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| "Song of Joseph" SJ COPA's Annual Fund Raiser |
| St. James COPA Foundation, Inc. CHURCH OF THE POOR APOSTOLATE PARISH OF ST JAMES THE GREAT AYALA ALABANG VILLAGE |
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| COPYRIGHT 2007. ST JAMES - COPA FOUNDATION, INC. AYALA ALABANG VILLAGE, MUNTINLUPA CITY PHILIPPINES |
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Christmas came a couple of months early
to St. James Parish with COPA’s staging
of the musical “Song of Joseph” at the
main church on October 28, 2010.
Indeed, the play is the Christmas story
told from the perspective of St. Joseph.
“Song of Joseph,” which SJ COPA chose
as its principal fund raiser for 2010, has
been billed as “a musical on the life, love
and death of St. Joseph.” It is an original
work commissioned by the Oblates of St.
Joseph as a way to promote devotion to
the saint. Coincidentally, the work was
completed in 2010 which marked 95 years
of the Oblates’ presence in the
Philippines. For this important
undertaking, the Oblates engaged Ms.
Fides Cuyugan Asensio, one of the
country’s leading names in classical
music, whose career as singer, librettist,
lyricist, stage director, and producer
spans six decades. Ms. Asensio
confesses to “almost refusing” the job, as
she didn’t know much about St. Joseph.
But Fr. Rony Alkonga, the provincial
superior of the Oblates, persisted. On a
vacation in the U.S. in early 2009, Ms.
Asensio came across the needed reading
materials and got engrossed. Before she
knew it, she had finished reading seven
books on St. Joseph and found herself
writing the libretto along the way. During
the Holy Week of that year, she totally
immersed herself into writing the libretto.
She also linked up with Raymond Roldan,
himself an accomplished classical singer
and composer, and his wife Jeannelle who
together wrote the music for the script.
Thus, “Song of Joseph” was born.
The play premiered at the Meralco
Theater in early 2010, directed by Noel
“Dingdong” Cabazar, and with the highly-
acclaimed artists Jon Joven Uy and Tricia
Amper Jimenez in the lead roles of Joseph
and Mary, followed by shows at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines on
March 7, 2010, and at La Salle Sentrum
in Lipa City on March 20 and 21. In mid-
October 2010, the musical was also
presented in New York, Philadephia and
Maryland before its staging at St. James
Church on October 28. The play also
employed some of the foremost names in
Philippines theater: Raymond and
Jeannelle Roldan as musical directors
aside from being the musical composers;
Rollie de Leon – scenographer and
production designer; Joy Rago – project
director ad costume designer, Manny
Estrella – Technical Director/Lights; and
Norberto Cruz – Sound director.
The musical opens with the celebration of
the betrothal of Mary and Joseph, where
the two are pictured as just like any
ordinary couple in love and looking
forward to spending their life together. It
swiftly moves to its first conflict when Mary
reveals that she has been chosen to bear
the Messiah and is in fact already with
child.
The plot follows the gospel accounts we
are all familiar with: an Angel tells Joseph
to stay with Mary; Mary visits Elizabeth; a
census is called thus Joseph and Mary
have to go to Bethlehem to register, and
the child is born there. What makes the
play different is that the narrative always
portrays the point of view of St. Joseph,
as can be gleaned from the titles of the
songs:
to St. James Parish with COPA’s staging
of the musical “Song of Joseph” at the
main church on October 28, 2010.
Indeed, the play is the Christmas story
told from the perspective of St. Joseph.
“Song of Joseph,” which SJ COPA chose
as its principal fund raiser for 2010, has
been billed as “a musical on the life, love
and death of St. Joseph.” It is an original
work commissioned by the Oblates of St.
Joseph as a way to promote devotion to
the saint. Coincidentally, the work was
completed in 2010 which marked 95 years
of the Oblates’ presence in the
Philippines. For this important
undertaking, the Oblates engaged Ms.
Fides Cuyugan Asensio, one of the
country’s leading names in classical
music, whose career as singer, librettist,
lyricist, stage director, and producer
spans six decades. Ms. Asensio
confesses to “almost refusing” the job, as
she didn’t know much about St. Joseph.
But Fr. Rony Alkonga, the provincial
superior of the Oblates, persisted. On a
vacation in the U.S. in early 2009, Ms.
Asensio came across the needed reading
materials and got engrossed. Before she
knew it, she had finished reading seven
books on St. Joseph and found herself
writing the libretto along the way. During
the Holy Week of that year, she totally
immersed herself into writing the libretto.
She also linked up with Raymond Roldan,
himself an accomplished classical singer
and composer, and his wife Jeannelle who
together wrote the music for the script.
Thus, “Song of Joseph” was born.
