemble composed of the top students and alumni of Casa San Miguel’s Cuerdas Cuadros program, which for years has provided year-round training to music students (as well as dance and visual arts). It has done concerts and tours, its latest being the European tour in 2019. Performing that night was Pundaquit Virtuosi’s 10th batch, opening with Tschaikowsky’s Finale from Serenade for Strings, followed by Philippine folk songs.

Joey Ayala (Photo by Bianca Arreola)

Soprano Nerissa de Juan sang a stirring La Vien Rose, among other pieces. Joey Ayala, considered arguably one of the country’s culture treasures, proved how good he is always in engaging the audience, as he sang Manong Pawikan, from his trove of compositions that have brought to light the natural richness of the Philippines and the threat it faces. Ayala also sang Ultimo Adios.

Philippine Madrigal Singers (Photo by Bianca Arreola)

The program was capped by numbers by the world renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers, and of course, by Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata himself. The guests so looked forward to Bolipata’s rare performance.

Pundaquit Virtuosi (Photo by Bianca Arreola)

Bolipata, the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Ayala, de Juan, and the Pundaquit Virtuosi performed the evening’s final highlights: St. Francis Prayer, As Long As I Have Music, Cayabyab’s Paraiso, Cinema Paradiso, and Willy Cruz’s  Sana’y Wala Ng Wakas.

The final clincher was Bolipata’s surprise number with seven-year-old violinist Bien Badar, another discovery of the Casa San Miguel Foundation.

The anniversary event also had the Sagwan exhibit of the works of the art scholars of Casa San Miguel on the themes of home, nature and community, using the media of sand and wooden oars to symbolize the connection between sea and the community of Zambales.

Apart from the exhibit, the event kicked off the art sale and auction in collaboration with Art Rocks led by Dr. Steve Lim, featuring 30 works by artists some of whom have worked with Casa San Miguel at one time or another: Anita Magsaysay-Ho, BenCab, Elmer Borlongan, Plet Bolipata, Manny Garibay.

The auction aimed to raise support for the Casa San Miguel’s various projects.

Casa San Miguel was founded in 1993 by Bolipata as a community for the arts, in a scenic sprawl between the mountains and the sea in Zambales. Bolipata was inspired by his late grandfather, Ramon Corpus, who worked with dedication to build the family’s  ancestral farm.

The past 30 years, the center has evolved into a complex comprising of a concert hall, galleries, residence quarters for visiting artists and students, classrooms, art studios, practice rooms, and a café—amid a lush landscape of century-old mango trees planted in the lifetime of Ramon Corpus, a testament to the family legacy.

Today, the town of San Antonio is distinguished from other towns in Zambales by having an arts center of its own.

Now on its 31st year, CASA San Miguel is a rare art community in the country that’s also gained global attraction and value.

National Artist Ramon Santos among the guests (Photo by Bianca Arreola)


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