An audience of nearly 400 was mesmerized by the talent of the Philippine Saringhimig Singers a week ago at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church.

This world-class choral group had just returned from the World Choir Competition Tour in Canada, where they placed first in the contemporary music category.

They gave us a beautiful gift of music — and helped raise almost $12,000 for the Filipino-American community of St. Bernard’s.

The name Saringhimig is a combination of two words, saring, which means magical wings, and himig, which means song.

The unique love for music that each member brings and the music the conductor shares are what make the Saringhimig Singers the “magical wings of song.”

Established in 1974, the Philippine Saringhimig Singers is composed of 25 or 30 artists who are rigidly trained in one vocal style, which enables the ensemble to give emphasis on depth and precision in the interpretation of choral music spanning from the Renaissance to Contemporary periods.

The group’s repertoire is an array of music from different periods, styles and origins. It consists of Philippine traditional and contemporary pieces as well as foreign choral pieces representative of the major historical eras.

Founded by Artistic Director George Hernandez, the group started as a chamber choir at the University of the Philippines and rapidly gained recognition as one of the best choirs in the country. Soon after, the choir trained primarily for competitions and embarked on several European concert tours, reaping critical reviews from European critics and thereby establishing an undisputable international reputation.

The group is still under the musical direction of Hernandez, who has moved to San Francisco and has completed his studies in piano, voice and choral conducting at San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

The group rehearses weekly in a purely self-funded capacity. Although the members come from different professions, their passion for singing unites this dynamic choral group to continue its quest to reveal the unique beauty of the Philippine culture through music and achieve excellence in the art of choral music performance.

The Filipino-American community of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church, in collaboration with the Fil-Am Ministerial Team of St. Bernard’s and the Fil-Am Association of Tracy, jointly sponsored the Choral Odyssey, featuring the Philippine Saringhimig Singers. All proceeds will benefit the capital campaign to raise money for the new church at the corner of Valpico and Corral Hollow roads. 

• Leticia Javier is chairwoman of the Filipino-American Ministerial Team of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church.