Filipino choir Kayumanggi Chorale celebrates 35th year with a heritage concert at Merkin Hall
New York - A long-running Filipino choir celebrates its 35th anniversary this year with a concert titled ‘Himig Pamana - A Musical Heritage’ on October 11, 2026 at the Merkin Hall (129 W 67th Street, NYC 10023).
The Kayumanggi Chorale Inc. (KCI) will present ‘Himig Pamana’ (legacy music in English), said press relations officer and former president Ludy Corrales, to recognize the group’s three decades of dedication to choral excellence, cultural preservation and community service.
One of New York’s oldest Filipino choral groups, the Kayumanggi (brown in English) Choral celebrates its 35th anniversary this year with a heritage concert at the Merkin Hall.
Themed as Voices in Harmony for Humanity, the concert follows KCI’s dual purpose as a non-profit organization to deliver beautiful music and to raise funds for the needy, using the proceeds from our performances.
The concert will be a mix of patriotic, international, spiritual, and Pilipino songs in various dialects, including Broadway hits with KCI’s very own talents - Liza Villamaria, Radnel Ofalsa, and Joshua Monderas.
Attendees will experience a dynamic repertoire that showcases the evolution of KCI, featuring a mix of traditional Philippine folk music, sacred pieces, and contemporary choral arrangements.
Ludy Corrales: This concert will be nostalgic.
Corrales assured that the concert will evoke nostalgia from the audience and rekindle their deep connection to the Philippines.
Singing to support victims of calamities in the Philippines
KCI was founded in 1991 as a creative means of responding to victims of natural calamities in the Philippines. Situated in the typhoon and earthquake belt in the Pacific, the Philippines is regularly battered by natural disasters every year.
When Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the KCI started raising funds through concerts headed by the first KCI President, Flerida Reyes. An initial $10,000 was sent to the Philippines to help Mt. Pinatubo victims. In 1995, KCI helped finance the reconstruction and redevelopment of some affected areas.
Under the leadership of Hector Magno, a choral competition was organized at the Lincoln Center. The competition produced $20,000, which was given to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), as a way for Filipinos in the diaspora to pay it forward.
Since then, KCI continued to fulfill its mission of humanitarian gift giving through its beautiful and soul-searching music.
Challenges
During the pandemic, KCI could not hold concerts to raise funds for the needy and relied on donations from our patrons and friends to contribute toward disaster relief.
KCI donated $2,000 for the displaced families due to the Taal volcano eruption and $2,500 to benefit the families who were affected by Typhoon Roly and Ulysses.
KCI: Singing to raise funds for Filipinos in distress during calamities that batter the Philippines all throughout the year.
In addition, KCI donated $500 to the teacher’s organization AFTA for its Balik-Turo online program.
Corrales cited that the turnover of seasoned singers has always been a challenge. “We lost our most beloved coloratura singer, Lani Misenas, due to illness. Some relocated to different states. Some concentrated on their careers, business or family life,” she noted.
With the members’ connections with music schools in the Philippines, KCI is able to recruit young and upcoming music-minded individuals and preserve Philippine culture through music. # (See poster for tickets and donations. A press release from Ms. Ludy Corrales)
