Filipino soprano duo "The Nightingales" praised Turkish culture

Bianca Camille Lopez Aguila and Bernadette Mamauag, members of the Filipino soprano group "The Nightingales" (Nightingales), spoke to an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter about the emergence of the group and their interest in Turkish music and culture.

Lopez Aguila stated that Mamauag and he were previously members of the Philippines' leading choir, the Philippine Madrigal Choir, and that "The Nightingales" was founded in 2008.

Lopez Aguila explained that they chose the name "The Nightingales" because nightingales are known all over the world for their beautiful songs. "Actually, male nightingales sing very beautifully. We still chose this name for the nightingales' beautiful voice," he said.

Mamauag emphasized the pride of representing the Philippines around the world, saying, "Every tour we undertake is a privilege. Every celebration we attend on behalf of the Philippines is a good opportunity to use our voices to share our culture and the beauty of the Philippines. And of course, there's connecting with people. It's all about sharing."

Lopez Aguila, noting that their repertoire changes depending on the country they perform in, said, "When we go to different countries, we try to include the songs and music of those countries in our repertoire in our concerts. That's why we do our best to rearrange the songs for us."

Lopez Aguila explained that they try to find opportunities to speak with the locals of different languages ​​to memorize songs in that country, saying, "We try to say and pronounce the words correctly. We really do our best. That's why we ask the locals if our pronunciation is good and if they understand us. We always try to present the music of that country."

Mamauag said that when they first visited Türkiye, they were especially excited about Turkish cuisine, noting that they loved kebabs, ayran and Turkish delight.

Artist Mamauag said, "(Being in Türkiye) is a beautiful experience for us. This experience gives us the opportunity to connect with the Turkish people and get to know your language. We can adapt your language to our songs more easily because we've experienced it firsthand. You have a beautiful culture and a beautiful history."

Lopez Aguila explained that they have some routine tasks to perform before going on stage, saying, "We try to review all the songs in terms of the repertoire. We focus on the order of the songs, their pronunciation, their meanings, why they are there, why they were chosen, etc. We try to internalize all the songs."

Lopez Aguila, emphasizing their love for Turkish music, commented, "I'm not sure if this is the right technical term, but we've studied modal scales in Western music, and this one is similar. It's very danceable music with all the percussion it includes."

Lopez Aguila explained that they performed "Fikrimin İnce Gülü" (Thin Rose of My Fikrimin) on stage in Türkiye, saying, "We know this song is very popular. That's why we asked our friend, who is a singer and also an arranger in the Philippines, to arrange this song for us. And he did. We love the song very much."