Prodigy with golden heart

He sang in two fund-raising concerts with Alexa Burroughes in the piano and Sage Vergel de Dios in jambe for school children in the provinces.

James Ketcher’s singing and acting talents shine.

James Ketcher may well be your typical boy next door. Except that he is an ardent young man whose singing and acting talents are remarkable. He played the role of Louis Leonowens, son of the teacher Anna in the Resorts World run of “The King and I�? a few years back.

Aside from being a promising performer, though, James, only 19 years old, has proven himself to be a young man with a big heart. He sang in two fundraising concerts with Alexa Burroughes on the piano and Sage Vergel de Dios in jambe. Together, they first raised cash with which they bought school bags that they distributed among school children in the provinces. The proceeds in their next charity gig went to two children battling cancer and an incurable disease and two burn victims at the Philippine General Hospital.

Nineteen-year-old James, the eldest son of British Information Technology businessman Jay Ketcher and Filipina artist Mariza (nee Buhay), attends University of Glasgow where, upon entrance last school year, he majored in Music and Linguistics, although he has added Political Sciences this term as his optional course “because I hope to serve the Philippines after I graduate.�?

Just recently, James, along with five other students, out of hundreds of applicants, was chosen to appear on the University of Glasgow’s 2020 prospectus.

James and his mom, Mariza, recently visited the Daily Tribune studios where, as our Spotlight guest, he not only gamely answered our questions, but also sang a few romantic songs for us.

Daily Tribune (DT): James, please tell us about ‘The King and I.’

James Ketcher (JK): So I did The King and I when I was about ten-years-old. It was supposed to be a three-month show but it extended to an additional six months. So, I think, if I’m not mistaken, it’s the longest running show at the Resorts World Manila.

JK: I did Louie Leonowens, the son of Anna, who, in turn, was portrayed by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Monique Wilson and Shiela Valderrama.

JK: I did. So, I think the initial audition was a song of my choice but then for the callbacks I had to do a song of their choice which was from The King and I. I think it was “Whistle a Happy Tune.�?

JK: Yes. Before that, I was always school-based. I did small things like Oliver Twist at school. I can’t remember the other shows but these were just small things at school.

DT: ‘King and I’ was the big thing then, and were you nervous?

JK: It was… my baptism by fire. I was put in a room with a bunch of talented people and with past experiences in theater. It was daunting but it ended up being very fruitful. I managed to persevere despite my lack of experience.

It was also because they were looking for a Caucasian role and I was really into singing. It was my passion. It just so happened that I fit all the characteristics of what they wanted for the show so I ended up getting the part and I think I was number 285 when I auditioned. I’m not sure whether it’s for my role specifically but for the kids’ roles. I was hoping to get a small role as one of the Siamese children but I ended up getting one of the lead roles which is quite shocking.

JK: It was intensive. No specific coach for me, it was more like they put me in a room and said, “Do your lines, act for us.�? There was no build-up coaching or preliminaries. It was nothing. They just threw me in the deep end, basically.

JK: Well, there were long lines. And I was also out in the opening scene, which is quite daunting. Basically they wanted to see what you can put on the table. So, yeah, it was an amazing experience. Memorizing was difficult but it was a small price to pay for the amount of experience I got.

HE is a fan of Frank Sinatra and Josh Groban.

JK: That was probably the scariest night out of all of them. It was daunting. I was shaking throughout the whole thing. But I managed, I didn’t slip in, stick with my script, I didn’t make any mistakes with the lines. So, it was fantastic and the support I got from my family and friends was tremendous.

Romantic classical ballads have always come natural to me. I’ve always been a fan of Frank Sinatra and Edith Piaf.

DT: What does an actor do before he appears on stage? Rituals?

JK: You get around in a circle and just hold hands. Pray a short prayer, mention how blessed you are, that you are where you are. Obviously there’s the vocalization and the preliminary stuff you have to do.

DT: Your mom, Mariza, is a visual artist. But was she ever an actress?

JK: No but she sings with me. She’s always been inclined towards the arts.

DT: What did your parents say about your audition for this big role?

JK: Well, the support came initially. And it always persevered. They’ve always been so supportive. But obviously there’s this element of whether or not he will cope, or things like that but they’ve always believed in me so there was no problem in that case.

JK: Two years. It was a very long production. And that’s not taking into account the rehearsals and everything that took place behind the scenes.

DT: What did they tell you about the way you sang?

JK: I’ve always been told that my voice is the forefront of… I mean I had no theater background so, it was the singing… the auditions were predominantly singing so the acting came in later when I was actually given a role. You know, play around with the script.

JK: I did, yes. But not prior to The King and I. It was afterwards that I thought I’d pursue my singing capability. I had a music teacher at the British school in Manila.

