If there's one from the upperclassmen that I could remember as a nasa-kaniya-na-ang-lahat person, it would have to be Aran Villanueva whom I regularly address as "Sir Aran". As soon as he got home from California, I got excited to know his experiences in performing onstage abroad.
When I first watched his performances via Facebook, I was surprised to know that he too is a violinist. Long I have known Sir Aran for being a guitarist and a member of the Blue Jays drumline when he and I have joined together for recitals conducted by Zion's Praise Music Incorporated that is based here in General Santos. Without any doubt, I placed my bet on his victory.
A year has passed now since he was able to grab a silver and two bronzes.
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I then sought correspondence with Sir Aran as a part of Adventure's coverage for its features section:
"As an artist, you have to learn to be flexible and versatile in your styles.
"Here in Gensan, there are people who appreciate classical music. I am part of the Gensan Youth Orchestra and we play and love Classical Music. We also have an audience that greatly loves to hear us play.
"I hope to make people happy by entertaining them with high quality music that many people will remember very well. I hope they would be really looking forward for my next performance and they would really have high expectations to see me and they would already have a mindset on how you will play and entertain the audience.
"That is my ultimate goal in life and I can achieve it by striving hard and practising. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and by perseverance and discipline in all my rehearsals, I can realize my dreams.
"I would be more relaxed if I perform here because I am doing it for fellow Filipinos and I’m really used to that."
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But above all, Sir Aran declares that he still has a long way to go: "If there is one thing that I learned in WCOPA, it’s that there is so much more that I have to learn. I am excited to work hard and be an even better musician."
Sir Aran, I am excited to see you become a professional musician and watch your recital at the Palais Garnier. I foresee that by then, you would have become a renowned composer who might conduct your own. All the best, Sir!
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My thanks go to Tita-Doc Michelle, Sir Aran's mom for allowing me to feature him!
And also to Super Graphic's Sir Kalel Arnold de Guzman for having me on October 14th — friends, mark your calendars; ha-ha char lang!
Maraming-maraming salamat kay Sir Jepoy ng Manila Bulletin sa kaniyang leksiyon ukol sa pagdisenyo at paglapat ng diyaryo noong gabi ng ika-27! Mga kapuwang tagadisenyo, maaari niyong i-access and video sa pahina ng NOW sa Facebook.|jvdm|
