Monday, January 21, 2008

Back to Normal... THANK GOD!

Truth be told, I was worried that the concert in Iloilo would go the way of "oh dear God this woman shouldn't be singing tonight..."

I hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before as my daughter was feeling sick.  Rob and I were up at the crack of dawn to make our morning flight to Iloilo, that worry going through my mind.  Doing a full concert with only 4 hours of sleep was not going to be easy.  We flew in (a bit turbulent on the landing unfortunately)... visited SM City for a brief meet and greet... had lunch... and headed to the hotel for some rest.  I forced a nap, just so I could get a few extra minutes.  Thankfully I was able to catch a few moments of sleep, then gave myself time to wake up and warm up before going to my sound check.  My voice still felt tired.  Rats.  Only 4 hours of sleep.   And a little nap.

I knew I was going to have to do some serious therapeutic warm-ups as taught to me by my voice teacher in London.  Really slow and deliberate.  I needed to get blood to flow.  After a dinner of tinola, I started the warm-up, and continued while my make-up artist was preparing my face and hair for the night.  This was going to take time, and I wasn't going to skip or rush.

This was my first night back to singing in concert after my vocal rest.  This night was both scary and special.

The concert was going to start late since the rain and heavy traffic was causing a slow audience inflow.  I was getting updates in my hotel room about what time the show was to start... it was scheduled for 8, but after all was said and done, we hit our first downbeat closer to 9 to allow for as many people to arrive as possible.

I kept on doing low volume runs to keep my voice warm during the wait... finally, our director Chari called all of us backstage to say a little prayer.  I felt the rush of adrenaline start to course through my veins, as well as a little sting of terror.  Please, please let this go well, I prayed in my head... just get me through tonight.

I got through... and it felt wonderful.

It felt really, really good to be back at work doing what I love.  I felt my confidence return as the show progressed, my voice getting warmer and more pliable with each song that passed.  We constructed a relatively easy repertoire to allow for me to just get back in the swing of things and not shock my system... and I think it worked. 

To everyone that came to the show, THANK YOU!!!  It meant a lot to me that you were so supportive and warm to all of us.  We shall most certainly return.

I have my joy back.  Oh thank you God, I have my joy back.

38 comments:

sees pop said...

Happy to hear you had a great concert....congratulations!!!! :-) Hope Nic is feeling better. Must be a bug going around...Jaime's been sick for a whole week! :-(

moy ortiz said...

Congrats Lea. Am glad your vocal health is back!!!! Congrats also with the great Iloilo show. Balitaan mo rin kami how Bacolod went okay.....

Jay Marquez said...

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!

arkitekfhc . said...

That's great news! Glad you're chords have healed. Looking at your list of concerts, this must be your busiest. Take care and have a great show in HK, Hawaii and Calif.

Skip and Loretta :-) said...

Lea~ Thank you for the wonderful account. :-) We're so happy to hear that all went well...aside from the apprehension and Nic's condition; hope some of your healthy aura rubs off on her.
All our love to all of you! :-)
Skip & Loretta

ARIEL REONAL said...

Yes! Congrats Manang! Thank God! We will be waiting for you here in HK. Everyone's excited! Some Disney people (Golden Mickeys in particular) are watching on the 9th and some on the 10th. I believe you added a Sunday matinee. Trish and I will go on the 10th, 8pm.

agnes del rosario-cortez said...

congratulations for a wonderful concert!!! Thanks God you're feeling okay now...take care!

Paolo Dy said...

Congratulations!! :D :D :D wish we coulda been there!

bea garces said...

We in Bacolod are so glad you are alright now. we cannot wait to see you on saturday...its a dream come true for your BAcolod Fans. Take care and Good Luck on Saturday. For sure, its going to be one big unforgettable night for everyone!

katrina sombito said...

i'm getting excited already...just a few more days!!! hope nic's feeling better. have a nice day!!!

Soleil NYC said...

What a fantastic post, thank you for sharing your joy! I was with Adam at an audition the other day and I told him about your voice and he said, "I'm sure she'll be better in no time" and he was right. xo

Guy Gustafson said...

Hehehe! :-D Have you ever been so happy all you did was laugh? Happy for you that you have your joy back! Happy to know we can hear that voice live again!

Naomi Luis said...

It was a night to remember for us who were there. I really hope you can return to Iloilo to sing again, and maybe stay longer next time? Thank you for the wonderful experience.

Thank you for sharing your passion and your gift with us. Take care and may God bless you and your family.

Lien Lano said...

Hi Lea,
I see you're online. Question, will your concert at San Manuel be released on DVD?
I was so excited to see you again there since your Cerritos concert when you were just a few weeks heavy with Nic. I couldn't help reacting after almost every song you sang. Also, that was me who saw and watched you played Miss Saigon on Broadway, Feb 22, 1999, your birthday!
Wishing you continued blessings.
Thank you Lea,
Lien
Lien Lano

anne mendoza said...

congratulations for a wonderful show and thank you for sharing your stories with us.

bobby rodriguez said...

