Cultural Harmonics : The Harmonic Suite

“It’s not too late to share your achievements,

As long as it’s concrete and articulated!”

-          Vell Baria, 2016 INAP Award Reciepient for Performing Arts

Upon hearing the word “Harmonics”, What comes into our minds?

The word “Harmonics” or “Harmonic” in singular term is originated from the word “Harmonia” in singular while “Harmonikos” in a plural form meaning “relating to music” where we harmonized vocally and instrumentally out of our own chords.” In my definition and perspectives, Harmonics is living together in universal harmony. I also found it more energetic to describe the way we represent no matter the place we lived in, the religion, the skin color or the status of life we have for as long as we have abilities to contribute to the world our positive impact for the world to Hear, Appreciate, Remember, Mesmerize, Observe, Necessitate, Inspire and Cherish the Standards of each individual.

Prelude

Vell Baria performed with Prof. Greg Zuniega on the piano accompaniment at the 2015 Music Festival at St. Cecilia’s Hall of St. Scholastica’s College Manila

From the Latin word “præludere” meaning “play beforehand.” I started to think deeply about being involved in this progressive family where my heart, mind and soul set to “beforehand” mode of acceptance, as I feel that the big beginning to a life changing journey made fast approaching.

ANCA was introduced to me and my mom by Vico Cham’s mother, Ms. Catherine Cham whose experience in their delegation in ANCA in 2015 made their lives more changing and motivated them to help out other autistic potentials to join the community where there is change. While doing a research of ANCA, my mom only knew that ANCA is just an award winning buddy but after such realizations, it’s an organization founded by the married autistic couple whose visions are into support for autistic people and promote connections where it has its name sake for their children Anthony and Catherine. For a better detail, this organization has played such major role in establishing connections within the autism community across the world. It is also their goal to advocate the freedom of exploring and sharing talents, time, skills and vision-missions.

By preparing for the Autism Fest, me and my mom got to know and meet other of our Philippine delegate-nominees joining us for the 7^th ANCA Autism Festival during the delegates meeting organized by the Cham family discussing it’s org’s history, the autism festival and it’s perks of being one of the festival delegate. During that meeting, I was so blessed and being supported by the delegation team after being mentioned that I’ll be performing for the opening and the awards night with much joy and confidence.

1^st Movement

As I introduced myself this time to the international friends circle may not be an easy part of my delegation career. It will really took a lot of such time to get their impression about you and your expertise for some reasons to be appreciated and well known in the eye. I started to introduce myself to the ANCA family by adding them up on my Facebook online to get in touch before meeting them in person. This was also my chance to share my time in getting to know them in detail along with communicating them online and appreciating their creative status posts like their achievements, successful things and words of devotion. Thus, this was my simple ways to meet my new set of ANCA Delegate-nominee-batch mates outside my home turf very well.

To expand their knowledge, I felt blessed to be selected to be interviewed for the blogtalk radio hosted by Ms. Leonora herself gives me a chance by sharing my story living in a spectrum, my parents’ way of bringing me up, my talents and skills and my self-views on self-advocacy on autism awareness. This is also a way of knowing me much better in a higher ground with that kind of feeling that I can’t wait but excited to meet then in the festival week and have them my as new set of international fans as well.

2^nd Movement

As a performer, it will not be memorable and successful without the help of these wonderful people whom I’ve worked with. All of them have motivated and encouraged me to get going to be a very good performer and a responsible person musically and in general. Especially they are new to me in whom I’ve collaborated with 2 pianists and a singer.

“I'm so glad we met. Although you can take the stage with a very short rehearsal during the festival has been very successful. Both of you are very talented and beautiful. You've been a great partner for Beril. I can see that you love Beril. Still watching your video I took at the festival. I hope you will find the opportunity to take the stage together again. I wish you to make music together could make new in Turkey.”

- Yeşim Zorlu, Mother of 2016 INAP Award 3^rd Place Recipient and 2016 ANCA World Ambassador Beryl Zorlu

           

Dr. Orçun Berrakçay, Beryl Zorlu, Ms. Yeşim Zorlu, and Vell Baria

With the guidance and help from Ms. Leonora, She appointed a fellow delegate from Turkey Beryl Zorlu to accompany me for both opening and awards night as an original plan but her mom and her music teacher, pianist-vocalist Dr. Orçun Berrakçay gave me a short notice that she will accompany me for the inaugural trade show in which she did by researching her favorite songs from my Youtube covers and from both her teacher and her favorites as well especially performing “Hotel California” in the opening; wrapping up the Region 1 – The Americas nominees presentation. Much to their appreciation in which the audience could easily relate while doing my in character type of singing while reading the lyrics as if I’m reading a story.

