Xian Lim the music lover
Xian Lim showed another side of his personality last February 11 at the Aliw Theater when he sat on the piano bench and played “Turkish March" and pop classic "Be My Lady,"before the amazed members of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Gerard Salonga.
The actor didn’t disappoint Gerard, who asked Xian to perform for "Musicoveries," a program aimed at educating pre-teen students about symphony music.
More practice
While Xian is one of the most popular actor-singers around, Gerard is concerned about whether he can pursue a serious music career for a long time.
Asked if Xian can turn into a true-blue musician, Gerard said, “If he is to seriously shift to a music career, then he would have to put in years of practice just to catch up. You have to understand that professional musical artists train their whole life.”
One-master rule
Xian himself has released two albums off Star Records, the gold record “So It’s You” in 2012 and “XL2” this year. He is a multi-instrumentalist who knows how to play trombone, saxophone, and guitar.
But it is in acting that he is making a dent,via lead roles in “My Binondo Girl” in 2011 and recently in “Bride For Rent.” His love team-up with actress Kim Chiu is a box-office draw.
No time
Gerard noted, “I think right now he (Xian) simply doesn't have the time to put in that much work because of his schedule, and also because his job is really as an actor.”
Lea Salonga’s brother added, “Besides, I don't think he's looking for a career as a musician. There's nothing wrong with being a successful actor who loves to play music for people -- and that's what he is. Not everyone who loves music has to become a musical artist by profession.”
Still, Gerard sees Xian’s promise as a musician.
“I really wouldn't put it past him since his level of interest and attitude are certainly right.”
He appreciates Xian for finding time to perform for “Musicoveries.”
“What we love about Xian is his willingness to contribute his time and energy to help an orchestra like us reach out to people. I am personally very grateful to him for that.”
Reaching the masses
Gerard is music director of ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, a joint venture of the giant network and First Philippine Holdings. The orchestra, which has 42 musicians, has been staging thematic concerts and TV gigs. It also has educational outreach programs like “Musicoveries.”
During the “Musicoveries” program, the Orchestra, with Mickey Munoz as managing director, played popular melodies that delighted youngsters from various schools. These include music from the popular game “Angry Bird;” the theme of the hit TV series “Be Careful With My Heart” and last year’s pop hits.
Gerard notes, “For a start, the kids were amazingly receptive. Of course, we'll be continually tweaking the program to make it as enjoyable as possible for them while at the same time maintaining the educational benefit.”
