06 December 2022 – The Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona lent its support to the pride of the Filipino community in Barcelona, the youth choir Coro Kudyapi, as they performed at the Aquarela Auditorium on 06 December 2022 to commemorate their 8th year anniversary with the theme “Lost in the 80s.”
Coro Kudyapi was created in 2014 and has since then played a key role in helping second and third generation Filipinos a sense of their Filipino identity by instilling in them Filipino values and culture through music.
The concert featured hits from the 80s, when the initial wave of mass Filipino migration to Barcelona occurred. In between performances, the choir members narrated stories of the Filipino migrant experience in Barcelona. Forty choir members and alumni performed more than 20 songs to hundreds of guests from both local Filipino and Spanish audiences.
In the spirit of the Yuletide season, Coro Kudyapi also sang Christmas carols. They also highlighted their Philippine heritage and promoted the Philippines with a choreographed performance of “Piliin mo ang Pilipinas.”
The audience members most of whom are relatives and friends of the choral group were very receptive as they were able to relate to the music presented. The initial wave of mass migration to Barcelona among the Filipino community transpired in the decade of the eighties.
Dr. Arnel German, who from the onset has been Coro Kudyapi’s dedicated musical director, had nothing but praise for past and current choir members. He expressed pride that Coro Kudyapi has been the starting point for some members who later on continued with their musical careers, such as Dianne Ico, currently in the Spanish production of the Lion King, and Charles Kevin Sarmiento who joined the all boys’ choir Escolania de Montserrat, while others credited their time in the choir for the discipline instilled in them.
Edward Caringal, who is a 2nd generation Filipino choir member intimated, “Coro Kudyapi is more than just a gathering of like-minded young people who have a common love of music. We all consider each other family as our weekly rehearsals make us even closer to each other.” Ms. Rita Amaqui who arrived in Barcelona in 1981 said, “I know most of the members as some were my students when they were still toddlers. It warms my heart to see them still performing with the same enthusiasm that they had when they started in the choir.”