$15 Cover @ the Door ($10 Students) / Start 8pm / Doors 7:50pm / Seated Show
Join Filipino artists Lauren Florek, Carlo Bunyi, and Macky Caldoza in "Kundiman at Kwentuhan," a casual performance of songs from the Philippines. Encompassing classics and folk, spend the evening as they tackle stories of love, longing, nature, reminiscence, and devotion through song.
Carlo Bunyi, baritone
Filipino baritone Carlo Miguel C. Bunyi is a Boston based soloist and teacher whose dedication to his craft and stylistic versatility has led him to explore a diversified range of musical activities both domestically and internationally. Carlo is a founding member of Filipino vocal ensemble PASIPO with whom he performed as a featured soloist in the Philippine premiere of J.S. Bach’s Cantata BWV 131, Aus der tiefen ruf ich Herr zu dir.
As a versatile artist, Carlo has essayed the role of Baron de Pictordu in Viardot’s Cendrillon, Simone in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, sung in the chorus of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. He was also featured in the Philippine Opera Company’s Young Artist Series. He took part in the first reading of Niloufar Nourbakhsh’s new opera “We the Innumerable” held at Opera America and he also performed at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts as part of the Longy Student Showcase.
Futhermore, Carlo sang alongside performing groups such as the Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble, the Thomasian Chamber Choir, and the Boston Camerata.
Carlo has participated in masterclasses by Irma Potenciano, Arthur Espiritu, Jeffrey Gavett, Dana Varga, Andrea Huber, Timothy Long, and Nyela Basney. He has received coaching from Byeong-In Park, Carol Mastrodomenico, Thomas Enman, Dr. Libor Dudas, Noriko Yasuda, and Brian Moll.
Carlo finished his Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the Longy School of Music under the tutelage of Metropolitan Opera artist Jeff Mattsey and is now pursuing his Master of Music degree in Music Education at the same institution.
Carlo is a member-artist of the Lyric Opera of the Philippines and currently serves as a cantor at Saint Ann Parish in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Lauren Florek, soprano
Filipino-American Soprano, Lauren Florek brings honesty and authenticity to everything she performs. Lauren has performed in a wide variety of styles. Lauren performed the role of Carrie Mae in The Silver Fox, the Watch Duet from Die Fledermaus with Longy’s Orchestra Flex, was a soloist in the contemporary musical 35mm and performed with Voices of Zion, a new ensemble that specializes in African American Spirituals.
Last fall, Lauren was accepted into Boston Opera Collaborative’s Young Artist Training Program and understudied the role of the First Witch in the Boston Camerata’s production of Dido and Aneas. During quarantine Lauren performed in a virtual fundraising concert benefiting the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Covid-19 African-American relief fund, which featured the music of Black composers from various styles. She also performed in a virtual fundraising concert for Envision Artist Company, a Black and Latinx founded Theater company in New York City.
Lauren has also begun to study Kundiman, a genre of traditional Filipino love songs and performed virtually in Kababayan: A Celebration of Filipino Identity. Lauren spent the summers of 2018 and 2019 in Urbino Italy with Musica nelle Marche studying Italian language and receiving musical and dramatic coaching. Lauren studied the roles of Lauretta from Gianni Schicchi and Mimi from La Boheme and performed scenes in several concerts throughout the Marche Region.
Lauren is also an experienced chorister and has performed in several churches throughout the Chicago Area. She served as a section leader at St. Vincent DePaul Parish for the 2020-2021 season. She is currently a chorister at Trinity Parish of Newton Centre.
Lauren was a semifinalist in the 2021 Perfect Day Music Competition. She was also the second- place winner of the 2019 Kleinman Competition. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from DePaul University and a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from the Longy School of Music.
Macky Caldoza, piano
Anne Marie “Macky” Caldoza, is a solo and collaborative Filipino pianist. In recent years she has performed Filipino and Western classical repertoire in the Boston area. She is on piano faculty at Noteworthy Experiences Music Studio in Sudbury, MA and at Community Music Center of Boston. At CMCB, Macky also serves as Teaching Artist for Piano and General Music in the Community Engagement Programs, which provides music education to various communities in the Greater Boston Area.
Macky has participated in various master classes with prominent international artists such as Peter Serkin, Igor Levitt, Spencer Myer, Yoonie Han, Victor Asuncion, Reynaldo Reyes, Aries Caces, Pascal Rogé, Mariel Ilusorio, Benjamin Loh, Andrew Ma Cong, Dorian Leljak, among others. She has performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, PhilAm Life Theater, and the Ayala Museum as a soloist and with orchestras such as the UST Symphony Orchestra, and the Manila Symphony Orchestra. She has also been a featured artist of the Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation.
Macky began her piano studies at the age of 12 with the renowned Filipino soloist and collaborator, Najib Ismail. She received her Master of Music degree and Graduate Performance Diploma in Piano from the Longy School of Music under the tutelage of Wayman Chin, Dean Emeritus of the Conservatory. Macky graduated Cum Laude from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, Manila with her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. She has participated in a number of competitions and has achieved awards such as Honorable Mention from the National Music Competition for Young Artists; a Silver Award from the Asia International Piano Academy Festival and Competition, Korea; 2nd Prize from the UST Chopin Competition; 2nd Prize from the PTGP Bach Competition; Honorable Mention from the PTGP Mozart Concerto Competition; and Honorable Mention from the PTGP Haydn Competition.
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