Passion for music a requirement in Winnipeg Filipino choir, but experience isn’t

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Peggy

A love of music? Check.

A passion for singing? Check.

Tons of experience? Great, but not necessary.

That’s the unofficial motto of the Musica Singers of Manitoba, a Filipino choir in Winnipeg marking its second year.

“There was a need in the community for a choir for Filipinos. We’re known to be good singers,” said Oscar Pantaleon Jr., the choir’s founder and director.

“We see Filipinos doing karaoke, doing guitar, but not a real choir intended for, to perform Filipino music,” said Pantaleon.

A choir of Filipino men and women perform on stage. — What started as a casual get together of Filipinos who love to sing, morphed into a serious choir. The Musica Singers of Manitoba now performs at formal recitals as well as community events. (Focal Plains Studio)

While they’re not professional singers, that doesn’t mean the singers can’t hit their notes.

Winnipegger Keitopher Chacon, a full-time chef, loves singing despite his admitted once-limited vocal expertise.

“Music experience … technically and educationally, I have zero — but in terms of loving music, I have loved music since I was a kid,” said Chacon, now a tenor in the choir.

What started as a casual get together of Filipinos who love to sing has morphed into a serious choir.

The Musica Singers of Manitoba now performs at formal recitals as well as community events, and has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Choral concerts are planned for 2025.

The choir sings traditional songs from the Philippines in Tagalog, as well as songs in other languages including English, Italian and Maori.

“It’s our medium to reach out to the whole community,” not just the Filipino community, said soprano Jesse Alcasabas.

The Musica Singers of Manitoba are the subject of a new three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Winnipeg’s Sisler High School, a post-high school program that trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking.

Create students Luis Manguerra, Shea Miller and Shai Vilenski East, all 18, produced the new short video.

Meet the filmmakers

Portrait of young, Filipino man with short, dark curly hair. He is wearing a light grey cardigan with a white T-shirt underneath. — Filmmaker Luis Manguerra. (Focal Plains Studio)

Luis Manguerra defines himself as a creative drawn to everything from visual arts to music. He is also interested in filmmaking and various film and writing styles. Outside of film, he spends his time learning music, playing games and making art.

Portait of young, Caucasian man with short, dark curly hair and black-framed glasses. He is wearing a light red T-shirt. — Filmmaker Shai Vilenski East. (Focal Plains Studio)

Shai Vilenski East has been fascinated with the world of film and entertainment since an early age. He made his first stop-motion film when he was nine and has continued to make films for the sake of entertainment and fun. In junior high, he was an editor for his school’s news program, and he created multiple short films in high school. Now, his dream is to become an editor, creating films that are nothing short of awesome.

Portrait of young, Caucasian woman with long, straight brown hair. She is wearing a white, scoop neck top. — Filmmaker Shea Miller. (Focal Plains Studio)

Shea Miller immersed herself in literature, music and movies beginning in childhood. She is now an aspiring filmmaker and has a strong passion for storytelling. As a filmmaker, she hopes to voice life experiences for herself and for others. She has enjoyed expanding her knowledge and learning different ways to tell stories through documentaries and journalism. She is also a member of two cultural dance groups in Winnipeg and recently became an instructor in the SPK Iskry Polish School Of Dance.

More about Project POV: Sisler Create

CBC Manitoba’s Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here.

The Winnipeg School Division’s Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts.

During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler.

Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.