Working with Beryl, I’ve learned that adjustment, understanding and patience are the best things to do in order to succeed such relationship as not only workers and collaborators but also friends and siblings in life for in return, they can give you more help and support as much as they could do. I came to my realization that one day, me and Beryl will continue to collaborate again on the world stage with such expansion of many listeners and audiences for more appreciation.

Katarina Simic and Vell Baria

On the other hand, after a long day of such prayer and thinking; finally my prayer has been answered that someone filled in Beryl’s shoes for both main serious works of Johann Strauss’s “Spring in My Heart” and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Hear Ye, Israel” from the oratorio “Elijah” to be performed for both opening and awards night respectively. This time, it was pianist Katarina Simic who is not autistic but supports the autism festival with such majestic passion in spite of her busy schedule as a student.

Working with Katarina is such a happy blessing for me as I relate it to my experience as a music student back in a day after a long communication via email. As days goes by, our preparations went smooth from the flow of the performance and the interaction between both vocalist and pianists in spite of such short time given to rehearse personally at University of British Columbia with a short tour the night before the day of preparations for the Autism festival. Hoping to continue collaborating with her by having an international solo concert singing more serious classical works and musicals like those two songs mentioned in front of the autism community as I promote music appreciation to the community. I’ve learned that communication and relating with one another are factors for successful collaboration.

Let’s see what Katarina has to say about her volunteerism and experience as one of the performers for the Autism fest and the ANCA community:

 “Volunteering at ANCA as a performer was a special experience. The festival is highly-organized and very professional, providing many individuals with the opportunity to display their talents internationally. The atmosphere created by all attendees and organizers was very warm; I was touched by the immense appreciation expressed by the festival coordinator and the singer I collaborated with for taking part in the festival. ANCA is already very mature after its 7th anniversary and I am certain it will continue to grow for many more years in supporting an important cause.

Collaborating with Vell was a joy, despite the difficulty in finding times to rehearse in a short time span with our contrasting schedules. We both learned from each other through the process and managed to pull through in the end. I am very grateful to have been able to have met Vell, to have made music with her and to have supported her at the festival. She is a very talented singer who consistently amazes her listeners.”

-          Katarina Simic, Pianist, Student at University of British Columbia taking up Bachelor in Music – Major in Piano and Minors in Commerce

On the right: Vell Baria and Joshua Cochrane singing the Canadian National Anthem (Credits to Phoebe Yan)

On the left:  Joshua Cochrane and Vell Baria at the Gala Awards Dinner

Last but not the least is the collaboration with my fellow vocalist extraordinaire-the ANCA veteran Joshua Cochrane, a child wonder whose vocals are communicable with grace and charm for the listeners. Collaborating with him for ANCA’s host country’s National Anthem “O Canada” for both opening ceremony and in the awards night is a major honor and responsibility by not only singing it with pride and dignity but with sincerity.  I manage myself to blend in with his vocal methods without sticking out and also started to memorize three last three lines of the national anthem in a short time of such rehearsals. As a result, we were proudly abled to blend well with much conviction. This is also another short time rehearsal following the pianist’s rehearsals. I realize that I would really like to collaborate with Joshua in the future duets.

Amid of all of this, we also took time for both of us to have some fun by taking photos and selfies using my younger sister’s high quality camera in which Joshua enjoyed it when taking photos for ANCA’s most important events while I’m on duty on stage and for photo op and sometimes for fun shots. We also come up with the team name: “Peanut Butter Team”, what a harmonic team isn’t it?

3^rd Movement

Did my international debut as a workshop presenter in which was my major transition as part of commitments as autism advocate.

Upon meeting the veteran activist, motivation speaker from the United Kingdom Joely Colmer who is also an INAP award recipient for Community Achievement, both of us were much blessed after being appointed to do a bilateral workshop together in which was first in ANCA’s History to have 2 different countries worked together in one theme “Advocacy as Autistic Women”.

In preparations for this, we come up the idea by sharing our personal struggles, achievements, and other interested things what will fit in to autism community’s experiences and did also our planning for what our workshop would look like as we come up a special workshop that will catch attention by the attendees.  In my part, I connect on what Joely presented. In the interactive part, I was soon inspired by Joely after admitting that mine was a “sore cheap” since it’s my first time doing the workshop especially presenting it on a world stage where she is giving such words of advices and suggestions to give my workshop a fix then I did the rest especially including the music etiquette in my workshop to share my words of advices as a performer.

