Dumaguete City was swept into a musical frenzy last June 27 for the Himig ng Bayan Recitals and Concert!

The festivities kicked off by a motorcade around Dumaguete City and a press conference lunch at Gabby’s Bistro, where members of the media got the chance to interview the finalists, the judges and the bands that would be performing.

The night’s concert was held at the Lamberto Macias Sports Center with hosts Val Victa and Yes FM DJ Cherrie getting the audience hyped up for the evening. Local band Déjà Vu opened up the night, their performance giving the audience a teaser of what was coming next.

Kicking off the competition was an energetic rendition of the Himig ng Bayan theme song from The Dawn and the finalists before moving on to the individual performances. The judges’ panel included members from the Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino, such as the musical director for ABS-CBN’s The Singing Bee Mel Villena, successful songwriter Nori Villena and Pinoy Dream Academy’s Monet Silvestre. Local representation came in the form of Dr. Elizabeth Susan Suarez, a music professor at the Silliman University College of Performing Arts. Rounding up the panel was Michael Palma, the station manager for Yes FM Dumaguete.

The Vocals category performed first, with the four contestants presenting their own rendition of popular hits.  The Guitar Solo category followed rocked out on their instruments with pieces that showed off their talents. All the performers were able to demonstrate exceptional skills in their category, which impressed the panel of judges. “Being a musician myself, I appreciate the amount of time and effort a singer or an instrumentalist invests to improve his craft,” says judge Monet Silvestre on the selection of finalists. “All the finalists deserve recognition.”

But of course, a winner must be declared. Dumaguete native Jayson Guinit won the judges over with his own take on Jason Mraz’s hit single I’m Yours while 13-year-old Keith Clark Delleva wowed the crowd by showing off his exceptional performance. The finalists received a medal and P10,000 each for their efforts while the grand champions received a plaque and a check for P100,000, which was awarded by Dumaguete Councilor Chikiting Sagarbarria and Negros Oriental Congresswoman Jocelyn Limkaichong.

“Jayson sang in tune, had a good voice, exuded confidence and was able to connect with me through his performance,” judge Eleanor Villena said of the Vocal category’s grand champion. As for child guitar prodigy Keith Clark, all of the judges agreed that his performance was smooth and clean, demonstrating skill that some artists older than him have not yet mastered.

While the judges deliberated and the votes were tallied, The Dawn kept the audience entertained with a set list of old hits, new songs and covers that everyone could sing along to. Because Bamboo was experiencing scheduling difficulties, The Dawn came through and extended their set, despite originally being slated to perform only five songs.

Bamboo closed off the show with a rocking performance, winning over audiences with their collection of popular radio tunes and older favorites that everyone could sing along too. The crowd turned energetic despite the late hour as they watched the charismatic vocalist move around on stage and interact with the audience.

 “I think we have a venue in Himig ng Bayan for artists who want to share their art in a much freer environment,” says judge Mel Villena. Behind the big names and band performances, Himig ng Bayan is definitely for the Filipino artist, giving undiscovered talent an accessible venue to show off their talents. With Himig ng Bayan, musicality is celebrated and untapped artists are given the chance to make a name for themselves in the industry and hopefully move on to become music’s next big thing.

Himig ng Bayan is a venue for musicians and artists to come together and celebrate the best in Filipino music. Scheduled on June 27, 2009 in Dumaguete City, the Himig ng Bayan hopes to promote camaraderie among local artists and give budding talent the opportunity to learn from seasoned personalities in the industry.

Himig ng Bayan celebrates Filipino musical creativity with the following activities, to be held in different venues around Dumaguete City:

Seasoned artists gather on the Rizal Boulevard to enjoy an hour of jamming.  Everyone can watch artist play around with musical notes and instruments, displaying skill and hopefully inspiring younger talent in the audience.

Workshops on guitar, piano and vocals will be conducted by premier names in the music business, giving aspiring artists and musicians to learn about the industry and hone their musical talent from the very personalities they look up to.

Filipinos are a musical people and with Himig ng Bayan, undiscovered talent may be given the opportunity to make themselves heard with the recitals. Guitarists, pianists and singers from around the country will have the chance to show off their talent to industry insiders, as well as getting know other people with the same interests.

These free nightly concerts are open to everyone, giving people the chance to enjoy the cool ocean breeze and the various commercial establishments around Rizal Boulevard.

The last night’s grand closing ceremony will feature three of the country’s top musical acts and a special number from the winners of the previous day’s recital. The concert, to be held at the Perdices Stadium, will be ticketed at a minimal price and will culminate with a display of fireworks.

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hahaha
written by andrea , June 26, 2009

ahhmm..does the contestants are allowed to bring their family to the concert.??just response..or send your response to my email ok.!!

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