Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

‘Let’s support each other.’

"We Filipinos should help each other. Dapat magtulungan tayo. We should be proud of each other’s successes. That’s why I encourage everyone in the FilAm community to go to the gala concert of the first FilAm Symphony Orchestra. Let’s support each other," said Cecilia Coo Cruz, the concert mistress and violinist of the FASO gala concert on May 16 at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills."

Born in 1976 in the Philippines, Cecile comes from a family of musicians. Her mother, Corazon Arevalo Coo, is a pianist who has been teaching piano lessons to aspiring musicians for decades now. Cecile and her two brothers are all graduates of the Philippine High School for the Arts in UP Los Baños and took up Music in UP Diliman. The eldest, Jonathan Coo, is a pianist in New York with a Masters degree in Music while the younger brother, Victor Coo, is a cellist in Michigan.

Even in her teens, Cecile has already been immersed in the world of music. In 1988, at the age of 12, she won in the National Music Competition for Young Artists. She was a winner in the National Music Competition for Young Artists in the Philippines and was the recipient of the 1994 Outstanding Artist award. Cecile has been a member of the Philippine Youth Orchestra from the time she was 17 till she immigrated to the States at 25.

In 2001, Cecile graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor in Music degree, majoring in violin. After graduation, Cecile followed her family into the US. She got a Performer’s Certificate in violin from La Sierra University, Riverside before taking up her Masters of Music, major in violin, at the Andrews University in Michigan. Armed with her Masters degree, Cecile went back to California in 2004. She married a Hispanic, Timothy Cruz, with whom she now has a daughter.

Cecile has been busy teaching violin, played the violin for recording sessions with various artists for their music CDs, for movie theme songs and for entertainment shows in TV. She also uses her God-given talent for God’s glory by serving as Assistant Music Leader at the Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church and Assistant Music Minister at the White Memorial Church.

Cecile articulated her excitement about the formation of FASO. "My musician friend, Bochok Molina, was the one who informed me about the plan to form the first Filipino American Symphony Orchestra. I attended the initial meeting where we brainstormed on how to do it. I was excited kasi nga kasi first FilAm orchestra ito eh. It’s time mapakita natin sa ating mga kababayan na meron tayong ganito, an orchestra of our own, in LA," said Cecile.

While there are many Filipino musicians in America, it hasn’t been easy for them to establish their careers immediately. Cecile expounded on this in the interview with Asian Journal. "Iba ang culture dito sa States. Ang laki-laki ng US. It takes time for you to get contacts, grow your network and get established. When I left the Philippines, I was already established as a musician. We have a small music community in the Philippines. Kasi in the Philippines, most musicians come from UP, UST, or St. Scholastica. So even while studying Music in UP, I was already establishing my career- teaching violin, doing gigs, recording for albums, movies and commercials. When I got here, wala akong kilala and the country is so big. It took time for me to get contacts and prove myself," Cecile said.