of canto boys and girls

c5.

most people associate this term with a road. any knowledgeable motorist would tell you that c5 is the circumferential road crossing the pasig-taguig area. but for the people on the left, the word takes on a different meaning. c5, is not only a road.

c5 is a choir. c5 is a family.

i joined this group when it was still a month old last year. now, it is already a year old. more than its age, i have seen it grow in other areas as well. since my entrance to arvisu, i have been unable to attend the practices so when i joined the practice two friday's ago, i found myself pleasantly surprised.

first off, somebody who wanted to join the choir had to undergo a choir tradition -- audition! this 30-something (i'm being kind to his age) former seminarian had to sing in front of everybody. afterwards, he was interviewed. second, we practiced a song arranged by darren, one of our members. the arrangement was very creative and very challenging for most of the voice groups. in the end, everyone enjoyed the arrangement especially the sopranos who had to do a C#! lastly, the group engaged in a preview of the readings for the upcoming sunday mass. as it turned out, members are assigned as liturgists for the week. the liturgist comes up with the repertoire based on the theme and readings for the that sunday.

i have not even begun telling you how this choir has improved vocal-wise. far from the shy and timid group last year, it has conducted parish seminars on liturgical music and has joined the more seasoned jesuit music ministry choirs such as bukas palad and hangad on several occasions.

but what has really struck me is how much the group has grown, how much it wants to grow, and how much it continues to grow. in between practices are the endless yahoogroup emails, messages (and counter-messages!) and food trips! this choir treats any food establishment as their own living room (this includes starbucks, much to the dismay of the reviewing public who treat coffee shops as their own personal library). people have begun sharing their own stories and their own encounters with people. most importantly, they share their own encounters with God. i see that the members have bonded far deeper than the vocal arrangements. their musical prowess is a testament to one thing...

the harmony of their souls.

sure, the group has its own share of concerns and issues. it has had (and will continue to have) its fair share of growing pains and misunderstandings. but what is important is that people are still willing to sit down and listen, to pause and hear the other side, to dwell in silence to let the other speak.

in the end, the allusion to a circumferential road may not be too farfetched after all. as a road and like the church it serves, c5, is a choir always on a journey.

c5 is a choir always on a pilgrimage.

with God and for God.