This year’s Higalaay Festival has unveiled several new parallel events, one of which is the Higalaay Music & Arts Festival, the first event of its kind in Cagayan de Oro. Headlined by renowned musician Joey Ayala, the festival features boot camps for artists; particularly singers, songwriters, dancers, and visual artists.
Aptly titled Sonampat (Sonata + Alampat), the CdeO Boot Camp: Higalaay Music & Arts Festival is a project that aims to achieve several objectives:
- To serve as a platform for young musicians and artists from the city’s 80 barangays and some invited groups from other LGUs and schools
- To act as a venue where local talents can enhance their skills in voice, dance, visual arts, and songwriting, among others
- To encourage collaboration, social awareness, and respect
- To encourage participants to adopt an advocacy during (and after) the boot camp
- To serve as a venue for learning about soil painting and its positive impacts, including its importance to preserving the environment and protecting our health
- To provide a platform where local artists and their celebrity mentors can showcase their talents
Happening from August 23 to 28, 2024, the boot camp is brought to us by City GAD (Gender and Development) Focal Chairperson Mayor Klarex Uy along with Boot Camp Chairperson City Councilor Girlie Balaba and Co-Chair City Councilor Bernie Esparcia. The Sonampat team will hold activities every day to ensure that participants to the boot camp will enjoy maximum mentoring opportunities.
Here is a breakdown of the activities that will take place starting Day 1, August 23:
August 23
10 am – Baseline Assessment
2:30 pm – SiningBayan: Mga Gamit-Diwa at Mapa Ng Kaganapan Personal
6 pm – Concierto sa Amphi (Featuring: Dodu Abrio and the Viajeros & Haring Gangis of Iligan City)
August 24
5 pm-6 pm – Lingaw-Lingaw (public education campaign thru games, Climate Change and GAD Issues and
Concerns, eg. Anti Bastos Law)
6 pm – Concierto sa Amphi (Featuring: Waway Saway and Talaandig Republik, Datu Alimuwan)
August 25
5 pm-6 pm – Lingaw-Lingaw
6 pm – Concierto sa Amphi (Featuring: Talahib People’s Music)/Awarding of Bulawanong Babai (with Shiela Lumbatan of GAD Office and Kagawad Girlie Balaba)
August 26
1pm – Mentoring as a Performer Sharing of Personal Journey (Joey Ayala, Waway Saway, Bayang Barrios, Dong Abay)
6 pm – Concierto sa Amphi (Featuring: Bayang Barrios, Joey Ayala, Dong Abay)
August 27
11 am to 5 pm – Concierto sa Amphi c/o Boot Camp Participants/Dodu Abrio
August 28
11 am to 5 pm – Concierto sa Amphi c/o Councilor Bernie
In addition to the music and arts festival, there will also be food stalls along Tirso Neri and RN Abejuela Streets as part of Barrio Fiesta.
For more information about Sonampat, please get in touch with Boot Camp Coordinator Sol Paeste-Mosqueda at 0939-8759612. You can also check out the official Sonampat FB page here.
See you at the Sonampat boot camp!