Serenading Negros
One cool night in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, Jonathan De La Paz Zaens woo-ed and wowed an audience with songs ranging from Kundiman to Broadway. A hush fell in the ballroom of the Nature's Village Resort Hotel last Sept. 28, 2008, as this world renowned bass-baritone singer walked up the stage, with his black suit complementing the debonair good looks. When he sang the first lines of Rodgers and Hart's "With a Song in my Heart" (from the musical "Spring is Here"), there was absolutely no movement in the ballroom, as everyone sat deeply rooted in their chairs. Surely, the females were imagining that he was serenading each one of them directly, and the males were wishing they could lure the females the way he did! As equally famous as Jonathan were his two companions, Mark Anthony Carpio, who accompanied him on the piano, and Merjohn Lagaya, the violinist.
Together, they performed songs by Nicanor Abelardo, Ryan Cayabyab, Nitoy Gonzales, Louie Ocampo, and George Canseco. Without batting an eyelash, Jonathan shifted from Kundiman to Broadway, with his rendition of songs from "Damn Yankees", "Porgy and Bess" and "Paint Your Wagon". The night's surprise was a song he sang accompanied by Fr. Bernard Ybiernas.
Lyn Gamboa was the ever-gracious hostess for the evening, and is the person responsible for bringing Jonathan to Negros. Proceeds of the show went to various projects of The Negros Museum and The Ruins, Talisay's latest tourist attractions. Seen mingling during the intermission break were Talisay Councilors Marissa Lizares and Felix Hiballes, Robert Harland, brothers Toti and Gerry Ledesma, and Nina Paras. It was a varied crowd that ranged from the young to the "not so young", and where foreigners were even enjoying the Kundiman.
If Lyn Gamboa organized this event, then you can be sure that Negros' "Who's Who" would be in the audience: Aida Marañon, Merle Severino, Elsie Hinlo, Rolly de la Rama, Adjie Lizares, Lourdes Velez, Isabel Urra, and British photo-journalist, Hazel Stuart, among others. After the show, everyone in the audience was just too excited to meet him and have his autograph embedded on their newly purchased CDs. As the night ended, someone said he looked like a famous actor, but this writer shrugged off the statement. This writer has to apologize, because I later found out that because of his good looks, Jonathan Zaens has once been tagged as "the Piolo Pascual of Classical Music".