7 October 2015 - Bound by a common narrative of poverty and empowering talent, ten young ladies from the Philippines found their way to Canada to sing their hearts out in support of urban poor communities they come from.

Known as the Minstrels of Hope, the ensemble performed on 6 October 2015 at the Philippine Embassy followed by an evening concert at the Saint John Baptiste Parish in Ottawa under the auspices of Philippine Centre Canada led by Sonia del Rosario with the support of Father Maxime Allard of the Dominican University College.

At the Philippine Embassy, they were hosted by Ambassador Petronila P. Garcia in a musical soiree attended by representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), the International Women's Club of Ottawa and Agape Women's Group of the Trinity Presbyterian Church.

In her opening remarks, Ambassador Garcia applauded Canada for ranking high in the World Giving Index, a survey of the world's most charitable countries. She recalled how the groundswell of Canadian support engendered by the destruction wrought by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines strengthened Philippines-Canada friendship. She introduced Mr. Alain Pronovost, founder of the Minstrels of Hope Foundation, as an above-average Canadian volunteer who has spent 35 years of his life working with Manila's urban poor and the Minstrels of Hope as beneficiaries on their way to breaking free from the vicious cycle of poverty.

And impress their Canadian audience, the Minstrels did with their angelic voices and evident discipline. Their version of Hallelujah by Canadian composer Leonard Cohen and Le Doux Chagrin by Canadian singer-songwriter Gilles Vigneault moved many in the Embassy hall to tears.

At the Saint John Baptiste Church, Ambassador Garcia drew upon St. Dominic's themes of charity and humility to bind the largely Filipino Canadian audience to the guest performers. "There is perhaps no clearer expression of love and compassion than drawing from our wealth of time, talent and resources to help the underprivileged," she said. "Paying it forward, the Minstrels of Hope volunteer their time and talent to multiply resources for Manila's impoverished. The generosity of the poor sends a stirring message more powerful perhaps than the gift of song the choir presents to us today," Ambassador Garcia added.

The Minstrels of Hope belong to urban poor families and have been helped by local and foreign benefactors. They conduct outreach programs in their community to share knowledge, skills and talents even as they perform in the Philippines and abroad to raise funds for their foundation. The ensemble has toured Canada thrice before and performed in Thailand, Hong Kong, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and France.

On their current Canadian journey, the Minstrels of Hope have 20 or so more engagements in the province of Quebec, notably at the Canadian football game pitting the Toronto Argonauts versus Montreal Alouettes as well as the ice hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and the St. Louis Blues Skaters where the choir will sing the teams' national anthems.

"There is more to the girls than their beautiful voices. They also work hard to serve and give back to urban poor communities. My dream is that they will be discovered by an impresario someday so that they can be completely lifted out of poverty by establishing a career in the performing arts," Mr. Pronovost mused. END