Poppert Bernadas Goes 'Solo Pop'

Shortly after the start of the show, he said he felt like a debutante.

- TATS REJANTE MANAHAN

After 18 years of being a member of the Ryan Cayabyab Singers, he was leaving his "family" to go out on his own. It's not that Poppert Bernadas never performed without RCS, since he had been a well-known voice in musical theater for the past 15 years or so, starring in a number of musical theater pieces, including PETA's blockbuster Rak of Aegis. More recently, he starred in Alice Reyes Dance Philippines' production of the musical dance classic Rama Hari, collaborated on by five National Artists: Ryan Cayabyab for Music composing the score, Alice Reyes for Dance doing the choreography; Rolando Tinio for Theater and Literature translating the lyrics to English; Bienvenido Lumbera for Literature doing the text and lyrics in Tagalog; and Salvador Bernal for Theater and Design, for sets and costumes. With his powerful voice, he brought the house down with his portrayal of the villain, Ravana, highlighted in a review as "the most unforgettable... spine-tingling vocals" that "added to the delectable villainy." Cayabyab, Poppert's mentor, describes him as "a unique Filipino talent... gifted with an extraordinary voice quality and range and excellent artistry."

For the July 12 concert at Music Museum, the reviews were once again justified with Poppert's first-ever one-night-only concert entitled "Solo Pop." Performing his favorite or personally significant songs, Poppert's performance went beyond expectations, opening with Nina Simone's Feelin' Good, a choice, he said, that expressed his feelings — "It's a new day, it's a new life for me... birds flying high... sun in the sky" — with a positive burst of independence. It was followed by his invitation to his audience to "relax and join my company" expressed in Benson Boone's Mystical Magic.