Working with Joely became a memorable one where she displays her outspoken and forth bright personality as she shares her struggles and accomplishments with much convincing force of sincerity that will make other people with autism reminded of their own experiences of struggles and accomplishments in life in which I was also related in some areas of her experiences.

Doing this workshop is just like mentoring those people who have the eagerness to learn and to share! Not only that, it is also my chance to share what are observations and future visions that I have in mind as they listen. Thus, this was a dream come true to me after thinking deeply of being a mentor to the community who is in need of much understanding of the spectrum. Much to my happiness, I will feel free to continue to be a beloved mentor to the community.

Let’s see what Joely has to say about our collaborative moments:

I am blessed to have worked alongside Vell for many months prior to our first meeting at the World Autism Festival, where we both hosted ANCAs first ever Bilateral Workshop on the World Stage, called “Spread your Wings; The Art of Self Expression and Autism Activism”.

We both have so much passion for Autism Advocacy / Activism, and self expression, so that when we were emailing each other to create our workshop for the first time, our imaginations flew away. It was a pleasure to get to know Vell, who is an inspiring “all singing, all dancing”, Autism Advocate and role model for others, we worked very well together as a team. We inspired and learnt from each other, and together we worked hard to refine our ideas, to create a 2 hour interactive workshop.

We had an “We are Autism United” jigsaw flag, where participants were encouraged to express their voice onto jigsaw pieces about what could help their countries autistic community, and what they like about their autism. This was therapeutic and insightful activity that was enjoyed, and informative, for all. Another popular activity was our “Disable the Autism Label Tshirt”, where our participants learnt that no matter what the labels of autism are, those labels do not define us as people. We took our literal Negative label off of our Tshirt, to reveal the positives of Autism written on the Tshirt below. Then, everyone enjoyed expressing their voice onto the Tshirt, about why they like their autism and the positive quirks within their disability. Together we brought autistic people together to see the positives within Autism, but also, to understand that they too can be activists in kindness, by expressing their voices through their own passions – or specific narrow interests.

With a speech about ANCA, empowerment to express our hidden voices, Activism, and Autism quirks, from me, and Vell’s intricate insight into Musical etiquecy and Autistic peoples roles within the musical industry, our workshop was a fantastic success. Many tears were shed, Personal stories of success and empowerment were shared, fascinated silences embraced our audience with our speeches, and hopeful smiles glowed throughout, as everyone chatted and participated in our activities. We have come home with memories and friends for life. Thank you everyone, who made it possible.

-          Joely Colmer, 2016 INAP Award Recipient for Community Achievement and ANCA World Ambassador, Autism Activist-Advocate

Postlude

As an award recipient, it is my first time winning this international award especially to inclusive autism audiences worldwide and to non-autistic people who witness the awards night. Much to their realization, those people who made such judgements and doubts of my abilities and those doesn’t believe in my achievements before were in awe and speechless following my achievement as I’m also the first nominee for the performing arts in my home country and an awardee recipient in performing arts too.  This is a major first in the Philippines to have a first win in the performing arts category. Inspite of such conditions I have, I started to realize that I was able to pull off my butterflies in my stomach as I receive this award with much honor and glory for my fellow country people in which I began to win such hearts of people following the win.

As ANCA’s World Ambassador, I got lots of praises and motivations from the ANCA community alike especially from my batchmates in this last year’s autism festival. As an ambassador, I started to think to act like a president since I have so much plans in mind that I am so much interested to share those plans like giving a both a general solo concert and fundraising concert were I performed pop music and classical along with artists with autism for the community and to compose more songs, I also loved to speak to the congress and senates about autism awareness. As my career as a workshop presenter continues, I also love to visit special schools and present my workshops and collaborate with experienced workshop presenters. If ever I have such theater plays I’m in; I would like to share it to the community and that will be another and different way of promoting arts to the autism community as they wanted to learn and discover something new in the performing arts.

Encore

What have I learned so far as a festival delegate, awardee and an ambassador? If you have something to share-show it, harvest and command with it and it will come out as time goes by that people will feel and notice with much motivation. To gain such support, parents will be happy if their child with autism is always ready to lead other fellows with the spectrum to the right path and it will go far than more expected to reach their freedom of success.

Notes:
This article is written in November 1, 2016 and it took 5 days to a week to complete this article and it was released for the Spring Issue of Naturally Autistic - a newsletter of ANCA. With additional contributions by Yeşim Zorlu, Katarina Simic and Joely Colmer. 

To make me focused on making this article, I was looking in to the souvenirs I took from Vancouver and the photos I and others have. I also based posts related to 7th ANCA World Autism Festival from others posts. 

This photos on this article are meant to made for the draft edition but the photos used are from Phoebe and Sergey's for the magazine's version.