 |
| What's gamelan? What's Kontra-Gapi? |
 |
| Edru and his "kids" of Kontra-Gapi demonstrating Angklung |
 |
| Introducing our musical instruments to a school in Landquart, CH. |
 |
| Explaining Philippine music and its beats to the teachers of a school for children with especial needs |
 |
| During an interview done in the home of a friend, Marilu S. before the despedida concert |
 |
| In his element, always inspired to share his knowledge |
 |
| Edru explaining about the mat being designed by a national artist...Banig, banig kayo dyan! |
 |
| Edru and his fellow Cagayanons during a performance in Bad Homburg |
 |
| One great man with equally great women! |
 |
| Photo taken by Weni Gamboa |
Our first meeting was what one terms back home as
bullillaso. I was in Chur to attend the 20th year celebration of
our Babaylan country network, Balikatan. My dear host friend KaBabaylanes, Adora F. requested me and another kaBabaylanes, Judy J. from Denmark to wait for the arrival of
Kontra-Gapi in the hotel and accompany them to the office of Balikatan where
lunch would be served.
To make the story short, we didn’t wait long for the
group and went straight to the lunch venue thinking the group must have found
the place without us. So you could imagine what followed. It was so embarrassing
to have left them driving around looking for the venue and hungry.
For the next days in Chur, I was hanging around with
Kontra-Gapi and had the luck to be near Edru during his performances and
workshops. I watched him talk to his troupe during breakfasts like a doting
father to his kids. I watched him explain the meaning of gamelan and the
different musical instruments with the same passion whether it be a huge gala
performance or workshops with school children. I watched him do a jamming with
another locally known pianist in Chur. I watched him and heard him all over
again and again that their troupe is for creation and not simply imitation. I
watched him and got fascinated by his passion and devotion to our indigenous
culture. I felt so lucky to have been given this chance meeting this great
Filipino founder of this unique cultural group, Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino
(Kontra-Gapi).
Mabuhay ka Edru!
A short video of the despedida concert of Kontra-Gapi in Bad Homburg, hosted by Ms. Marilu R. Scheich.
Below is a detailed info on his background as provided by the University of the Philippines.
Professor Pedro R. Abraham, Jr.
A Profile
Professor Pedro R. Abraham Jr. Graduated with the
degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Drama and Master of Arts in Art
History from the University of the Philippines in Diliman (UPD). He holds the
rank of Associate Professor in the department of Art Studies of the College of
Arts and Letters (CAL) where he teaches performing arts history, visual arts
history, and Philippine culture and arts studies.
Known professionally as Edru Abraham, he is a familiar
figure in the university as the leader of the Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino
which he founded in 1989. Popularly known as Kontra-Gapi the troupe was
appointed resident ethnic music and dance ensemble of the CAL in 1993. From its
beginnings to the present, they have been rendering engagements including
performances, lecture-demonstrations, and workshops in music, dance and mime as
often as three times a week for a wide variety of audiences and institutions in
all types of venues in the Philippines and abroad.
Prof. Abraham began his career as a performing artist
with the Filipinescas Dance Company: Philippine Life Legend and Lore in Dance,
founded by Leonor Orosa Goquingco, a Republic of the Philippines National
Artist for Dance. He was part of the company as dancer, musician and mime-actor
from 1965 to 1971. He started his career as an academic in UP at Los Banos in
1976 where he served as instructor in Speech, Theater Arts and Humanities. In
the same year, he began work as choreographer and stage-director of “Himig ng
Lahi-The Story of the Filipino People in Song,” an ensemble founded and
directed by Felipe Padilla de Leon, yet another National Artist but in the
field of music. Prof. Abraham was part of the ensemble on several tours of
Canada and the USA from 1979 to 1981. He joined the UP Filipiniana Dance
Troupe, UPD’s resident folkloric company, from 1982 to 1983 on South East Asian
tours. In the second half of 1983, he studied Indonesian arts in Jogjakarta
under Bagong Kussudiarja. With Kontra-Gapi, with other performing groups or by
himself alone, he has traveled extensively to Asia, Australia, Europe and North
America for concert engagements, lectures and demonstrations, music, dance and
mime workshops, and consultations on Philippine culture and the national
heritage.
As a human rights activist, Prof. Abraham did
residency in 1986 in London, UK with Writers and Scholars Educational Trust, an
organization defending freedom of expression worldwide. He continues to this
day his advocacies of human rights, the rights of indigenous peoples and
ecological conservation by networking, lecturing and performing, at times
taking to the streets in rallies and demonstrations. In 1989, shortly after
founding Kontra-Gapi, he formed another troupe - Alay-ani: Tula at Awit sa
Bayan at Bayani, highlighting poerty, song and Philippine social realities.
Under the auspices of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, this troupe
toured all over the archipelago.
From the start of his professional performing career
in the mid 1960’s to the present, Prof. Abraham has participated in various
capacities as actor and director, dancer and choreographer, musician, singer
and composer, voice talent, narrator, and presenter, conceptualizer/writer and
producer in several hundred productions on stage, film, radio and television.
In 1996, he and his brain-child Kontra-Gapi were awarded the Gawad Chanselor ng
UPD signal plaque for exemplary achievement in the performing arts. On several
international missions, Kontra-Gapi under his mentorship was appointed
“Ambassador of Goodwill for Culture and Arts,” both by the UPD Chancellor and
the UP System President. For his relentless pursuit in bringing the arts of the
Philippines to the world, he was awarded the UP International Award for the
Arts for the year 2000. He has received awards of distinction for outstanding
achievement in culture and arts as a “favorite son” of his hometown,
Tuguegarao, and Cagayan, his home province. In 2005, he was honored with the
title “Defender of our Cultural Heritage” by Fookien Times, a yearly national
review, and Star Publications, one of the nation’s leading publishing houses.
Prof. Abraham sits in the committee on culture of the UNESCO-Republic of the
Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs United Nations Commission. His wife,
Rebecca, their son Apollo, and their daughter Astarte, are all successful
performing artists.
Contact Particulars:
Pedro R.
Abraham Jr.
Faculty
Center 2003
College
of Arts and Letters
University
of the Philippines
Diliman,
Quezon City 1101 Philippines
When everybody back home is talking about pork barrel scam and plunder, am blogging about one fatty but delicious Philippine merienda to go with your favorite tea or LatteMacc. The other day, I was Skyping with one BFF (Best Friend Forever) and as usual our topic touched on what else but food. She told me she would like to cook bananacues, and this gave me the idea to save the bought Saba or Kochbananen as the Germans call them which are now yellowing in the kitchen. Want to please (meaning as a friendly revenge)the nice Dutch neighbor who has been pampering me with a Dutch doll wearing traditional Dutch dress, rhubarb compote and Advocaat with cream. So this merienda or snack is called turon. If you want to make it yourself, here are the ingredients:
Turon
Saba or Kochbanana (choose the yellow ones as the green ones are quite hard and need longer cooking)
Red Sugar to roll the cut banana
Cooking Oil for deep frying
Wrappers for Lumpia (available as frozen wrappers in Asian shops)
Just follow the photos and enjoy cooking, as simple as that. Note that either you fold your wrappers or just leave them open at the ends before deep frying. Let the golden fried turon drip a bit before serving otherwise they might swim in hot oil. Then share them with your neighbors bringing the hood to the neighbor as I have read somewhere else. Kain Tayo! Let's Eat!
