Pinoys can Sing
"Mabuhay ang Pilipinas. Walang tatalo sa Pinoy." Long live the Philippines. Nobody can beat the Filipino. That' s what Cora Bueno said after her son Vincent Bueno won the Austrian TV talent show Musical! Die Show on Jan. 11, 2008. The only Asian contestant, he won the hearts and votes of televiewers with his exceptional rendition of memorable songs from broadway favorites like Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera.
Born on Dec. 10, 1985, he had been dancing since age 4, could play 4 instruments by the time he was 11 and graduated in music and theater from the Vienna Conservatory of Music. His musical inclination was probably influenced by his father Tony, a former vocalist and lead guitarist of a local 1970 band. Even though he was born in Vienna, Vincent can speak Filipino fluently, in addition to English and German. After he was declared grand champion, he proudly shouted "Philippines" three times.
I know, Vincent Bueno is not a Fil-Am. Just on my 4th post and I'm already veering away from my mission. I just see this as an extension of my quest. After receiving numerous emails from my relatives about all the other proud Filipinos out there getting international attention, I could not resist.
I could not ignore recognizing the talent of Madonna Decena, the 32-year old single mom from Quezon City who impressed the judges as well as the standing-ovation crowd on Britain's Got Talent. Her interpretation of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You brought judge Amanda Holden to tears. And then, there's 10-year old Charlie Green, who also made it to the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent with Summer Wind. As in Austria, the Filipino community should rally behind these kababayans so that come May 31, another Filipino talent will become victorious.
And of course, there is Arnel Pineda. Everybody now knows how Neal Schon, the guitarist of Journey was searching you tube for a future lead singer when he came across the band The Zoo with Arnel Pineda belting ala-Steve Perry. Arnel has revived the band and has been hailed as the "future for the franchise." Journey has taken him to performances in Chile and Las Vegas. They are scheduled to release a new album in June followed by promotional tours in Europe and the USA, and later Japan, Australia and the Philippines.
And through Arnel and our featured artists, the world will recognize the talent that is in the Filipino.
(I encourage you to click on the highlighted text for links to videos and other info.)
2 comments:
Impressive work - great job and what a great tribute to our World Class Pinoy Talents. Please continue on tracking more talents. Truly this makes us very proud to be PINOY!!!
Toronto MD
yes, great job you're doing here.
I always knew many Pinoys have musical talent. Long before Pinoys spread around the world as professionals and domestics, there were, and still are, many musicians and musical entertainers in many countries.
However, there are very few (or are there ?) in the world of classical music. Not surprising though because classical musicians can not make a living in the Philippines as such. Pinoy immigrants have carried that thinking over to the US and discourage their offsprings from getting into that field. Parents beam with pride when their children sing (or dance) the latest tunes or hiphop or rap, etc. No interest at all in native or classical music.
By the way, twins Greg (piano) and Sim (violin) Zuniega from Manila played at the Philippine Consulate in NY last week at a sparsely attended concert. Accomplished musicians, they played not only Chopin and Mozart, but also a few old-time pieces, as well as Philippine tunes. Not surprisingly, their main jobs are in some other field; one is a businessman, the other a lawyer.
Meny
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