THE University of the Philippines Concert Chorus (UPCC) starts their European tour on July 2, 2006. The first stop will be Italy where they will compete in the 45th International Competition of Choral Composition Trophy “C.A. Seghizzi” 2006. The competition aims to promote the creation and the propagation of a new choral repertoire.It also commemorates the composer, C.A. Seghizzi, founder and first conductor of the Seghizzi Choir, and the musician Domenico Cideri, who devoted particular attention to contemporary choral music with the activities of the Pro Musica Studium Association.

Winning this year will mean the opportunity to participate in the 2007 European Grand Prix.

For the eleventh time, UPCC participates in the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Aberdeen, Scotland (AIYF). The festival is one of Scotland’s major international cultural events and the world’s premier gathering of talented young performers.

Each year AIYF attracts up to 1,000 of the most talented young performers and performing companies from across the globe. It provides a showcase for their talents and creates innovative and exciting new work by bringing participants together with leading professionals and artists.
The event brings color, spectacle and vibrant creativity to Aberdeen and the North East and attracts talented companies from over 70 countries. As well as the ticket events, the Festival stages a parade, open-air performances and a fringe program in community venues.

I have so many escapades with the UPCC from so many years ago. This year, I was one of the host families in Olympia and Seattle, Washington, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. On July 27, I will join the UPCC in Milan, Italy via London.

From Milan, I will be traveling with the chorus to Aberdeen, Scotland until August 15. I should be back in Seattle on August 16 to give me time to prepare for my departure to Manila on October 6 for my birthday party.

After the Seattle concert, the U.P. Concert Chorus proceeded to San Francisco, California. In a simple ceremony held at the San Francisco City Hall Rotunda, Mayor Gavin Newsom, through his representative, Mr. Jason Chan, presented to the UPCC a proclamation designating May 13, 2006 as UPCC Day in San Francisco. After the ceremonies, the UPCC had a mini-concert to give its distinguished guests a taste of its brand of choral music. The event was graced by Consul General Maria Rowena Sanchez, Union City Councilman Jim Navarro and former Hercules Mayor Frank Batara, other distinguished guests and UPCC alumni. UPCC sang the “Union City Hymn,” to the delight of the Union City officials. Jim Navarro and Ray Mapa coordinated the concert at the prestigious Herbst Theater on Van Ness Avenue.

For the first time, UPCC had a concert at the celebrated War Memorial Heroes Theater in San Francisco. They also performed for a record audience of 3,200 at the Logan High School Auditorium in Union City. Through the efforts of Ms. Pat Gacoscos, the UPCC visited the Union City Sanitary district. They were oriented on waste management and water recycling process for the Bay area.

On May 20, after attending the funeral of my brother in Manila, I flew directly to Los Angeles, California to meet the UPCC. From the airport, I drove to the concert venue in Alhambra, California. There, the anxious, vibrant, tireless chorus members with Toots de Jesus, UP Alumni Association liaison, met me. There was no time for the members to meet the Los Angeles hosts because the concert sponsored by the Agape Trade was scheduled the same night. Toots and I were the only host family who had lunch with the group. Tired after the concert, UPCC members Ruel Madriaga, Enzo Sta. Juana, Jeff Cabral, Raymund Madali and I drove to Fontana, California together with my co-host and nephew, Ron Reyes, and friend Rudy Diaz. Ron has a mansion in Fontana, a great place to recoup after a hard day’s work.

The concert the next day was sponsored by the UP Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles with Dhors Maligalig as the president. As usual, the UPCC delivered a great performance at the Celebrity Center – Garden Pavilion. The audience gave the Chorus a standing ovation, with the chorale reciprocating with encore numbers.

Much anticipated was our trip to Disneyland the day after the L.A. concert. The entrance fee to Disneyland is now $75 per person. Rudy, who works as a manager of Disneyland, got us in for free. Ron and Rudy were great co-hosts. They even gave the kids bags full of souvenir items.

Our next stop: Las Vegas, The City that Doesn’t Sleep. Las Vegas coordinators headed by Max Noel, President of the U.P. Las Vegas Alumni Association, and Lee Madarang, President of the Las Vegas Ilocano Association, met us and threw a dinner reception.

UPCC represented the Philippines in the Asian Cultural Heritage Celebration at the Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. We got a tour of the thunderbird hangar and got the chance to meet the first woman right wing pilot, Nicole Malakowski.

