“It’s been very challenging, but it’s all worth it.”
Looking back to the day when we first discussed the concert, we thought about why we wanted to have one during the pandemic. Our answer was because we wanted to give hope to those in need by sharing the blessings given to us by God.
From there, we chose Tahanan ng Pagmamahal as our beneficiary because we wanted to help and at the same time be able to spark hope in those children who were abandoned and have experienced various forms of mistreatment, As well as the staff and volunteers who endlessly give their time and best efforts to attend to the needs of the children in Tahanan ng Pagmamahal.
The preparations went from choosing the concert theme to selecting songs that best fit our theme. The members had the liberty to sing in pairs or solo and select the song they wanted to perform. Afterward, we were able to discuss each song, and why the arrangement of songs came to be in the way they were placed in the concert.
The three main songs performed by MINT Riffs, “Burnout” by Sugarfree, “Imagine” by John Lennon, and “War” by Ben&Ben were all rearranged by our lovely members, Bryant Gali, Shanti Gleason, and Angie Bumanglag, respectively. Some MINT Riff’s members covered songs, such as, Emilio Dearos who covered “Grow As We Go” by Ben Platt, Michelle Cornejo, and Shanti Gleason covered “Found/Tonight” by Ben Platt and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The songs “When You Believe” by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey and “Good Enough’ by Little Mix were covered by Angie Bumanglag and Raemel Villaflores. Anton Buensuceso covered “Rainbow Connection” from the movie The Muppets. Lastly, Izy Pasatiempo covered the songs “Hold On” by Justin Bieber and “Di Ka Sayang” by Ben&Ben.
All songs that MINT Riffs and its members performed in Harmonies For Hope were arranged and produced by the Music Director, Joyce Chantel Ang, together with MINT Riffs’ music team, Angie Bumanglag, and Keoni Jin Nicolas, and the performers of each song.
MINT Riffs also invited some exceptional guest performers, singer-songwriter Jhasmine Villanueva, MINT Variety Crew member Lia De Jesus; a violinist, Justerini Brooks; a Malaysian band, LXCID; and some local bands such as The Revisors, The Great Dane, and Tothapi. We were very grateful for all the exceptional guest performers who willingly sang their hearts out, brought joy, and helped touch people’s hearts, especially in this time of the pandemic.
MINT Riffs donated P28,800 from the concert ticket selling and voluntary donations to their beneficiary, Tahanan ng Pagmamahal. Tahanan ng Pagmamahal divided the funds to provide consumer goods for 22 staff members/volunteers, food and milk supply for 39 children residing in Tahanan ng Pagmamahal. And the remaining funds are used for the check-up, medicines, and surgery of some of the babies.
It was MINT Riffs’ first-ever online concert, and just like what most of the people who were behind Harmonies For Hope said, “It’s been very challenging, but it’s all worth it.”
All of us were dealing with our final exams and projects. Some had work and other organizations in and out of the school, but even though there were many ups and downs, we were still able to pull through. Nevertheless, the event was successful, and we were able to aid the needs of more than 60 people in Tahanan ng Pagmamahal.
We are very grateful to everyone who participated and who was part of this event. To MINT College, the admins, all our viewers, event sponsors, special guest performers, and especially MINT Riffs, thank you for your support and for making this event memorable.
