Filipina Soul

A few years back, we had a rare kind of church service. Instead of the usual experience of worshiping God through our songs, gifts, and a preaching, my growing church in Baltimore was witness to God’s splendor and greatness when a Mr. Gilopez Kabayao and his family shared their passion of music and their love of God. For two hours they serenaded us with the most enchanting classical renditions of masterpieces. A father, mother and three children are all musical geniuses who dedicate their music to the Creator who made us.

Now seventy-seven years old, Gilopez still tours the world with his family to inspire others to share in their passion for music. Yeah, he inspires “oldies” like me who are too “old” for hip-hop and rapping , but read also what Jason Martin Naniong had to say, a teenager who grew up listening to the classics as “white noise”, the kind you hear when an operator puts you on hold.

I could have gone before it had even started, but I decided to watch the concert out of sheer curiosity. The Kabayaos were playing. I had never heard of them before that afternoon, but I had been right to assume that they were internationally acclaimed musicians. Gilopez Kabayao and his family were preternaturally talented, and from the first note they played they held me completely in their thrall. Yes, they were that good; even a complete musical idiot like me could see that.

That afternoon, the Kabayaos taught me one of the greatest lessons I would ever learn: they taught me to simply listen. To listen without prejudice; to hear the music wholly and completely; to listen with compassion, feeling and empathy: that was their gift. And once I had mastered this simple art, I began to see the images and emotions they wanted to portray so vividly in my head. I listened, and stories began to unfold before me: tales of love, betrayal, tragedy, hope and triumph. I listened, not simply with my ears as pop music had taught me to, but with every single fiber of my being. When it was all over, I clapped with the rest and smiled, because now I understood the whole power of classical music. That I could relate to, and imbibe thoroughly its message proved that classical music really was eternal, and beside the vast magnitude of its influence over the centuries, pop really just pales in comparison.

Tags: Carnegie Hall, classical music, Kabayao family, National Music Competition for Young Artists, Philippines, Piano, Violin

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