UP Concert Chorus Marks Taiwan Debut, Holds Historic Performance at Eluanbi Facing Basco, Batanes

| Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office

 

 

The Ƶ Concert Chorus (UPCC) debuted in Taiwan in a week-long tour entitled Taiwanihan Awakening: A Musical Journey in Kaohsiung City, a few months after their successful European goodwill cultural concert tour.

One of its highlights? A joint performance on January 21, 2025, with the Taiwanese youth orchestra Strings of Hope at Taiwan’s southernmost point Eluanbi, just a bird’s-eye view from the Batanes islands, which was live-streamed at Batanes State College.

A historic first for Taiwan and Philippine choral performance, UPCC signified this corridor initiative as a celebration of friendship between the two countries, singing its signature piece, “Sama-sama Tayo’y Makapaniig” (Together We Shall Overcome), arranged by its conductor and artistic director, Professor Janet Sabas-Aracama. Strings of Hope performed their renditions of well-known pieces such as Canon in D (Pachelbel’s Canon) and As the Deer Panteth for the Water.

Ms. Daryl Alva B. Duguran, Dean of International Affairs at Batanes State College, organized the livestream in Basco via Zoom and commended the groups for fostering unity and hope through music.

During the week from January 14 to 22, 2025, UPCC performed more than 20 times and held two full concerts in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for various sectors. This project is supported by the Konsert Korus Foundation, Inc., Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association and made possible by Dr. Eing Ming Wu, a visiting professor at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance.

The UP Alumni Association, through its President and Alumni Regent Robert Lester Aranton and his family, also joined the activities in support of UPCC’s mission to uplift communities through transformative music.

 

Bayanihan beyond borders

 

Taiwanihan, a term beautifully coined by award-winning Filipino writer and Dr. Wu’s friend Jose Y. Dalisay Jr., blends the words “Taiwan” and “Bayanihan” or the Filipino spirit of communal unity. In this tour, UPCC connected Filipino and Taiwanese communities through its signature style and repertoire of folk, classical, and contemporary music.

“The power of UPCC’s choral music serves as a tool to touch hearts, not only to plant cultural seeds but also to inspire awareness and action that needs to grow thereafter,” said Prof. Aracama.

At the heart of Taiwan’s cultural economy, the group performed at iconic sites and venues such as Kaohsiung City Hall, Tai Urban Resort, Formosa MRT Station, Banana Music Hall, Gangshan Mall, Lung Hwa Public Market, China Steel Company, Intelligent Transportation Center, and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office. They also visited the Meinong District, one of the Kaohsiung districts that focuses on Hakka cultural development.

 

UPCC visits Meinong District. Supplied photo.

 

Beyond performing, as delegates and ambassadors of culture, UPCC members were oriented on best practices in governance by various institutions, distinguishing this tour from UPCC’s 25 previous international goodwill cultural concerts.

“With Taiwanihan Awakening, we have so much to share with our neighbor Taiwan through our Filipino culture, but we also have much to learn from Taiwan’s righteous anger in overcoming corruption and practicing economic discipline,” added Prof. Aracama.

Furthering its goals, UPCC visited a Filipino community and participated in a celebration of the Sinulog Festival. They also performed at spiritual venues such as St. Mary’s Church and St. Joseph Church, as well as artistic centers like the National Weiwuying Fine Arts Center, Kaohsiung Music Center, and Dadong Arts Center.

The tour’s main highlight was a joint concert with Taiwan’s Century Voice Choir and Strings of Hope on January 19 at Chien Chin Presbyterian Church. These three remarkable performing groups sang “Sama-sama Tayo’y Makapaniig” and “The Moon Represents My Heart,” a well-known Taiwanese love song.

 

On to the next awakening

 

What’s next for UPCC? The group is preparing for its much-awaited major comeback concert after two executive international tours. Open and free to the public, UPCC invites all on May 17, 2025 at the UP Institute of Civil Engineering David M. Consunji Theater for a grand celebration of its feats as well as Prof. Aracama’s 25th anniversary as the group’s conductor.

Inspired by their experience in Taiwan, they are also looking into more choral outreach and delegations–with a possibility of collaborating again for a Taiwanihan choir.

“It doesn’t matter that it took 63 years to visit our neighbor Taiwan; what’s significant is that we have started this journey. The challenge now is to follow through,” Prof. Aracama highlighted that UPCC rises above self and goes beyond mere entertainment and winning choral competitions.

Indeed, Taiwanihan Awakening not only showcased the exceptional artistry of Filipino choral music but also captivated the hearts of communities, deepening ties between Taiwan and the Philippines, one song at a time.

As Prof. Aracama said, “This is just the beginning. We have been awakened!”

 

Joint concert rehearsal of UP Concert Chorus, Century Voice Choir, and Strings of Hope. Supplied photo.

 

About the UP Concert Chorus

 

The Ƶ Concert Chorus (UPCC), also known as Korus, is an official performing group of the Ƶ Diliman.

Since its inception in 1962, Korus has gained a reputation for perfecting versatility by bridging musical genres such as classical, folk, pop, and Broadway with their signature “Choreocapella” or choreographed a cappella, which has dazzled audiences worldwide. Led by its Conductor and Artistic Director, Professor Janet Sabas-Aracama, Korus has received numerous awards and recognitions locally and globally.

In June 2024, as the group embarked on its 25th International Goodwill and Cultural Concert Tour, Korus won the gold prize for the Unrestricted and Folklore Categories, the overall winner prize for the Unrestricted Category, and the Best Stage Performance award in their debut at the Musica Orbis Prague Festival 2024 in Prague, Czech Republic.

With a brilliant legacy of compelling on and off-stage performances, vibrant choreography, theatrical expressions, eye-catching costumes, and a charisma that is uniquely Filipino, the UP Concert Chorus continues to revolutionize choral performance in the country and across the world.