Marian Auditorium

Miriam College Institute for the Arts

Quezon City

Philippines

‘Amihan’ playwrights Joel Toledo and Liza Magtoto took seriously the development of a story line based from the original boy-turned-protagonist girl, “Pedro” in the short story became character “Amihan” in the full-length play.  However, not in the lighter tradition where drama is told for children with colorful and humorous characters while on the side parallels the social ills of a nation to create valuable life-lessons.  Ma. Kristine “Chynna” Roxas’s inclusion as co-lyricist helped retained the lightness and appeal and to sum up all of these aspects including the director’s vision, I had to make the songs simple and appealing because the nature of the material is really intended for children.  For each central character, they have a unique melodic motif which is integrated into their songs.  With these being addressed, the recall factor has been achieved.

In order for me to match the magnificent set, costumes, and lighting designs, I decided to use much of the standard orchestral samples with emphasis on the glockenspiel, harp, and strong percussion loops plus a rather vocal echo effect at the recording and live performances to suggest the touch of fantasy which was very prevalent in the characters consisting of Filipino mythological creatures.  These elements reinforced the over-all effect needed in order to make the play more convincing and true.

Jed Balsamo

jediskywalker[at]musician.org