British-Filipino choir brings Christmas cheer to London

Edward Lao, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/world/12/15/121516_brit.jpg "/></figure></div>LONDON - An all-Filipino choir brought some early Christmas cheer during an event in the United Kingdom&#x27;s capital.The &#x27;Festive Prelude,&#x27; produced by non-profit organization the International Culture and Arts Exchange London, took place in St. Stephen&#x27;s Church in Gloucester Road, West London, on December 11.Up to 300 people of all ages were treated to 20 songs performed by The British Filipino Master Chorale - a newly-formed group of 14 Pinoys who are mostly amateur, community-based singers.Led by choirmaster Karlene Moreno-Hayworth, herself a former member of the award-winning choral group the Philippine Madrigal Singers, the choir serenaded audience with seasonal favorites in Filipino, English, Spanish, German, and Latin.Among the songs were: Anton Bruckner&#x27;s &#x27;Locus Iste&#x27;, Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane&#x27;s &#x27;Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas&#x27;, Leo Tellep&#x27;s &#x27;Jingle Bells Calypso&#x27;, Franz Xaver Gruber&#x27;s &#x27;Stille Nacht&#x27;, Francis Dandan&#x27;s &#x27;Pasko Na Sinta Ko&#x27;, and Lucio San Pedro&#x27;s &#x27;Simbang Gabi&#x27;.&quot;You know how it is when it&#x27;s Christmas back home and you get all nostalgic and sad, and you miss the puto bumbong and the bibingkas, and all these Christmas carols playing on the radio. You don&#x27;t get that here, so we thought this might be a really great opportunity to send the Philippines to them through music,&quot; Moreno-Hayworth said.The 32-year-old soprano revealed that the group - the first of its kind in London - had only formed following auditions last September.She added that while Filipinos actively sing in their respective churches and communities, there was no unifying group that provided a venue for Pinoy singers to harmonize and showcase their talents.&quot;In the Philippines there&#x27;s a very, very strong tradition of choral singing, and here it&#x27;s not as strong. Here in the UK, Filipinos are not singing together in the same way as in the Philippines. I thought the UK has a very different and British sound in terms of their choir singing, and this is something new and could actually make its own niche,&quot; she said.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/world/12/15/121516_brit2.jpg "/></figure></div>Those in attendance were impressed with what they heard.&quot;It&#x27;s really lovely. I do love a choral sound, and it&#x27;s really beautiful in this church. So I do hope they&#x27;re a good success and they go on to do many things,&quot; Wendy Ferrey said.&quot;The choir is beautiful. The harmonies and voices all mixed together really well and just complemented each other so beautifully,&quot; added Kim Pickering.Staff members of the Philippine Embassy in London, including Ambassador Evan Garcia, were also present.&quot;This is the first ever performance of the Filipino Master Chorale, and by singing and sharing our music, they are showing to our British friends the musical side of ourselves as a people. Everybody knows that Filipinos are musical,&quot; said Ambassador Garcia.After a hectic last two months of preparing for the event, Moreno-Hayworth was feeling jubilant about their achievement.&quot;I was pleased to hear many great feedback from people of other races, nationalities and origin, enjoying the Filipino choral sound and Filipino music from last night’s repertoire, which is one of the aims of the charity - to promote cross-artistic and cultural appreciation.”She was full of praise for her team.&quot;We&#x27;ve only been together for two-and-a-half months, and there&#x27;s room for improvement, but given the fact that most of them do not read notes at all, so they don&#x27;t know what&#x27;s going on, and a lot of them, most, if not all have got full-time jobs and children - this is astonishing,&quot; she exclaimed.&quot;The amount of time it took them to memorize 18 to 20 songs for a concert - and mind you not just in Filipino or English, but they&#x27;re singing in German, they&#x27;re singing in Spanish, they&#x27;re singing in Latin. And it&#x27;s not just popular repertoire, but classical repertoire, so I&#x27;m very, very proud of what they&#x27;ve come up with in such short time,&quot; Moreno-Hayworth added.The only British-born Filipino member of the group, Benjie del Rosario, is a freelance professional tenor and clarinetist.&quot;Karlene has done an outstanding job with this bunch of singers. She&#x27;s taken them from elementary to a really good amateur-semi-professional level in just short of 12 weeks,&quot; said the 39-year-old.&quot;I think it&#x27;s the start of something great. Maybe not on the sphere as the reputation of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, but in terms of a London Filipino choir this could go places. They are a terrific bunch. I&#x27;ve never seen such a dedicated bunch of singers who are ammos, in the best sense of the word. They&#x27;re amateurs, they&#x27;re not professionals, and they&#x27;re getting really stuck in,&quot; del Rosario added.The British Filipino Master Chorale has already received an early Christmas present - an invitation to apply for the International Choral Festival of Peace, taking place in Costa Rica in June next year.

LONDON - An all-Filipino choir brought some early Christmas cheer during an event in the United Kingdom's capital.

LONDON - An all-Filipino choir brought some early Christmas cheer during an event in the United Kingdom's capital.

British-Filipino choir brings Christmas cheer to London | ABS-CBN

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Lifestyle

Sports

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Overseas

British-Filipino choir brings Christmas cheer to London

Edward Lao,

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Published Dec 15, 2016 03:42 PM PHT

|

Updated Dec 15, 2016 05:56 PM PHT

Read More:

Choir

singers

British-Filipino choir

london

The British Filipino Master Chorale

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.