SM Pasig invited us again to mount With Strings Attached! Last November 22, 2014 the Saint Paul Gift Program celebrated the Christmas season. The guitar students of Teacher Jonathan were accompanied by a chorale. We encourage young people to spend their holidays productively by engaging in leisure activities. Learn to play guitar and perform a song for loved ones be it Christmas, special occasions, or just because.
Enjoy these highlights from the production.:
Last June 2014, our young guitar heroes performed Classical, Rock, Jazz, and other Contemporary tunes. Sounds of Freedom is a branded music event by Animaguitara, yearly held to bring students from the learning studio to the stage and in front of a community of peers, parents, and friends. It is an environment of positive affirmation and encouragement where musicians can flourish without fear.
Music leads the path to wellness. The Guitar Club class of Teacher Jonathan and some singers from the Chorale shared their talents to the delight of the audience passing by the Wellness Hub of SM Center Pasig. “With Strings Attached” delivers Animaguitara’s promise to provide a regular platform for young musicians to apply what they learn in the studio and experience performing in real-world contexts.
Last August, we selected students from one of the schools we serve, the St. Paul College Pasig. The school has a GIFT Program that nurtures the talents of young people, so that they may be complete human beings as they journey in life. Animaguitara indeed agrees with this vision. Thanks to our friend Ms. Bel Bartolome, SM hosted the first edition of Animaguitara’s With Strings Attached with the full support of St. Paul College Pasig GIFT teachers, students, families, and friends. The students enjoyed performing for people from all walks of life.
The tastes, sounds and sights of Italy and the Mediterranean region, featuring Animaguitara’s Jonathan Agbayani Gonzales and selected artists of Art Tempo Manila. “Mediterranean Sojourn” is guitar mini-concert complemented by an art exhibit, where guests can savor Italian gourmet specialties at the Trattoria Poggio Antico in McKinley Hill, Taguig. Mediterranean Sojourn is indeed a synesthetic experience.
Animaguitara is run entirely by performer-educator Jonathan Gonzales with independent curator Laya Boquiren. The repertoire included compositions by guitar greats inspired by the Mediterranean.
On the other hand, Art Tempo Manila is an art group convened by Juno Parungao. The exhibit featured Cora Patarata and Rex Rosco. Their paintings are inspired by their travels to the Mediterranean. Incidentally, Rosco and Patarata’s works are reminiscent of the colors of the Italian countryside.
About Rosco and Patarata (artist write-ups and paintings from the Art Tempo Manila Website, accessed May 3, 2014)
The colors of Corazon “Cora” Gaufo Patarata’s artworks speak of glee. Cora was born in Manila in 1957; she grew up in Baguio City and had lived and worked in Washington D.C., Beijing, Bonn, Berlin, Stockholm, and Vancouver. These places influenced her color palette and themes. She sees the inner glow of nature as her artworks remind us of our responsibility to take care of our beautiful planet. Cora actively exhibits in Greenfield Business Parks in Pasig. Her past exhibits include Rhythm of Colors, Seasons of Contemporary Art, and More than Flowers and Chocolates in Primos Cuisine and Lounge jointly curated by Minnette Marasigan and Juno Parungao.
Another talented artist regularly exhibiting in Greenfield Business Parks is Rex R. Rosco. Rosco’s art reveals dispositions, emotional transitions, spiritual evolutions as these are manifested in human behavior. His involvement in public service, like medical missions, have instilled in him the ability to understand the complexities of humanity and the human condition. The evanescent evolutions. Rosco strives to capture speak of impermanence and because everything changes,life is nowhere and somewhere all at the same time. Rosco’s background in architecture allows him to capture these fleeting forms in many dimensions. Aside from his several exhibits in Greenfield, Rosco has also exhibited his works in Canada.
Curator Laya Boquiren shares “Mediterranean is Rosco’s last exhibition before his sojourn to the afterlife, where he is now at peace.”
This season, we decided to come up with a simple celebration of young talent. In light of recent tragedies in Tacloban, Leyte, we decided to forego the usual high-impact productions that Animaguitara is known for. This day marks a time of recovery, rebuilding, and prayer. Animaguitara features the guitar students of Jonathan Gonzales and the piano students of Jane Banta with Keys and Strings 2013.
The genesis of Keys and Strings began in 2008 at the Podium. This year marks a return as we generate more challenging platforms for our young guitar heroes.
The 2013 edition of Sounds of Freedom marks Animaguitara’s tenth year in the music industry. We say cheers to ten years of pedagogically sound enrichment programs and productive recreation. We affirm our commitment to the public trust we have been nurturing for a decade. While we have always insisted on quality guitar programs, we have since expanded to other music endeavors — for we choose to remain responsive to the wants and needs of people from all walks of life. We uphold the highest professional standards in music instruction, yet we seek relevance in a contemporary world. We know your pulse.
Last June 2, 2013, we celebrated Sounds of Freedom with the support of JB Music Philippines.
Design by Kat Espiritu. Identity by US-based artist Lene Dee Dragon.
Sounds of Freedom is part of two major shows annually produced by Animaguitara. These shows feature the students, allied artists, and performer-educator Jonathan Gonzales. It is only one of the several platforms provided by Animaguitara, to allow our students to interact not only with their peers but with professional musicians as well. Incidentally, it is also our way of celebrating Independence Month as we extend our gratitude to parents, students, fellow artists, JB Music Philippines, and the public — for supporting independent artists. We brought Sounds of Freedom III to Bonifacio Global City and it was indeed a remarkable experience for all of us.
Cheers to ten years of beautiful music!
We would love to get to know you and share our passion for music.
Yet another year as Jonathan Gonzales and students play the sounds of freedom. Featuring top of the line gear from JB Music Philippines.
* Graphic design by Kat Espiritu
Featuring the students of Animaguitara and top of the line music and recording equipment from JB Music Philippines in support of music educators and young artists
Majority of the students of Animaguitara performed in a student recital at the Main Activity Area of the Podium Mall in Ortigas last December 2010. More will come through the years with the support of parents and our partners in the music industry!
The piano students of Teacher Jane Banta and students of Teacher Jonathan Gonzales in several guitar and band programs performed in the summer of 2008 at the Podium in Ortigas.
Animaguitara 