From Parisian stages to healing hearts: A journey through opera and music therapy

Krissan Manikan-Tan’s journey as a soprano began when she was in college.

“From 2007 to 2011 at Sta. Isabel College, I took singing and piano lessons, but I didn’t complete the course because my music teacher fell ill,” Manikan-Tan said. Included in her studies were performing in operas and recitals, using body movements and gestures, and working with creative ensembles. She also studied scripts to understand characters and develop her roles, similar to an actress. It required time, patience and focus to portray characters effectively in both dramas and comedies.

“During a masterclass in the Philippines in 2011, French vocal pedagogue and dramatic soprano Florence Guignolet gave a masterclass in opera and I was one of the singers. After the masterclass, Guignolet asked me if I wanted to study in Paris, which I gladly accepted,” she recalled. Manikan-Tan got a scholarship from the French government and was able to get her Diplôme d’études Musicales: Lyric Chant from the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris in 2013.

“Learning opera in Paris was exciting because it was not only singing that was the focus, but there was also dance, theater and yoga, which helped a lot in singing. Our solfège class was one of the courses I looked forward to because Mr. Despax, our theory teacher, taught with so much enthusiasm and energy,” said Manikan-Tan. Solfège, a form of solmization, is when syllables are assigned to the notes of the scale to assist the musician in mentally hearing the pitches of a piece of music to sing them aloud. Manikan-Tan also loved her ensemble class, where she gets to sing in a duet or a trio.

Upon her return from Paris, she started a family and continued her piano studies. While remaining an opera singer and classical and cross-over performer, particularly in Pakistan, The Netherlands and the Philippines, she began teaching voice and piano in 2013, often to students with ADHD or autism.

In 2017, she started her role as a music teacher at TCI Village Rehabilitation Centre in Amadeo, Cavite, where she teaches music as therapy to residents of the rehabilitation facility. Residents who have a substance use disorder in drugs, alcohol, gambling and sex, and those with mental health issues including bipolarity, schizophrenia, ADHD, autism and borderline disorder benefit from such classes as music appreciation and vocalization from Manikan-Tan.

Kundiman at Kaarawan, an event on 17 August to celebrate GeiserMaclang Communications, Inc.’s 25th year and also Manikan-Tan’s birthday, will gather Manikan-Tan and her associates for a lecture and musical performance. Louie Arelvi Villanueva, a guest violinist who is also a biochemical engineer, university lecturer, conductor and chorister, is one of the guests. Reynaldo “Raki” Reyes Gendrano, award-winning classical pianist, composer, arranger and organist, and guest pianist Augusto Espino, who is known for his creative work in piano, voice and chorus, will also perform at the event.

Espino’s portfolio includes work performed globally as part of the Filipino concert repertoire. Raul C. Navarro, chair of Conducting and Choral Ensemble Department at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, will give a lecture. There will also be a performance by Peggy Geiser, an internationally award-winning, neuroatypical mainstream artist on the autism spectrum and an A5 Awardee for the Performing Arts, honored by the Autism Society of the Philippines.

Kundiman at Kaarawan will be held at Sounds Kradle, 56 Doña Hemady St., Brgy. Mariana, New Manila, Quezon City. For tickets, call Krissan Manikan-Tan at 0977-4448147.