Postcard from Florante Aguilar and Adrianna Mateo
In SFGC’s Postcard series, our guest artists, collaborators, and faculty take us behind the scenes and share an intimate look into their thoughts about music, life, and art-making.
This postcard features guitarist Florante Aguilar and solo violinist Adrianna Mateo, both of whom are collaborators on this weekend's premiere of SFGC's new choral opera, Tomorrow's Memories: A Little Manila Diary, running June 16 - 18.
A collaborative project three years in the making, this semi-staged work, featuring SFGC's award-winning Premier Ensemble, is based on the 1924-1928 diary writings of Filipina immigrant Angeles Monrayo and highlights the importance of the Filipino diaspora’s cultural impact throughout the United States, particularly in the Bay Area. Featured guest artists for this program include Florante Aguilar and percussionist Haruka Fujii.
Below, Florante and Adrianna share behind-the-scenes insights into the making of Tomorrow's Memories.
Florante Aguilar, Guitarist
The documentary HARANA depicts your return to the Philippines for the first time in 12 years, in search of some of the remaining harana (Filipino courtship serenade) masters. Conversely, in Tomorrow’s Memories, Angeles leaves the Philippines and details her life in a new country. How is “home” tied to “place?” How does “home" transcend “place?”
For me, home is not necessarily tied to a place. Culturally, my home is still the Philippines even though I no longer live there. In fact, its traditional music and culture that continually inspire me is probably no longer there - neither practiced nor celebrated. But I still have romantic notions of it. They live in my head. That is how I keep it alive. That is home.
What do you find compelling about Angeles’s story?
I think a lot of us immigrants will have an immediate connection with Angeles’ story. Reading her diary was not only a screenshot of a time and place but also of a very specific societal issue she found herself in - the treatment of plantation workers and discrimination against Filipinos. And it was made more poignant by the fact that she was only 11 years old!
How has your relationship with Filipino music evolved over time?
There was a time when I actually had zero interest in traditional Filipino music. I even avoided it because as a teenager, they sounded old-fashioned and I’d never be caught dead playing it. I liked western pop music and rock and roll. But as chronicled in the Harana documentary, my world turned upside down when I went back to the Philippines for my father’s funeral. The re-connection was so overwhelming it sparked so many inspirations. It’s like I traveled the world in search of my muse, only to find it in my backyard.
You are both a composer and a performer. How does your compositional practice affect your relationship with other composers’ music as a performer?
To me, composing music is like a solving a puzzle, it’s a series of choices that comprises a whole. There are right and wrong choices. So, I am always interested on how other composers make choices in their work. Why did they go there? What kind of influence did he/she have to make that choice? Was it purely out of inspiration, or is it contrived?
So, as I perform other composers’ work, those questions are running at the back of my mind. And knowing the answers to these questions not only satisfies my curiosity but also help inform my performance of it.
What inspires you about working with SFGC
The first time I worked with SFGC, I was immediately impressed at the level of musicality and musicianship of the girls. Considering how young they are, they were tackling works that require conservatory-level of training , and doing it with aplomb! Tomorrow’s Memories songs are no joke and they are singing it from memory! I’ve also enjoyed performing with a few of the soloists on various occasions and I’m always amazed at their talent and discipline. SFGC provides such a vital training ground especially in this period of zero-emphasis on musical education.
What are you excited to work on in the future? Give us a sneak peek!
So excited to work on the Gumamela Project (a grant award from Creative WorkFund). It explores the commonalities between the music from Philippines and Mexico which happened through the Manila galleon ships that plied the Pacific waters for over 300 years. As colonial subjects of Spain, those ships between Manila and Mexico traded more than just dry goods. They traded culture as well. I’m partnering with Cascada de Flores, one of the leading Mexican traditional music practitioners in the Bay Area for a series of concerts and a studio recording.
Adrianna Mateo, Solo Violinist
Your professional activities include many roles (solo violinist, singer, actor, to name a few). Is there a commonality connecting these vocations, and if so, what is it?
Okay, so: sometimes when I'm improvising and I'm in a very blessed and focused space, I hear a note that I haven't played yet kind of glowing in my mind/ear. When I play it - even though it took me a second to let go of the fear of not knowing if it'll work - the timing and placement just works. I didn't create the note, it was given to me; I had to say yes to it through a bit of fear for it to actually happen. I think that's the best way I can answer this question.
How does having such a variety of roles affect your relationship to each pursuit individually? Does one vocation deepen your relationship to another?
Certain things hold true across all disciplines. Come in prepared. Leave your ego at the door but don't be afraid to stand in your value. Be willing to be a student. Connect with people. That covers 90% of it. The rest is details. I think singing made me a better violinist and vice versa; musical improvisation and songwriting helped me think on my feet as an actress. I remember feeling both relieved and a bit sad to have sheet music in front of me the day after I wrapped a play I acted in.
You debuted at Carnegie Hall on piano at age eight. How has your relationship to performance changed over time?
As a performing adult, I've learned to leave time to steam my concert clothes, especially if I'm in a country with different voltage.
What advice would you give our young singers who may be pursuing a career in music?
Time management and knowing when to ask for help are just as important as talent.
What do you find compelling about Angeles’s story?
I love that Angeles Monrayo was a writer and an observer, kind of like me as a child. (I actually used to bring books to birthday parties - I'd sit in a corner, reading amidst the chaos.) Anyway, she was probably so unassuming in person, maybe invisible: a small girl just trying to live in a new country amidst mostly men making a stand for fair wages and hours. It's testament to how powerful one voice can be, despite all appearances. On a personal note, my ability to be a performing artist is the result of my parents' immigration to the US; I feel lucky that I can voice the stories of people who came before me, many of whom didn't have the resources to be heard in their time.
What inspires you about working with SFGC?
I'm excited to work with a group that centers female and nonbinary voices, both on stage and behind the scenes. It makes a difference.
What are you excited to work on in the future? Give us a sneak peek!
I'm in a place where I approach work with a lot of gratitude. I mean, I get to wake up and collaborate with the best artists - across multiple disciplines! I get to write down what my brain is spinning itself out on, perform it, make people feel happy, and heal myself at the same time. I'm learning the Brahms Violin Concerto for fun, writing songs and performing them, and filming a little thing for an FX show later this month. Honestly though, I'm flying by the seat of my pants.