“...where the crowds will cheer / when they see my face / and a voice keeps saying/ This is where I’m meant to be.”
The best affirmation one can present to any performer is a genuinely appreciative audience. FVS had this in abundance that evening. The sight of children drumming along and their parents guessing which member was doing which animal sound in “The Circle of Life” were interesting sidelights to a night where Pinoys in the audience sang along in “Better World” and the Y generation crowd snapped their fingers and swayed to the tune of “The Man in the Mirror.” These and many other sights and sounds more than made up for the late-night practices and sacrifices that each member put in to prepare for the performance.
“But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part/ For a hero’s strength is measured by his heart...”
After successful performances at the Esplanade in May and December 2010, it is very tempting to sit back and bask in the memory of the accolades. Success can be addictive that one craves for the glory, demanding it as a matter of right while neglecting the hard work that made it all possible. The way I see it, FVS members love to sing and make beautiful music more than they yearn for the praises of an adoring crowd. Their motivation is anchored on the will to give their best at what they do and not on the fickle opinion of the multitude. Honestly, I admire the group for this more than for their past achievements.
“...I will search the world/ I will face its harms/ I don’t care how far/ I will go the distance...”
It has been an eventful and an enriching 2010 for the members and friends of the Filipino Voice Symphony. Apart from the Esplanade performances in May and December, FVS also competed in the Singapore A Cappella Championships 2010 and emerged as the over-all winner in the Pop Choir Category. These important milestones reveal that there are no short cuts in the pursuit of one’s dreams. After all, every performer is only as good as her last performance.
FVS ended the third set that evening with The Prayer, a song whose message is a fitting closure to the year 2010. Let me conclude by citing a few lines from the song which, to me, sums up the collective sentiment of the group as they look ahead to the coming year.
“I pray You be our eyes, and watch us where we go/ And help us to be wise, in times when we don’t know/ Let this be our prayer when we lose our way/ Lead us to the place, guide us with Your grace/To a place where we’ll be safe.”
Thank you for the music, FVS. And in the immortal words of the Vulcan, Mr. Spock, may you “live long and prosper.”
Words by Lorenzo Antonio C. Angel