It was a reunion of sorts – just in front of me are two people who have so much in common through music and yet were separated apart for more than two decades. Elisa Arnesto-Siasoco, who once played with the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO), could not hide her happiness while she told Asian Journal how she found Bob Shroder, a colleague with the MSO and now the musical director of the Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra (FASO).
"My sister was reading the Asian Journal and saw the (FASO) ad, thinking it was MSO. Then I saw Bob’s picture," she said.
But FASO is based in Los Angeles and Siasoco lives in Northern California. Still, in some sort of musical fate, she called Shroder and found out that he, along with Asian Journal publisher Roger Oriel and Balikbayan Magazine Editor-in-Chief Lito Ocampo Cruz were heading the same way to visit.
Now two people bonded by the love for music now eagerly reminisce the good old days.
Siasoco started to play the violin at the age of 7 or 8. "I was playing on and off, I wasn’t really serious," she said and added, "I really started learning the piano first." She also explained that it was her sister, Cynthia, who was really into playing. "She plays the viola," Siasoco said. From a project of former First Lady Imelda Marcos where they played at the Nayong Pilipino, someone saw Siasoco’s potential and was invited at the University of the Philippines. "From then on, nahatak na din ako – that is where it started."
That was in 1979. There on, Siasoco moved up the musical chain, being the youngest member of the Philippine Youth Orchestra (around 13 to 15 years old), to having been taught by mentors Prof. Rizalina Buenaventura and Prof. Sergio Esmilia. With MSO, she toured the Philippines for performances and even played during the late Pope John Paul’s visit in Manila. "Para kaming family," she said, referring to her MSO colleagues.
After MSO around 1984-1985, Siasoco became part of a string quartet that played at the Marco Polo Hotel in Singapore. "Somehow mas gusto nila doon ng Pinoy," she explained when asked why she thinks Filipino musicians are in demand abroad. "Natural feel ang tugtog kasi nila, unlike ng iba, pilit – parang robot, too mechanical."
Today, Siasoco is a paralegal assistant, but as music runs in her blood, she still plays and teaches the violin privately. "I enjoy that. That’s my passion – teaching, playing."
Siasoco left the Philippines in 1986. She earned her music degree at the Notre Dame in Belmont and played for the university’s quartet. She married in 1991, and has now two kids, aged 16 and 6 years old – and yes, both are budding musicians.
Siasoco hopes to teach her students not just how to play the violin, but something more on style and expression. "A high level of music, keen intonation," she said, explaining that these are some of the things she learned through experience.
So as Siasoco and Shroder joked, laughed and reminisced their days at the MSO, she explained that she was glad to have found out about FASO. "Konti lang kami dito sa Bay Area," she said, referring to Fil-Am musicians, "Nalulungkot ako, so naghahanap ako. Nami-miss ko magplay sa orchestra."
Siasoco was also able to play with the CA East Bay Symphony. "I looked at the music and the music I played with the MSO – it came back, it’s there," she said. Now being playing with her fellow Filipinos in FASO makes it all better.
( Published on May 13, 2009 in MDWK Magazine p. 3 )
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