An intimate evening with the Kabayaos

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By Ted Aldwin Ong

It was an intimate evening to remember with the Kabayao musical family. Concert pianist and accompanist Corazon Pineda Kabayao, joined by her violinist daughters Farida and Sicilienne, along with her son-in-law, Roy Paniza, welcomed a small circle of guests for dinner, music, reflection, and remembrance of the late virtuoso Gilopez Kabayao.

Among those present were the family’s longtime confidants, Dr. Malvar Ferrer and his wife, Gina, together with their daughter, pediatrician Gianna Ferrer; Rev. Dr. Ernest Howard Dagohoy, president of Central Philippine University; neighborhood friends Mrs. Agnes Guzman, Dr. Jose Soriano, and his wife, Marilen; and writer Menchu Sarmiento, accompanied by her daughters, the admired writers Alice and Irene.

We joined the gathering as part of an informal collective of professionals called KONA, or Kabayao Order for National Artist, which had been personally assembled by Iloilo civic and business leader Marissa Segovia together with Joy de Leon of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation in January 2024. KONA helped prepare the nomination of Gilopez Kabayao for the Order of National Artist for Music, which was eventually submitted before the June 2024 deadline.

The term “KONA” was coined by artist, designer, and educator PJ Arañador, inspired by the Hiligaynon word associated with an infant’s “crib” — a familiar image of safety, care, and nurture. It became an apt metaphor for the project in its early stages, reflecting the tenderness and fragility surrounding the life, family, and legacy of Gilopez Kabayao.

Though PJ, Joy de Leon, and Hermie Ore were unable to attend that night, the gathering still brought together kindred spirits — Annie Divinagracia-Sartorio and her husband, Joren, August Melody Andong, Anthony John Estolloso, Marissa Segovia, and me — over thoughtfully prepared dishes by Sicilienne.

The gathering took on the atmosphere of an intimate housewarming, as conversations drifted through architecture, interiors, books, and art, surrounded by treasured mementos of Gilopez Kabayao collected over years of performances in concert halls abroad and in far-flung rural communities where he and Mrs. Kabayao had brought classical music to audiences across the country.

Farida toured us through the second floor, where her ongoing interior project was still taking shape amid stacks of boxes filled with letters and photographs, alongside art pieces waiting to be hung on the walls. She also shared her archival work to preserve her father’s handwritten correspondence with his parents, siblings, and friends, as well as numerous photographs — materials we considered valuable for future projects. The tour gave the house a deeply personal and reflective atmosphere that enriched our time together.

Mrs. Kabayao marked the gathering with anecdotes and little-known stories from their years together, interwoven with a series of piano pieces by Frédéric Chopin. Among the selections were the “Étude No. 1 in A-flat Major,” popularly known as the “Aeolian Harp” Étude, whose flowing arpeggios carried a delicate, wind-like softness across the room; the “Barcarolle in F-sharp Major,” with its gentle rhythm and reflective lyricism reminiscent of gondolas gliding across still waters; and the charming “Minute Waltz in D-flat Major,” also known as the “Petit Chien” Waltz.

Complementing the mini-concert was KONA’s own Anthony John Estolloso, who was unexpectedly invited by Mrs. Kabayao to share a piano piece. Responding with visible nervousness and hesitation to the surprise request, he nonetheless performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Prelude No. 1 in C Major” from “The Well-Tempered Clavier” with admirable sensitivity and composure, drawing appreciative awe from all of us. Anthony showed his deep understanding of music, performing Bach’s luminous and contemplative composition effortlessly, creating an atmosphere of calm and intimacy, and eventually drawing warm applause from the room.

The evening was beautifully capped by the performances of Sicilienne and Farida. Before they could begin, the two violinists had to wait for replacement strings to be brought and installed on their instruments — “a quiet indication that their violins had not been played for quite some time,” their mother jokingly remarked. Yet their mastery immediately filled the room with elegant renditions of Camille Saint-Saëns’ “The Swan” from “The Carnival of the Animals” and Edward Elgar’s “Salut d’Amour,” a favorite piece of Gilopez Kabayao.

Mrs. Kabayao recalled meeting Gilopez when she was only 19 years old, nearly 58 years ago, remembering how determined he had been to become part of her life and artistic journey. The performances that night featured music that had long been woven into their lives, serving as a tribute to the enduring presence of Gilopez, their shared Christian vocation, and the years they had devoted to music together.

Her hands had grown gently stiff with time and age. “Unlike before, I no longer play the piano regularly,” she said. “In fact, it was Gilopez who prodded me more than once to play again,” she added, as his portraits overlooked her hands gliding across the keys that night. She quietly remarked that he would have been the happiest to witness the gathering and music shared that evening.

Yet despite the passing years, the hands of Corazon Kabayao still carried the memory of discipline and artistry, moving across the keys almost instinctively with a grace that time could not fully diminish. In that intimate gathering of stories, memories, and music, what remained most moving was not simply the performances by the Kabayao family, but their enduring love, friendship, faith, and devotion to art. Every note played and every conversation shared in the house that night became a reminder of the enduring power of music and faith in a Higher Being — a shared memory that all of us present would carry with us for the rest of our lives.