To mark its golden anniversary with the opening of its 50th cultural season, the Silliman University Cultural Affairs Committee presents the Philippine Opera Company’s Ang Bagong Harana on June 29 and 30 at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium in Dumaguete City.
Ang Bagong Harana, directed by acclaimed playwright Floy Quintos, takes off from the success of the Philippine Opera Company’s musical review Harana, which showcased the best of Filipino music. This time, the show’s emphasis is on the Filipino’s relationship to history, faith, nature, and nationhood, and according to POC producer Karla Gutierrez, is “no longer bound to the usual divisions of lowland, cordillera, Muslim, folk, and colonial experiences.” The show will have a special participation of the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group.
According to Gutierrez, the show “is more than a selection of well-loved Filipino love songs. It is a love letter to the Filipinos, to our history, our ideals, our lost past and the values that we must take with us as we journey, as a nation, into the future.”
Gala tickets for both shows are available at P200, P300, and P500, with season passes honored on the June 29th gala program. Theater passes for the June 29 matinee show are also available.
The Cultural Affairs Committee was founded in 1962 under the chairmanship of Prof. Miriam G. Palmore. It was formed to be the cultural arm of the university, but has since become among the primary movers of culture in Negros Oriental. In 1975, the Luce became the CAC’s permanent home and performance space. The 50th anniversary season will celebrate Silliman’s contributions to the world of arts, including the National Writers Workshop founded by Edilberto Tiempo and National Artist for Literature Edith Tiempo, the Men’s Glee Club founded by Albert Louis Faurot, Kwerdas and the Silliman University Campus Choristers founded by Priscilla Magdamo-Abraham (the latter co-founded with Emmy Luague and Ruth Imperial-Pfeiffer), the Silliman Young Singers and the Luce Choral Society founded by Isabel Dimaya Vista, the Silliman Dance Troupe (now the Kahayag Dance Company) founded by Lucy Jumawan-Sauer and Shona Mactavish, Musika Sacra founded by Elmo Makil, the Portal Players founded by Amiel Y. Leonardia, among others. Other notable alumni include National Artist for Film Eddie Romero.
Among its upcoming roster of shows starting June include concerts and performances by Ballet Philippines, Octava Choral Society, the Loboc Children’s Choir, PETA, the Kabayao Family Quintet, Symphony Sin Arco, and others.
The Cultural Affairs Committee, presently under the leadership of Prof. Diomar Abrio, has consistently partnered with most of the country’s top cultural groups since its inception.
All tickets and season passes for Luce Auditorium shows are available for sale at the College of Performing and Visual Arts Building, and at the theater lobby before the show begins. For ticket reservations and other inquiries, call (035) 422-4365 or 0917-513-3312. (Ian Rosales Casocot/CAC)