Lea, you did a great job that night here in Iloilo. I can't really describe the feeling of seeing you perform inspite of your vocal stress days prior to the show, but it was sheer happiness and excitement to the very least. I was worried for you too, but then, being the "batikan" that you are, I knew you'd come out beautifully on the show. My only regret was that I wasn't able to pose for a pic with you (hehehe--and I was nagging everyone to wait with me for you to come back from Esca's but everyone wants to retire early that night...plus the traffic was really horrible). I loved your repertoire and so did everyone I knew who was on the show. And thanks for guesting Jed Madela on the show too... It was the perfect time for Ilonggos to realize the gem that they have coming from their own backyard. You wouldn't believe this, but most of the Ilonggos who were in the audience only appreciated Jed's talent after your show. Weird, huh? Oh well, I can go on and on...but do read my blog about your concert (which I hope to finish by the weekend) if you have extra time.

Once again, congratulations! We ilonggos love you (especially me!) and thanks for mentioning the alma mater of your mom (coz that's where I have honed my theatrical training too!) --Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus. When you mentioned that in your concert, I was the one cheering so loudly I think I annoyed my seatmates. Hahaha.. Cheers Lea!

marysse villanueva said...

i may sound obsessive but i was wondering if you're gonna have a different repertoire on your concert in Bacolod? coz i will be watching again.. im sorry, i don't want to appear like im stalking on you :( i would just like to grab every chance i have to see you and hear your voice, it's not always that Lea Salonga performs and i sure am not missing it if i know i have the chance.

tin samson said...

just read this now.. yay, congratulations! :D
i hope nicole is better now.

Ria O. said...

Hi Lea! It was a great show, ano? I didn't know you were going through that. Galing! Thank you Lord. Thanks a lot for the mention too.

JANE AREJOLA said...

Congratulations! wish you can also have a concert here in bicol...and i promised myself that i'll be on the front seat. i hope nicole is ok now. God Bless you and your family always:)

Sharon Agoncillo-Galang said...

Hi Lea! Glad to know that my favorite singer is well and ready to sing beautiful songs again. Take care. :)

Alexander Cohen said...

Yay Lea!

Regina Marie Javellana said...

That is very nice to hear Ms. Lea. =) Congrats and I'm really happy that you're well. =)

Richelle Sy-Kho said...

hi ms. lea! congratulations on your iloilo concert. it was a great show, and all of us who watched had a wonderful time listening to you and singing along with you. :) thank you for singing your heart out for us. cheers, and God bless!

Guy Gustafson said...

That is not being a stalker, but being a supporter - at least I hope Lea sees it that way! I'm going to fly some 6,000 miles to Hawaii, and since she will be performing two concerts in the islands in two nights, I'm going to be too close and will get tickets to both as soon as they go on sale.

Jennie . said...

gee! it is my dream to watch your concert :) I hope to see you! I thank God for helping you all along.

Vina Pineda said...

hi there! we were in iloilo that week for a vacation. but since our flight back to manila was (unfortunately) that same night as your concert, my sis and i just trooped to sm city with hopes of hearing you sing. honestly we were quite disappointed that your appearance was very brief and you didn't get to sing at least one song. anyway, after reading this, i understand it all and now i admire you more. :-) more power!

Michelle S said...

we're so happy to hear about your total vocal recovery =) GodBless always!

♥CHeRRyBLue SHoP♥ said...

Congrats Lea! Hope to watch you soon in Manila.

Urane laderas-cabantog said...

congratulation for the successful concert and for the recovery of your voice!! indeed, you made your fans happy and hopefully they made you happy too... How's Nic at this time, hope she's okay by now....God Bless you and your family... hope to see you soon at your concerts....in manila or bulacan,.. hehe

Alek Angelo Picardal said...

good luck to your concert in bacolod tomorrow.
i'm gonna watch. =)

lance aguas said...

"in the known world, there are only 42 who have the tony award, and only 15 lawrence olivier awardees. lea has both."

miyu matsudaira said...

i saw you in sm.. i really 2 cd's of your concerts and had to pay 710... unfortunately, you didn't sing... yet i understand... i knew long before that you had laryngitis and expected that you needed vocal rest before the concert... but the fact that i saw personally is a great honor to me!!! thanx a lot for moving the world!!! you inspire me a lot!!!

Mitzi Saguisag said...

I had the joy of watching and listening to you in Bacolod. Congratulations! You were great!!!! I actually got to hear the world-renowned Lea Salonga-Chien. :) Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Hearing you, listening to a 33 piece orchestra live was one of the happiest days of my life. Thank you. And thank you for posting such real stories. Thank you! :) Jed Madela was great! He was fantastic singing the Phantom and the arrangement was fantastic!!!!

Bee Yachh said...

I love it, hahaha.

Li'l Dove Feather said...

Glad to hear you're okay. Hope Nic is, too.

Michelle S said...

Hi there! The tix are on sale as of today, plus a pleasant surprise of additional concert tours in Kauai and the Big Island. Let's all have a blast!

Guy Gustafson said...

Thank you! I purchased tickets to two of Lea's Hawaii concerts (Kahului & Honolulu), and I am very satisfied. Looking forward to having a blast, indeed!