RISING TENOR ROGELIO PEÑAverde, Jr., a scholar of the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York, blew into town recently and regaled family and friends in a series of intimate dinner-soireés. The specialists immediately took notice of his new-found confidence, more powerful projection, and exquisite bel canto delivery.

“Magugulat ang Pilipinas, Jun, tenor ng bayan (The Philippines will be surprised, Jun is the tenor of the nation),” exclaimed veteran pianist Julie Mendoza. Now, that’s a hometown decision, opinion I mean, because Mendoza happens to be young Peñaverde’s vocal coach.

A more objective—although also friendly—assessment comes from Court of Appeals Justice Magdangal de Leon (baritone, guitarist, and son of the late National Artist Felipe Padilla de Leon): “His voice has become richer and fuller. Brilliant timber, unlike no other tenor in the country.”

And from a cultural journalist: “…he is a music scholar pa lang, not much accomplished.” Now, that should serve as a challenge to our tenor.

A product of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Conservatory of Music, Peñaverde—Jun to family and friends—comes from a musical family. His father, tenor Rogelio Peñaverde, Sr. and mother, soprano Solita Baldeo, have sang in operas and musicals and are members of the Serenata Singers and other choirs. Jun’s siblings—brother Siegfred (cq), and sisters Lavinia and Maricel—all have fine singing voices, but have opted for careers other than music.

Thrilled

Needless to say, Peñaverde is thrilled to be in New York, Big Apple, to see operas at the Met, and hear and sometimes meet celebrities like foremost baritone Bryn Terfel, Rossini tenor Juan Diego Flores, sopranos Renñe Fleming and Anna Netrebko, etc.

“Many American singers are technically perfect but there are just a handful you really want to listen to,” he observes. “With a lot of them, it’s just egoism.” On the other hand, Filipino singers are “passionately sincere, we open ourselves up on stage.”

There are many other Asian music students at Manhattan, mostly Koreans (support system sila), along with two other Filipinos—soprano Katrina Saporsantos, who is graduating this year; and tenor Leo Paolo Leal, an undergraduate member of the Philippine Madrigal Singers when it won the Grand Prix in the international choral competition in Paris last year.

His mentors are vocal teacher (a technician) Cynthia Hoffman and vocal coach (actually a pianist) Robert Kopelson. “I like the fact that they train you for a career,” Peñaverde says. “They don’t just give you the [vocal] equipment, they look for opportunities. They have a career development office. They teach you how to do auditions, resumés, headshots. They have a data base for music contacts, they have events organizers, managers...”

The good news is that Peñaverde has been tapped for a summer program (July) in Rome, where he will do the lead role of Camino in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” Yesterday, Metro Manila. Today, Manhattan. Tomorrow, Europe and the world? Let’s keep on working and dreaming. And maybe our tenor’s dreams will come true.