"Farewells" - BIMCC #12 (26-27th July 2018)
This blog series details my experiences as a composer-fellow for the "2018 Banaue International Music Composition Competition" ("BIMCC") dedicated to the efforts of the "Banaue Rice Terraces Restoration Project".
For the full blog series, click here.
With the concert finished, the 2018 BIMCC event was coming to a close and I certainly hope that it has been successful in bringing awareness to the current restoration project. We had one more full day left before our scheduled departures, and we had a blast with it.
Foremost, we had lunch at the charming heritage restaurant, "Barbara's", complete with live musicians playing an a mighty fine buffet selection.
Barbara's Heritage Restaurant
This came swiftly before a tour of Manila, via horse and carriage, visiting valuable vistas such as the old fortifications and religious buildings.
The Tour Begins
A Horse Tour
Old Fortifications
Old Church
The rest of the day gave us free reign, and so we spent the last of it together having fun on some local amusement park rides - a fitting conclusion to an otherwise meticulously organised event!
Brave People
Ye Olde Ferris Wheel
More Brave People
Transport of the Future
A Swing
A Bigger Swing
On the Bigger Swing
The Last Supper
A very enjoyable evening to end the event and take our mind off of the impending departures tomorrow. And on that final day, ah, many tears were shed as we said our farewells to fellow composers, our invaluable assistants and the composer-judges.
The Day of Departures
The Masterful Maestro, Chino Toledo
But thankfully, the farewell wasn't all at once, but rather, it was quite gradual. I was warmly accompanied by a few of the other composers on the first flight to Dubai, enjoying the unexpected pleasure of business class seating.
Last Gathering in Dubai
An Unexpected Business Class
Many Methods to Entertain
Back in England
And thus ends the BIMCC blog!
I must send my deepest thanks to Dr. Milagros O. How, the incredible architect behind this event and several others, and many thanks to you the reader for making it this far! I hope that this blog has aided in bringing awareness to the restoration project, however slight, and helped to preserve this wonderful culture.
I'll leave you with these official videos of the event that succinctly summarise its entirety far better than my blog ever could. As always, my heart beats for Banaue!
"The Journey"
"My Heart Beats for Banaue"
FIN