DT: You must have had a great time, even just rehearsing.

JK: It was fun. Because at that point it was like playing with your ability to sing. It was probably around, I’m not sure how many months but I’d say it was a year. It was every week, once a week, twice a week. And then that’s when I also got into the ABRSM, the Association Board of the Schools of Music.

JK: It is an examination board that’s basically allows you, provided you do well in your exams, to go to universities that specializes in Music. And that’s what I did. That’s one of the predominant reasons why I ended up in Glasgow.

DT: About La Vie En Rose, which you sang for us in the show, why do you like it?

JK: Romantic classical ballads have always come natural to me. I’ve always been a fan of Frank Sinatra and Edith Piaf. So that’s always been my thing. And also I had a wonderful teacher in high school. She was my French teacher at the European International School.

The Mahatma Gandhi International School, where I first studied, has always been inclined towards the arts more than anything. So I had lots of integral music classes, music that’s always been in the curriculum. So that’s where I also built my… you know, we had plays, the school facilitated all of that. So that’s where I honed my understanding of music, I’d say.

In the European school, I learned a lot more. Mainly because my teachers pushed me to do ABRSM. They’ve encouraged me. But I did not take music in the European International School. My music teacher in Grade 10, Ms. Sunshine, (encouraged me to do ABRSM.)

JK: Definitely, he has to be Josh Groban. I’ve always loved his music.

DT: Let’s talk about Glasgow. What made you choose the University of Glasgow for college? What did you have to do to qualify for the university?

JK: Well, first, there were two elements in my qualification. It was the ABRSM examinations. So I finished Grade 7 in Voice, which is quite high. I finished Grade 8 and I also had to do Music Theory as a pre-requisite, which is quite intense, provided that I don’t play an instrument. And then the next part was my IB result, the International Baccalaureate, an international examination board where I ended up scoring quite well.

I got 39, I was extremely blessed to find out that I was put in the top 13 percent around the world to these examinations. It came as a shock, but I was extremely happy about that.

JK: The examinations were quite difficult. It was quite rigorous in that respect. But then I ended up looking across the different boards of universities and I found that the University of Glasgow ranked quite high in Music so that’s when I started to apply and found out that I got accepted in the university and that was my main choice.

JK: The music scene is fantastic. Ranging from the societies and clubs specializing in music to the program and what it offers. So that’s one of the reasons why I picked Glasgow. It also offers the course I wanted because I wanted to specialize in Linguistics as well so I ended up majoring in a double degree program, double honors for Linguistics and Music. It’s in Scotland, in the United Kingdom.

JK: It starts in late October, depending on the course. It finishes around May.

JK: It was difficult, being away from family, adjusting to the climate and a different set of friends. I’ve grown up in the Philippines and the Philippines has always been my home so adjusting was quite difficult. But in the end, you make friends. I’ll always regard the Philippines as my home but at some point you start to expand your horizon and I’m loving Glasgow, it was the best thing that ever happened to me in terms of tertiary education.

DT: Are you also involved in extra-curricular activities?

JK: I hopped around between societies, mixed and mingled with the theater kids. No I didn’t act but it was more of the scene, what it is all about. The whole first year was the adjustment period. I didn’t have time to delve into my extracurricular activities as much as I’d like to.

DT: Would you know how different it is to study in the Philippines and to study in Glasgow?

JK: I’d say that, from what I’ve been told, the classes are a bit more dispersed, broad. You have like two lectures in a day and the rest is expected that you’re studying in your free time. Whereas here in the Philippines it’s more intensive in the sense that we have assignments and things to do. So, in Glasgow, they put a lot more emphasis on independence.

DT: It must be expensive to study there.

JK: I managed studying abroad because I got a few awards from the university. So it came as a shock to me because of my IB scores and my ABRSM diploma. They gave me like a financial merit as a way of saying thank you. Considering your university, considering your results, we’d like to award you. So, it does help me with my living expenses.

Besides, I do part-time jobs. I do proofreading for foreign students in my free time. Well, lots of these Chinese, Korean students abroad have their dissertations, quite lengthy pieces of work. So I take my free time to correct a few bits of English and enhance the academic work.

DT: Where do you see yourself after graduating?

JK: I am majoring in Linguistics and Music. In my first year I majored in French, that’s why I’ve been inclined towards singing French. But as of now I shifted to Political Sciences as my optional course. The Philippines has always been my home and I really hope that someday I can come back and do something good for this country. That’s my dream. Not just to sing but I also want to be in a position where I can be of help to my countrymen.

DT: You will not forget theater, of course. Do you see yourself pursuing theater?

JK: No, I will not forget theater. I do see myself pursuing theater in the future. I’ve always been inclined towards the arts, specifically music, so hopefully I’ll make it to Broadway someday. As they say, you’ll never know.