The play premiered at the Meralco
Theater in early 2010, directed by Noel
“Dingdong” Cabazar, and with the highly-
acclaimed artists Jon Joven Uy and Tricia
Amper Jimenez in the lead roles of Joseph
and Mary, followed by shows at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines on
March 7, 2010, and at La Salle Sentrum
in Lipa City on March 20 and 21. In mid-
October 2010, the musical was also
presented in New York, Philadephia and
Maryland before its staging at St. James
Church on October 28. The play also
employed some of the foremost names in
Philippines theater: Raymond and
Jeannelle Roldan as musical directors
aside from being the musical composers;
Rollie de Leon – scenographer and
production designer; Joy Rago – project
director ad costume designer, Manny
Estrella – Technical Director/Lights; and
Norberto Cruz – Sound director.
The musical opens with the celebration of
the betrothal of Mary and Joseph, where
the two are pictured as just like any
ordinary couple in love and looking
forward to spending their life together. It
swiftly moves to its first conflict when Mary
reveals that she has been chosen to bear
the Messiah and is in fact already with
child.
The plot follows the gospel accounts we
are all familiar with: an Angel tells Joseph
to stay with Mary; Mary visits Elizabeth; a
census is called thus Joseph and Mary
have to go to Bethlehem to register, and
the child is born there. What makes the
play different is that the narrative always
portrays the point of view of St. Joseph,
as can be gleaned from the titles of the
songs:
Joy of My Life, Together We Kneel, Thou
Ravish My Heart, Mary Where Are You,
Mary Forgive Me, Song of Joseph, among
others. .In the words of Fr. Alkonga, the
musical does not put words into Joseph’s
mouth but rather allows Joseph to express
everything that was in his mind and heart.
The title of the play and it’s sub-line, “a
musical on the life, love and death of St.
Joseph,” were chosen by Fr. Alkonga
with approval of Ms. Asensio. He explains
that he put love between life and death “to
emphasize the gospel truth that it is love
that should make a man live and keep on
living even after death.”
The musical played to a near full-house at
the St. James Church, which reverberated
with the one beautiful song after another
throughout the 2-hour performance. At
the end, the audience gave the cast a
standing ovation. COPA’s organizers led
by its president Mon Abejuela, and the
organizing committee composed of Ma.
Luisa Rodriguez, chairperson, and Alice
Bacani, Vivian Madrigal, George Ditching,
Clinia Carandang and Ludy Barcelona,
were very happy with the outcomes as it
delivered on the objectives which they
had targeted.
What special message do we get from this
timeless story, retold with the artistic
imagination and creativity of the musical’s
creators? Our pastor Msgr. Ernie Joaquin
summed it up in his souvenir program
message: Joseph was a man of
obedience to God’s will. Joseph, a
righteous man, did nothing of his own
without first clearly getting the promptings
from God. This is indeed a challenge to
the 21st century individual who likes to be
in control of his life. Msgr. Ernie reminds
all that “in the midst of pursuing our
apostolate for the Church of the Poor we
need to be rooted in the most basic
realization: This God is the supreme
benefactor to dispense the grace in the
manner that He wants and which
unquestionably should redound to the
spiritual upliftment of all men.”
Ravish My Heart, Mary Where Are You,
Mary Forgive Me, Song of Joseph, among
others. .In the words of Fr. Alkonga, the
musical does not put words into Joseph’s
mouth but rather allows Joseph to express
everything that was in his mind and heart.
The title of the play and it’s sub-line, “a
musical on the life, love and death of St.
Joseph,” were chosen by Fr. Alkonga
with approval of Ms. Asensio. He explains
that he put love between life and death “to
emphasize the gospel truth that it is love
that should make a man live and keep on
living even after death.”
The musical played to a near full-house at
the St. James Church, which reverberated
with the one beautiful song after another
throughout the 2-hour performance. At
the end, the audience gave the cast a
standing ovation. COPA’s organizers led
by its president Mon Abejuela, and the
organizing committee composed of Ma.
Luisa Rodriguez, chairperson, and Alice
Bacani, Vivian Madrigal, George Ditching,
Clinia Carandang and Ludy Barcelona,
were very happy with the outcomes as it
delivered on the objectives which they
had targeted.
What special message do we get from this
timeless story, retold with the artistic
imagination and creativity of the musical’s
creators? Our pastor Msgr. Ernie Joaquin
summed it up in his souvenir program
message: Joseph was a man of
obedience to God’s will. Joseph, a
righteous man, did nothing of his own
without first clearly getting the promptings
from God. This is indeed a challenge to
the 21st century individual who likes to be
in control of his life. Msgr. Ernie reminds
all that “in the midst of pursuing our
apostolate for the Church of the Poor we
need to be rooted in the most basic
realization: This God is the supreme
benefactor to dispense the grace in the
manner that He wants and which
unquestionably should redound to the
spiritual upliftment of all men.”
The St. James COPA Foundation Board of Trustees would like to thank all the Benefactors for your kind generosity at the last Advent/Christmas Season. May the Lord reward you a hundredfold. |
PHOTO Credits/Sources:
Front - Oblates of St. Joseph
Page 2 - Bambi Gamban
Page 3 - Mon Abejuela
Page 4 - Nena Simbulan
Front - Oblates of St. Joseph
Page 2 - Bambi Gamban
Page 3 - Mon Abejuela
Page 4 - Nena Simbulan