Press Release

Staging of HIMIG AT PAG-ASA Concert Featuring the Minstrels of Hope and the Scarborough Ontario Seniors Association (SOSA) at the Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Toronto

2019-11-05

Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese Fernandez (8th fr right), Consul Edna May Lazaro (8th fr left), and Ms. Cecile Santos (6th fr right) are joined by the Minstrels of Hope’s 11 all-women singers and 2 male conductors. Also in the photo are Ms. Carol Bañez ((9th fr left), President of the Scarborough Ontario Seniors Association (SOSA), and Ms. Rosemer Enverga (9th fr right), President of the Philippine-Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF).

Left: DCG Fernandez and Consul Lazaro with Mr. Alain Pronovost, Ms. Bañez of SOSA and Mr. Anthony Go Villanueva (farthest right) and Mr. Jun Mayo (farthest left), Conductor and Assistant Conductor of the Minstrels of Hope. At the back are the Minstrels of Hope singers.
Right: The Minstrels of Hope together with the Ukelele/Rondalla Ensemble of SOSA performing their joint number, “Ay! Ay! Ay! O Pag-ibig”.

Left: The Minstrels of Hope singers in one of their entertaining numbers.
Right: The SOSA Ukelele/Rondalla Ensemble playing a Tagalog folk song

Left: The talented seniors of SOSA Choir rendering a Filipino love song.
Right:The energetic SOSA seniors showing-off their grace in a line dance number

The officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto posed for a group photo with the performers.

30 October 2019 – Last Saturday, 12 October 2019, a joint concert dubbed as “Himig at Pag-asa” featuring the Minstrels of Hope and the Scarborough Ontario Seniors Association (SOSA) was held at the Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Bathurst, Toronto. The concert was organized as a cultural project of the Sentro Rizal – Toronto of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, with the support of SOSA, the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF), and the Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) Church.

The joint concert was a musical encounter between the youths from the Philippines (the Minstrels of Hope) and the Filipino-Canadian seniors from Ontario, Canada (SOSA). The Minstrels of Hope’s rendition of sacred songs, Filipino folk songs, Original Pilipino Music (OPM), as well as some Broadway songs entertained and inspired the audience. On the other hand, the SOSA serenaded the audience with their Filipino love songs with ukulele and rondalla music as accompaniment. The senior citizens also presented line dancing numbers at the church hall after the concert.

SOSA is a not-for-profit organization based in Scarborough, Ontario and founded on March 15, 2008. It started with 50 founding seniors and now has about 250-280 members. Its mission is the development, implementation and evaluation of wellness programs that promote the physical, mental, emotional and social well-being of seniors.

Some activities being offered by SOSA include line dancing, zumba dance exercise, belly dancing, choral group singing, instrumental music (rondalla/ukulele ensemble), day and weekend trips/tours, and performance in community events/festivals.

The Minstrels of Hope of the Minstrels of Hope Inc. is a service oriented choral group from Manila, Philippines. The choir comprises 11 ladies, ranging from 16 to 34 years old, and all coming from the hard scrabble world of the urban poor. As performers, they play a very important advocacy role, increasing public awareness of the plight of the underprivileged in Manila. Through their involvement at the grass roots level, they share their best with the least, enhance the potential and skills of underprivileged children and enrich their lives.

The Minstrels of Hope have toured widely – in Europe, North America and Asia – in pursuit of their dreams and goals.

The event was a success, illustrating the importance of collective endeavor to promote Filipino culture and music. At the same time, it paved the way for The Minstrels of Hope to realize its mission of helping and uplifting the lives of urban poor communities in the Philippines. END

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