Joscephine Gomez (15 September / Manila, Philippines)

Dedicated to all serious profesional singers in this world

We bring forth feelings like water from a deep well,
We caress every note, hearts we've touched can tell,
We breathe life on every consonant and vowel,
That a composer's work becomes fragrance you can smell.

Words and music we must memorize,
Our instrument -the body - must be ready, besides,
We take care of it, make sure good voice abides,
With perfect health that we wish in it resides.

We will fulfill a commitment to sing come what may,
We study hard and practice everyday,
Minding your joy more than the pay,
'cause music can tell what words can't convery.

Slaves we are to music, our master,
Labouring hard so performance gets better,
Singers we are, giving each concert our best,
After preparing well fate takes care of the rest.

Out of our beings music soars,
With passion, with joy that inside flows,
When one with our music we become,
We stop to exist, all Self is gone.

Whenever we take our final bow,
We secretly wish and pray that somehow,
The gracious, kind heavens will always allow
that a strong, long applause to us you bestow.