200-strong choir to sing carols with 60-member Fil-Am orchestra, Dec. 9

FASO and choirs performing. CONTRIBUTED

LOS ANGELES — Thrill to the majestic sound of 200 voices from combined adult and children choirs performing with a live 60-member orchestra in “Holiday Pops Concert” on Saturday, December 9, 6:00 p.m., at the beautiful Arcadia Performing Arts Center.

The Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), the only Filipino symphony orchestra outside of the Philippines, will perform cherished, nostalgic American and Filipino Christmas carols with the glorious voices of adult choirs comprising of members from Holy Family Chorale (Glendale), St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church Choir (Walnut) and Vox Kapelle Choir (Artesia), and children’s choirs of GOD Faith Choir (Carson), IHMC Children’s Choir (Los Angeles) and Precious Blood Children’s Choir (Los Angeles).

The combined count of 200 voices is significantly more than the number of participating choir members in FASO’s enthusiastically received Christmas concert last year.

Janelle Feraro

The show will spotlight guest youth performers Shane Selloria (a talented young ventriloquist), Nayah Damasen, Janelle Feraro and Riley Silos.

The pioneering Fil-Am orchestra will also play pop, Broadway, classical and OPM (Original Pilipino Music) pieces.

To be featured in FASO’s performance of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” is the orchestra’s pianist, Paul Concepcion.

Concepcion holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of the Philippines where he taught upon graduation. He took graduate studies in piano performance at the Musashino Ongaku Daigaku in Tokyo and traveled extensively to Europe and North America as a pianist for the UP Concert Chorus and as a performer with the folkloric group, UP Kasarinlan Ensemble.

Shane Selloria

Concepcion directed the choirs of First United Methodist Church in downtown Los Angeles, Temple City Seventh-Day Adventist Church and St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Lomita. He currently directs the St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church Choir in Walnut.

The virtuoso pianist had the honor of performing with the St. Genevieve High School Choir before former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter.

Tickets at $100, $60, $40 and $25 are available through Andy Tecson (323) 467-5096. Tickets are also available at https://www.arcadiapaf.org/leased-events/. More information at www.fasofoundation.org. Arcadia Performing Arts Center is located at 188 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007.