THE wailing sound that Medard Obida was making while performing with 29 other singers practicing a Philippine native chant that had been skillfully arranged into choir music, sent shivers through my body.
I was sitting in the Ad-Diwan Hall in the Saudi Aramco compound in Dhahran on Aug. 29 watching the Prime Note Ensemble (PNE), which calls itself the 1st Filipino Acapella Choir in Saudi Arabia, practice for a concert they were giving the next day to thank their various sponsors for being so supportive.
The brainchild of Obida, the singing group was formed in October 2001, initially just as a pastime. Today, after having bagged the bronze medal at the 4th World Choir Games in Xiamen, China, in July 2006, and participating in the 14th Festival International de Chant Chorale in Nancy, France, this past May, the group is rapidly professionalizing itself and moving onto bigger projects. Its next big event is participation in the 2008 World Choir Games in Graz, Austria, next July.
“We got the idea to start the choir in 2001 when myself and a group of friends found ourselves once again singing around a karaoke machine on the weekend,” recalls Obida, who is now the group’s president. “That’s when we said to ourselves, ‘Why not start a singing group?’” They’ve never looked back since.
It is a well-known fact that almost all Filipinos love singing, so finding members for the new group was not difficult. “Initially, we weren’t very strict in auditioning new members. If the person could sing in the shower, then we let them join the group,” admits Obida.
But what Obida and PNE’s other officers demand, even over vocal talent, is dedication, dedication and more dedication. That plus the ability to get along with the other choir members. In PNE there is no room for prima donnas.
“We recently auditioned a guy who had a fabulous voice, but we didn’t let him join the group as he was too self-centered,” recounts Dennis Quiambao, PNE’s coordinator.
“We have a three-month probationary period for all new members, that way we can try them out and gauge their level of commitment and compatibility,” says Obida. “I always tell our new members if it’s your laundry or friends, you must pick PNE first.” Erwin Relox knows first hand the compromises he and his wife have to make in order to allow him to sing with the group.
“It takes extra effort for me to learn the songs, as I can’t attend one of the weekly practices,” explains Relox, who is the proud father of two young boys. “I practice a lot at home listening to songs on my iPod while cleaning the house or doing the washing.” The group is non-profit and hardworking. An apartment was rented for the sole purpose of PNE having a practice venue. And do they practice! Three times a week, on Thursday, Friday and one day during the work-week, they gather at the apartment to practice, sometimes for six hours at a stretch.
The group has several members who live in Jubail, 90-kilometers from Alkhobar, and they too come in every week to attend the practice sessions.
Their efforts were on display last Thursday when PNE sang a repertoire of songs that ranged from Barry Manilow and Beatles tunes, to an Alicia Keys duet with Alma Sheila Allen, a guest singer, to the more traditional sounds of a 13th century Japanese folksong and a German hunting song.
The group has been through three musical directors over the past six years, and this prompted Obida to hire their current fulltime choir director Novem Cabios directly from the Philippines this past March. Cabios once taught music at the Adventist University of the Philippines and then ran his own music school in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
“We really need to appoint a travel coordinator as we are becoming more professional,” explains Jose de Luna, the creative director of PNE. “We need make-up people, wardrobe people and travel logistics people. When we went to France we got lost twice as we did not have anyone who knew how to get around Paris. It’s not easy when you travel with a group of more than 30 people.”
Ambassadors of Goodwill
PNE has been received abroad with overwhelming enthusiasm and curiosity. The oddity of an all-male choir from Saudi Arabia always attracts attention and amazement.
“Everyone is surprised to see a choir from Saudi Arabia, and they always ask us so many questions about what it’s like to live here,” says Obida.
Since PNE has been the only Saudi-based choir present in international competitions and festivals, Obida and other members of the group agreed that it would be a good idea if the group sang the Saudi national anthem.
“I was tasked with arranging our version of the Saudi national anthem for 30 voices,” says Cabios. “And now we start every concert we hold with it.” Although PNE does not have a single Saudi member, they feel the need to proudly represent the country that has given them jobs and livelihood. To do so, the group always carries the Saudi flag and even performed in France underneath a huge Saudi flag projected on a screen above their heads.
Sponsorship Needed
PNE is fortunate enough to be composed of professionals with good paying jobs. The group counts among its members engineers, accountants, visual merchandisers, computer programmers, teachers, executive secretaries and recruitment specialists. This has allowed the group to remain largely self-financed until now. But with the group now going on at least one foreign tour every year, the expense of paying for air tickets for 30-plus people is becoming daunting.
“When we went to China, one of our members donated SR15,000 from his savings to help pay for our tickets, which were not cheap at SR5,200 each,” recalls Obida. “Companies such as Nazaik Global Engineering Systems, Al-Abdulkarim Holding Company and Al Suweidi Jubail have all been consistent sponsors of our group, for which we are grateful. But we do need even more companies to help us out.”
Eyes Set on Austria
PNE is currently busy gearing up for World Choir Games next July in Graz, Austria. Instead of competing in just one category, like they did in China, PNE is planning to compete in two categories: The male chamber music category and the popular music category.
De Luna launched a support drive at the thank you concert PNE gave last week by calling on the audience and the various companies they work for to help the group in whatever way they can in order to make their Austrian trip a reality. “I can’t forget one housewife who on the day of our departure to France rushed a box of chicken empanadas to us that she had baked as she didn’t have any money that she could share with us,” remembers Obida. “I was really touched by her gesture, and I told myself ‘I won’t let them down’.”