I had an enjoyable time hosting Ruel, Jeff, Raymund, and Enzo in Las Vegas. My nephew, Jordan Banares, wife Linda, children JB and Jaret, were my kind and generous co-hosts. Together, we tried our best to show the kids the best of Las Vegas.

I have been to Las Vegas many times but every time I visit the place, I am always mesmerized by its beauty and splendor. Much like the city itself, the nightlife in Las Vegas is dazzling and overwhelming particularly to the “first timer” kids I was hosting. There are so many choices; it’s hard to know which direction to head first.

More than bar-hopping, the heart of Vegas is its gambling, of course. My favorite part of gambling is the free drinks, available as long as you are playing. There is no shortage of places to plunk down your money. The young energetic crowd goes to the Rio, Hard Rock, Luxor, Venetian and Mandalay Bay. Caesar’s caters to high rollers, Bellagio to the wealthy and the Flaming Hotel is primarily filled with senior or soon-to-be senior citizens. The many other hotels/casinos bring in all types of people.

Unfortunately, I could not gamble enough because Jeff, Enzo, and Raymund were minors. Only Ruel, who turned 21 on May 2, could play the tables. The 21-year-old age restriction is strictly enforced everywhere.

Outside of the gambling, Vegas offers many great entertainment options. In a way, Vegas is like an amusement park for adults.

Thrills at slower speeds

For thrills at slower speeds, there is a water slide adjacent to the Sahara, a stomach-churning roller coaster that wraps around the New York “skyline,” an indoor roller coaster at Circus Circus and indoor skydiving at FlyAway. Ruel, Enzo, Jeff, and Raymund tried the roller coaster. I did not. I am not that young anymore.

There are IMAX movies and arcades in most casinos and several free entertainment. We were entertained by the free shows at Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace and The Treasure Island. We went to the movies and watched The Da Vinci Code.

You can get a birds-eye-view of Vegas from the Stratosphere for $9.00 per person. It does not include the fee for going up to the viewing center. Jab Molina, Jael Garcia and Keilah Garcia from UPCC were brave enough to try rides at Stratosphere tower.

Yet Vegas was not built around this type of amusement. For years, its heart beat downtown, and today it is the place to go for those who are tired of the Strip and Strip prices. Gambling and drinks are cheaper and the gaming odds are much better. A few years ago, history and cheap prices were not enough of a draw to preserve this historical area, so the city put a roof over the place, made it look like a gigantic Strip marquee and proclaimed it the Freemont Street Experience.

The casinos, in their never-ending attempt to lure people inside, present grand “live shows” in huge ballrooms. Some are regulars, like Siegfried & Roy at the Mirage (we were able to see the white tigers for free); other hotels book name acts like Jerry Seinfeld, Rod Steward, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, on a year-round basis. Name the entertainer, they all play Vegas.

Because of time constraints, I was not able to take the kids to Hoover Dam, a two-hour drive. This incredible structure was constructed in the 1930s to feed the area’s growing need for power. It is awe-inspiring to peer over the edge.

A Steak dinner for under $5

Yes, it’s true. You can get a breakfast buffet and a steak dinner for under $5.

Then again, you can also spend $150 per person and have your wine retrieved by an angel. Like just about everything else, eating is an experience in Las Vegas. The buffets are a long-standing staple; in fact, it is one of the city’s key identifying marks.

The best place to go is the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio. It’s not cheap - $24.99 for dinner – but with sushi, a Mongolian grill, and tasty stations featuring Mexican, Italian, pizza, hamburgers and much more, it’s well worth the price. It’s so good, locals eat there frequently. Unfortunately, the long lines frustrate me. Quite often, the worst thing about the buffets is the lines. It seems as if every tourist in town becomes hungry at the exact same time, making half-hour waits commonplace. A quicker alternative is the casino coffee shops, but the food is mediocre and prices are on par with regular restaurants.

I had no problem with my kids. They love McDonald’s and In ‘N Out Burger, a Southern California institution featuring a simple menu with fresh items.

Well, it was time to go. Parting was such sweet sorrow. UPCC left Vegas on May 29 for Houston, Texas. They have concerts in San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas in Texas. This will be followed by the concert in Detroit Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, and Somerset, New Jersey.