Expanding musical horizons

As my old friend Pastor Mike Bowers is fond of saying, “people go where they are invited. People stay where they are welcome.”

So it was Beth and I found ourselves at First Presbyterian Church on Third Street for “Sampaguita Flute Project Niagara Celebrating Filipino Classical Music.”

The organizers had posted the event on the Express Website, which is free to anyone and the Express really needs to promote more than it does if only to enhance the chance we show up.

The sanctuary was half-full. Joed Balsamo and Haeyeun June opened with a pop medley, flute and piano.

They were followed by Dala-Dalangin, a funky prayer of flute, voice and percussion, almost operatic from Norman Menzales and Joanna Hyunji Kim, a haunting melody accompanied by windy flute tone.

The first set closed with 7 movements of Panaramas featuring Menzales, Antoine Lefebvre, Jay Julio, June and Yolanda Tapia.

June played a Celeste, a bell piano we had never seen before.

We left at the intermission. We don’t listen to a lot of classical music but we were glad we sampled these modern Filipino compositions by talented musicians in a beautiful church