By PABLO A. TARIMAN
THERE will be poignant memories of Hiroshima when the Amici Trio from Japan performs Francisco Santiago’s Ave Maria at the Sta. Isabel College’s Sto Cristo del Tesoro Auditorium on Tuesday, August 27.
Composed of violinist Kazuki Yamamoto, pianist Tomoyo Kobayashi and Filipino baritone Joseleo Logdat, the members of the Amici Trio are all based in Hiroshima where over 160,00 people perished when the United States dropped its first Atomic Bomb exactly 68 years ago.
The Filipino baritone is a scholar pursuing advance studies at Hiroshima’s Elizabeth University. The spot where the Atomic Bomb found its mark is now the site of the Peace Park and Museum.
“The first time I set foot in Hiroshima and heard about the bomb, I wondered how it looked like. The place where the bomb fell is now a beautiful park. When I visited the Peace Museum, the memories it evoked were indeed very touching,” reflects Logdat.
Last August 5, some 50,000 people led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stood for a minute of silence in Hiroshima’s Peace Park to offer prayers for those who died in the early morning blast on Aug. 6, 1945.
The Filipino baritone landed in Hiroshima’s Elizabeth University two years ago while preparing for an audition in Germany. “One day my friend told me that there is an audition for Elisabeth University in Hiroshima and I tried it and passed. The rest is history.”
Elisabeth University of Music started as the Hiroshima Evening Music School, a small Quonset hut built in September, 1947 on the ruins of a town still reeling from the atomic holocaust. The founder of the school, Jesuit Father Ernest Goossens, wanted to contribute to the cultural rehabilitation of post-war Japan through the arts. Among its first-rate facilities are the Cecilia Concert Hall seating 802, the Xavier Recital Hall seating 210, the Ensemble Room, and some 140 rooms for teaching, research and practice. Musical instruments include 8 pipe organs, 89 upright pianos, 85 grand pianos, 4 harpsichords and some 200 string, wind and percussion instruments.
A Grand Prix winner of the 6th Yokohama International Music Competition last year where he also won the top prize in the professional voice category, Logdat has performed with the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra and was recently chosen as soloist in Bach’s Christmas oratorio in the school’s annual concert.
On the whole, the baritone likes the peaceful atmosphere in the entire Hiroshima with just over a million population. Over at Elizabeth University where he is under the tutelage of Prof. Hiroharu Orikawa., Logdat feels the full support of the university.
Over many things, the baritone is overwhelmed by the rich history of the city. “I also like the place because it is very peaceful and very clean and most people are very disciplined and honest.”
Some 68 years after the bombing of Hiroshima, Logdat finds a progressive city with lots of music lovers. “Most of them love operas and on my first few performances in the city, I find them very appreciative. Living in Hiroshima I would consider one of the great experiences of my life.”
In the August 27 concert at Sta. Isabel College, Logdat will sing “Finchan dal vino” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni and” Vien Leonora” from Donizetti’s La Favorita, among others.
It happens that the late distinguished baritone Gamaliel Viray was his voice teacher. “Mr. Viray has always been my inspiration. I am glad that I was the first and the last vocal performance student who graduated under him. As a person, he was always supportive of me. He will always have a place in my heart.”
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