| This kundiman song, titled "Bituing Marikit" or "Beautiful Star," is very popular in the Philippines, especially among music afficionados. It was composed by Nicanor Abelardo in 1926, with lyrics by Servando de los Angeles. The song is about a lover begging for a ray of hope from his/her loved one who is like a distant shining star. It is one of the many kundiman songs whose era can be traced back from the early 1800s to the 1930s. Nowadays, however, the kundiman is rarely heard except during special performances. Considered the Philippines' classical genre, the kundiman is a love song and/or a patriotic song that generally expresses lamentation, a longing, a plea, or sorrow. Influenced by the culture of the times and the temper of the Filipino, the kundiman's purpose was never trivial and ordinary. During the Spanish colonial regime, the kundiman, "Jocelyn ng Baliwag" was disguised as an expression of love for a lady from Bulacan; it was actually an expression of love for the motherland and the hope of setting her free from the Spanish conquistadores. The kundiman's beat is triple time, in minor key, and its lyrics are poetic, swaying smoothly with either a silent note or a mezzo forte. It is usually sung by a highly trained and skilled vocalist, accompanied by an equally trained and skilled string orchestra, or a pianist, a violinist, and/or a guitarist. No; ordinary vocalists and musicians cannot perform the kundiman. It requires more than just a singing voice and the ability to pluck some strings. If other nations have their opera, the Philippines has its kundiman, uniquely its own. Madisonians will have the opportunity to listen to the Philippines' signature kundiman music and songs on Saturday, September 22, 2007, 7:30 p.m., at the Promenade Hall, Overture Center, when Leslie Damaso (BA-Vocal Performance, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign), soprano, performs some of them, accompanied by Anna Maria Manalo (BM-UW-Madison; MA, Hunter College, NY) on the piano, and Marvin Suson (BFA, UW-Milwukee; Master of Music, Performance, University of Maryland-College Park) on the violin. Dubbed "An Evening of Philippine Concert Music," this extraordinary show will also feature Dr. Felipe Manalo, tenor. Attendees will, hopefully, have an appreciation of the Filipino culture through the kundiman, a musical art form that is now rarely performed as new forms of music have taken over the airwaves and ahve become globally popular. This unique performance is made possible through the efforts of the Wisconsin Women of Color Network, Inc. (WWOCN), to encourage sharing of diverse cultures among its members and the larger community. Don't miss it. For information on how to become a sponsor or to reserve tickets, contact Agnes Cammer at apicons@aol.com. |
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| Heidi M. Pascual* Publisher and Editor Asian Wisconzine *2006 Journalist of the Year for the State of Wisconsin (U.S. SBA) |
| The immortal kundiman |
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| Leslie Damaso (l), soprano, and Anna Maria Manalo, pianist/composer, will perform choice kundimans at the Overture on September 22 |
| "Bituing marikit sa gabi ng buhay Ang bawat kislap mo'y ligaya ang taglay Yaring aking palad iyong patnubayan At kahit na sinag ako'y bahaginan Natanim sa puso ko yaong isang pag-ibig Sa iyong luningning laging nasasabik Ikaw ang pangarap, bituing marikit." |
| The meat of Lopez' presentation, which greatly captured his audience's attention, was on mental health, an identified area of need, which lacks "culturally competent services for refugees in Wisconsin." He cited language barriers, safe/customer friendly environment (trust), terminology (i.e. heart vs liver), and refugees' perception of mental health, among other problematic areas. The Kajsiab House is one of the four refugee mental health providers in the state, Lopez said, that is most needed by the Hmong elders and families in the community. He discussed Kajsiab House's impacts to the Hmong community as follows: * it gives hope for a better life; * helps families become active members of the community; * creates an atmosphere that fosters respect for Hmong culture and ancestral traditions; and * improves the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of participants. In light of the funding constraints that Kajsiab House has been facing, Lopez said that the BMRLS has applied for the Compassion Capacity Grant in May, for the purpose of funding the development of the capacity of community-based refugee and former refugee non-profit organizations. However, if the grant is awarded, he explained that this will fund "Power Up: Capacity Building," a three-year project that will be allocated to qualified agencies on a competitive basis. Thus, a "request for proposal" would be in order. Lopez then asked, "Where do we need to go?" In answer, he said, "We have to develop culturally competent mental health services for all refugees regardless of status (naturalized or not); recruit bilingual clinicians; make services accessible; develop networking opportunities to exchange support and services; and expand clientele to all refugees." Kajsiab House participants who were present were visibly 'well -informed' that day, happy to accept the helping hand extended to them by DWD's BMRLS. |
| DWD's Migrant, Refugee, and Labor Services' chief at Kajsiab House Reaching out to the Hmong community By Heidi M. Pascual |
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| The newly appointed head of the Department of Workforce Development's Bureau of Migrant, Refugee, and Labor Services, Juan Jose Lopez, doesn't speak nor understand Hmong, but he got his message across when he spoke before 50 or so Hmong elders and young adults at Kajsiab House on May 22. Lopez gave an informative PowerPoint presentation that detailed his bureau's referral services which the Hmong can avail of whenever needed, which was translated step by step by Shoua Vang, DWD Economic/Refugee Support Specialist. He discussed migrant law enforcement, foreign labor certification, and immigration integration, as well as a brief history of the Hmong Resettlement Task Force which was created by Gov. Jim Doyle in 2004 to advise the governor on how to best assist the new wave of Hmong refugees in Wisconsin. He then focused on the Task Force's recommendations to solve identified need areas such as: education and employment; housing and transportation, health and dental care; family strengthening; and mental health. |
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