Stefanie Quintin-Avila
Philippines
STEFANIE QUINTIN-AVILA, soprano
Described by the Straits Times as a singer who “possesses a voice with remarkable flexibility and a truly commanding musical presence,” Stefanie Quintin-Avila’s repertoire ranges from Renaissance to contemporary music.
She attended the Vielklang Akademie für Alte Musik in Tübingen, Germany, and studied with early music specialists - lutenist Lee Santana and soprano Sybilla Rubens. She also collaborated and performed with classical guitarist Carsten Linck, specializing in the performance of English ayres and German Lied.
As a proponent of contemporary music, she frequently collaborates with young composers, and continues to explore the capabilities of the human voice. She is a member of the Ripieno Ensemble PH; a Pierrot ensemble based in Manila, dedicated to the promotion and performance of contemporary music in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia.
She has performed as a soloist in various international festivals such as the Asia-Europe New Music Festival (Vietnam); Yilan International Arts Festival (Taiwan); soundSCAPE Festival (Italy); International Bamboo Organ Festival (Philippines), and many others. She has been featured in concerts/performances with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Asia Traditional Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra, Hong Kong Bach Choir and Orchestra, and the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble.
Operatic credits include Domenico Cimarosa's Il Matrimonio Segreto, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Henry Purcell's Fairy Queen, Samuel Barber’s A Hand of Bridge, and Vincenzo Bellini's La Sonnambula. In December 2019, Opera Wire described her as the “star of the show, [with] her sweet soprano soaring throughout” for her title role performance in Eli Marshall’s contemporary chamber opera – MILA.
She is a recipient of the Delphic Lyra Award for Traditional Music at the 3rd International Junior Delphic Games (2007), PGMA Presidential Award for Culture and the Arts (2008), and the Rey T. Paguio Scholarship (2009-2014). She is a 2nd-prize winner (Opera-Professional Category) at the 2nd SLO-ASEAN Vocal Competition (2018).
Stefanie studied voice with Prof. Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, Rica Nepomuceno, Ena Aldecoa, Arthur Espiritu, and Christopher Arceo. She graduated with a degree in Vocal Pedagogy and Vocal Performance (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines College of Music. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Contemporary Music Performance at the University of California San Diego under the tutelage of Prof. Susan Narucki.
TAO PO
Music: Stefanie Quintin-Avila & Vahid Jahandari
Text: Stefanie Quintin-Avila
Audio Mixing & Cinematography: Vahid Jahandari
"Tao po" is a formal expression used by Filipinos to ask permission to enter a person's home, showing utmost respect to the physical boundaries and privacy of the homeowner.
At the height of the Philippine "War on Drugs," the police force was tasked to look for the homes of drug users, pushers and syndicates. The "Operation Tokhang" (tokhang = "knock" and "convince") was intended to make drug suspects to rehabilitate and change their ways. As the operations began, a bloody war ensued. Some suspects were taken out of their homes by force, and some "alleged" suspects resisted and fought for their rights. Some were lucky, while the others perished in the hands of those who swore an oath to protect people.
"Tao po" is a plea from the children of those who were slain, gently knocking on heaven's doors to bring justice on earth.