Filipino-American Student Association hosted a talent show
UW Tacoma’s?Filipino-American Student Association hosted a talent show for students on Wednesday, May 27.
By Kai Lee
The Filipino-American Student Association (FASA) hosted a talent show May 27 in the Carwein Auditorium, located in the KEY building. Several students performed. Some sang or played an instrument, while others did both. One participant danced to a song playing on the speaker.
The event opened with Tae Kim singing songs, such as “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, “Too Sweet” by Hozier and “Creep” by Radiohead. The atmosphere of the room changed depending on the song being played, since the vibes of the songs were different.
Kayla Jean Libago performed in two ways. During the first part, she played classical guitar and sang “Vincent Starry, Starry Night” by Don McLean. Libago sang the song softly while she sat on a chair, playing the music with a guitar in her lap.
She also sang “Hopelessly Devoted to You” by Olivia Newton-John for her second part. She stood on the stage and focused on singing the song. Her voice was soft but got stronger later in the song.
Armin Kamsi, who is majoring in Computer Science & Systems, is a musician who uploads his songs on Spotify with the username “Armin Kamsi.” At the talent show, he sang and played a classical guitar to some of the songs we wrote. Some of those he performed were “Roots,” “Clouds,” “Candyman” and “Tug of War,” written by Kamsi. As he sat on a chair on stage, he softly sang these songs as he sat on stage with two microphones positioned toward him and the guitar.
Raydiant Clinton sang “Footprints in the Sand” by Leona Lewis, “Next to Me” by Emeli Sandé and “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston. Clinton’s voice was strong throughout her performance.
Riya Shankar, an employee of The Ledger, sang “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion, matching the tone of the song. She included the audience by encouraging them to sing. Many people in the audience sang and clapped to the beat of the music. Early in the performance, the audience began swaying the lights on their phones.
Fhaelyn Larah Caoili danced to “ETA” by NewJeans. Her dancing reflected the upbeat nature of “ETA.” Throughout the performance, the audience cheered and clapped, encouraging Caoili to continue dancing.
Raphaela Plameras sang “Panalangin” by APO Hiking Society.
The event ended with Siebrecht, who also organized the event, singing and playing the guitar. Siebrecht is majoring in psychology and is a senior graduating in the spring quarter.
He performed “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand, “Kilby Girl” by Backseat Lovers and “Pasilyo” by SunKissed Lola, a Filipino band. Throughout “Kilby Girl” the audience clapped to the beat, and during “Pasilyo,” the audience sang and swayed their phone lights in the air. Some of the songs Siebrecht played were energetic, so he would often move around the stage.
Siebrecht and Kamsi performed a song together, “Demis,” which has not been released yet.
Goal of the Talent Show
The event was a fundraiser to pay for stoles to give to graduating seniors of FASA.
“We needed a way to raise money for stoles,” Siebrecht said. “We wanted to make sure they got something very nice for their graduation.”
There was a table with merchandise, such as flower bouquets and pins with the organization’s logo, that went toward the graduating seniors’ stoles in the hallway outside the auditorium.
Siebrecht also noted that his love for music was an additional reason – one that is more personal to him.
“I’ve always been a musician and I love to perform, so I was sort of just looking for a way to marry my love for performance and my Filipino heritage and joining FASA,” Siebrecht said. “The idea almost comes together naturally when you’re looking for a fundraiser.”
Preparation for the Event
Organizing the event took lots of work, according to Siebrecht.
“There was definitely a lot of ups and downs and some ‘will it happen or won’t it happen,’” he said. “That happened during planning this. I think it was kind of something that sort of happened out of me over worrying over it.”
Another side of the process is preparing to perform.
Kamsi explained the work he and Siebrecht did to practice the song they jointly played.
“Of course, at the end, when I did the song with Dillon – shout out Dillon – I went to his house,” Kamsi said. “We had a little shed that we played in, and yeah, we practiced that song a bunch until our fingers were numb.”
Reflecting on the Event
“It was exciting,” Siebrecht said. “Last time I performed was for a Halloween house party I was throwing. I remember back then, I was really nervous. But this time, I felt more excited than nervous. I worked very hard on this, and it’s been a lot of work over a couple of months now.”
“It’s very rewarding, especially when you think you miss a note or you’re playing – or you’re singing – off key,” Kamsi said. “But it doesn’t matter. When the applause hits, you’re like, that doesn’t matter.”
