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Chuckie Ibay Mesmerizes Washingtonians in OLV Centennial Concert
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Washinton, DC, Sept 23, 2009 (Pinoy Global) - Concert pianist and tenor Carlos "Chuckie" Alberto Ibay gave a
commanding performance to more than 300 distinguished and appreciative guests at a benefit concert last
September 20, staged as part of the centennial celebration of the Our Lady of Victory Church in the
Foxhall/Palisades section of Washington, DC.
The Concert, entitled 'Joyous Celebrations of Faith, Hope and Love' featured captivating interpretations of the
works of the great artists, Mozart's "Sonata No. 11 in A Major", Chopin's "Andante Spianato & Grand Polonaise,
OP 22", and Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2", as well as breathtaking vocal renditions of sacred music,
broadway favorites and Filipino love songs.
The evening was also another celebration of triumph over adversity. Blind since birth, Chuckie was born
premature with a birth weight of 1 lb and 14 oz. He expressed his musical genius even before turning 3 years
old, in spite of spending the first 3 months of his life ventilator dependent on an incubator. Having developed
his God given talent through perseverance, deep faith, hope and love, the crowd was pleased to be a witness
to this wonderful miracle.
Highly accomplished, Chuckie has performed in 5 continents, and, among his long and impressive list of
performance venues include the stages of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Carnegie Hall in New
York, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Rachmaninoff Center of the Arts in Russia, the Teatro Storchi
and Teatro Communale Di Carpi in Italy, and impressive concert halls of Brazil, Australia and Israel, among
others.
Noteworthy, last year, as part of the 60th Israeli Independence Day, Chuckie performed at the President's
Conference in Israel, with no less than President & Mrs. George Bush in attendance.
Chuckie’s remarkable talent mesmerized Arleen and Bob Heiss, long time OLV parishioners and council
members. Gloria Calonge, a successful DC lawyer, and wife of former Consul General Gene Calonge has
been following his career through the years, and was thrilled to see him mature into a brilliant performer.
"We are so fortunate to have such an amazing gem in our backyard expressed community
leaders Tessie and Pablito Alarcon. "We wish our 2 girls could have been here", according to Drs. John and
Sally O’ Conner, who were blown away by the performance.
In addition to being a benefit concert, "we also want to showcase Filipino artistry to our American friends",
according to Aida Mendoza, the OLV council member who organized and sponsored the event. "Our friends
not only enjoyed his masterful interpretation of the works of the great artists, they were also in awe of his
rendition of our beautiful Filipino love songs".
Fr. David Werning, OLV Pastor appreciated the efforts of the organizers and remarked that, "Your community
must be very proud of Chuckie and his achievements….that was an amazing performance!". At the reception,
Chuckie continued to show his wit and irresistible charisma by performing playfully for the guests, while
posing for pictures and signing autographs.
In the midst of all the numerous activities taking place within the community, it was a pleasant surprise to see
the large turnout for this impressive concert. For one night, the FilAm community of Washington DC can be
proud to present one of their very own, to such a distinguished audience, all for a worthy cause. Truly a joyous
celebration of what really matters in life - faith, hope and most important, love. # Bambi Lorica, M.D., F.A.A.P.
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