Maestra Josie Bailen’s influence endures and is felt through her former students Krissan Manikan-Tan and Cipriano de Guzman Jr.

Words and Photos GeiserMaclang
August 14, 2024

As part of GeiserMaclang’s road to 25 years in the industry in 2025, we honor people in the worlds of both art and commerce whom we have not only supported but also respected and continue to admire. One such soul among many is Maestra Josie Bailen, whose enduring influence is felt through her former students, Cipriano de Guzman, Jr. and Krissan Manikan-Tan.

Those who have been in the music industry for decades, particularly in the opera industry, surely remember Maestra Josie Bailen. Bailen, who passed away in 2015, was a professor at the University of the Philippines and performed in several operas and with several choirs. She was a mezzo-soprano dubbed “La Diva Maestra” by her colleagues and was respected in conducting and opera.

Maestra Krissan Manikan-Tan, who received a scholarship from the French government and got her Diplôme d’études Musicales: Lyric Chant from the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris in 2013, recalls Bailen fondly. “I studied with her for four years at Sta. Isabel College. She was a very loving teacher and like a second mother to me. Whenever I couldn’t attend lessons, she would call me at my house to check on me. We had a very healthy student-teacher relationship.”

World-famous baritone Cipriano de Guzman, Jr. who was given the Ani Ng Dangal in music in 2018 and 2019 by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), not to mention literally dozens of acclaim and awards around the world, says, “Maestra Bailen was not my main teacher back in the day–it was Irma Ponce-Enrile–but I remember her fondly. She taught me when I was preparing for a competition in Canada at the time.”

A week and a half ago, de Guzman won first prize in the professional/senior category of the International Music Competition Barcelona “Grand Prize Virtuoso” at UNESCO’s Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona and, a few days later, first prize again at a competition at the Solitär Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. In both competitions, he sang a song Bailen had taught him decades earlier.

Manikan-Tan explains that Bailan taught her to be an artist, not just a singer. “Because of her, I sing with passion and heart, not just technique.” Manikan-Tan celebrates her birthday on August 17th in Kundiman at Kaarawan, an event which also celebrates GeiserMaclang’s 25th year in the industry. Louie Arelvi Villanueva, a guest violinist who is also a biochemical engineer, university lecturer, conductor, and chorister, is one of the esteemed guests. Reynaldo “Raki” Reyes Gendrano, award-winning classical pianist, composer, arranger, and organist, and guest pianist Augusto Espino, who is known for his creative work in piano, voice, and chorus, will also perform at the event. Espino's portfolio includes work performed globally as part of the Filipino concert repertoire. Raul C. Navarro, PhD, Chair, Conducting and Choral Ensemble Department at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, will give a lecture. There will also be a performance by Peggy Geiser, an internationally award-winning, neuroatypical mainstream artist on the autism spectrum and an A5 Awardee for the Performing Arts, honored by the Autism Society of the Philippines.

In the meantime, de Guzman continues his journey of international glory with performances in Don Pasquale, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and La Bohème in Italy and Luxembourg.

Somewhere up above, Josie Bailen must be beaming with pride.

Kundiman at Kaarawan will be held at Sounds Kradle, 56 Doña Hemady St., Brgy. Mariana, New Manila, Quezon City. You may purchase tickets from Krissan Manikan Tan at cellphone 09774448147 or at the venue for P1,500.