APRIL 30, 2011
7 P.M.
CARLSON HALL
130 North Kenwood St.
cor. Wilson
Glendale, CA 91206
Ten years of being Prime Note Ensemble. A decade of a choired existence, experience and musical breakthroughs and of making beautiful music together, Prime Note Ensemble opens its tenth year anniversary celebration with its first concert for 2011 entitled “MUSIC MADNESS…ESCAPE FROM REALITY” on April 30, 2011 at 7 p.m. at the Carlson Fellowship Center of the First United Methodist Church of Glendale.
Prime Note Ensemble whose musicality was borne and honed in the desert sand dunes of Saudi Arabia; its vocal ability tried and tested in the performance stages of China, France, Belgium and Austria and now evolving and making a name in the highly competitive and creative choral landscape of America.
The story of Prime Note Ensemble began in 2001 when Medard Obida boldly pushed the idea of organizing a group of Filipino overseas foreign workers in Saudi Arabia into a men’s choir with no musical background and whose only qualification then was their “bathroom” voices (i.e. those who can belt songs in the confines of their bathrooms). It had seem a crazy notion from the start, for in a country where more than two people who gather becomes suspect with a high probability of being raided and jailed by the religious police, Prime Note Ensemble persisted and became the first a cappella choir in Saudi Arabia and emerged as one of the most respected Filipino organizations in the Kingdom.
It has survived the artistic repression of its adoptive country by rehearsing rather clandestinely in a rented upper-floor apartment (sound-proofed, otherwise neighbors will come banging on doors and walls), sometimes in unused and abandoned warehouses (imagine the heat of the desert sun) and in exclusive private residences provided by its supporters.
To further hone and showcase its chosen craft, the group started performing fearlessly in small functions and in strictly all-Filipino events, moving later on to concertizing twice a year offering impressive musical productions to Filipino expatriates and other nationalities hungry for cultural fares rarely seen in this artistically arid land.
However foolish it may have seem then, Prime Note Ensemble was created not out of whim, but out of a necessity – a need to look out for each other as these men worked and earned a living for their families back home in the Philippines. The singing subsequently was a way out of the daily doldrums and isolation that most foreign workers away from home feel and are subjected to. It offered as well as solace and comfort of an extended family united by music.
It may have been odd, but after five years of making waves and braving sandstorms in Saudi Arabia, the Prime Note Ensemble believes that the choral world does not end at the Middle East border but beyond. Given the opportunity to participate in the 2006 World Choir Games in Xiamen, China the group, de-facto representing Saudi Arabia took on a more serious note in chorale singing after being accepted.
The drive then was merely to acquire a certificate of participation and enjoy the choral scene and feel the sense of competition amongst the gathering of thousands of choristers from around the world. Surprisingly, the group was accorded a bronze medal in the male chamber choir category which was a major feat for an OFW choir on its first competition.
The group also made history as the very first choir participation of Saudi Arabia in an international chorale competition. By 2007, the group set their sights to Europe, participating in the 14th Internationale Chant de Chorale in Nancy, France where they were well-received and loved by the French audience. In 2008 they bagged the Silver Medal in the 5th World Choir Games in Graz, Austria earning along the way a spot as one of the top 50 male choirs in the world. Prior to that, the group performed to much-acclaim in key cities of France, Belgium and Austria.
The international stage became a secondary playground for the Prime Note Ensemble – for in 2009 it was consequently accepted in prestigious choral contests such as the California International Choral Festival in San Obispo, California, USA; the International Choral Competition “C.A. Seghizzi” in Gorizia, Italy and in the International Festival de Musica de Cantonigros in Catalunya, Spain.
Currently based in West Covina, L.A. County, California, the group under its choirmaster Novem G. Cabios, has continually performed in various concerts, festivals, events and competitions within the State. In April 2010, the choir was given the Audience Choice Award in the Los Angeles Regional a cappella Sing-Off – Harmony Sweepstakes held in Hermosa Beach, where it consequently placed 3rd .
In October 2010 the group successfully participated in the International Choral Festival in New York. The group is currently preparing for the 2011 edition of the Harmony A cappella Sweepstakes on April 9 and also for the American International Choral Festival in Reno-Tahoe to be held in May 2011.
In “MUSIC MADNESS”, the Prime Note Ensemble instead of looking back at ten exquisite choir years, will put forward a showcase of unfamiliar musical territory as the group attempts to wildly burn the stage with rock n roll hits, monster pop songs, R & B classic sensations, iconic music-theater pieces, spiced with original Pinoy music in this no-holds-barred concert of one-night-only madness.
--- by Red O. Paraiso
