SYDNEY, Australia—Our all-Filipino choir, Himig Sandiwa, was invited by the City of Sydney Council to perform at Martin Place for its annual Christmas event, “Choirs in the City.” This is the first year the choir has sung at the event, and, according to the organizer, we are the first Filipino choir to be part of it.
On the warm Tuesday evening of Dec. 2 at Martin Place, we performed a mix of English and Filipino Christmas carols—classic Filipino favorites including “Pasko na Naman,” “Simbang Gabi,” and “Noche Buena.” We offered Sydneysiders a vibrant glimpse of cherished Philippine holiday traditions.
As Filipinos in Australia, we found the moment truly meaningful: an experience that our choir will always cherish. To sing Filipino Christmas classics, along with timeless carols and contemporary hymns, was to bring the sounds of our homeland into the heart of Sydney, and to convey the warmth of our islands, the faith of our people, and the resilience of our spirit into the beautiful and diverse city we now call home.
For Filipinos living in Sydney who heard us that night, it was a moment of representation. We had not imagined that one day we would showcase our culture and heritage to the wider Sydney community. For us, it was a moment of thanksgiving, an occasion for this silent prayer: “Thank you, Lord, for bringing our humble little choir this far.”
Our origin story
Himig Sandiwa is the all-Filipino choir of Our Lady of Dolours Parish in Chatswood, New South Wales. The four-part harmony choir was formed in 2013 by volunteer church singers Mary Alarcio-Benson, Ryan Balboa, Caroline Sosito, Mona Sasam, and ourselves. Through the years we have grown from about eight singers to around 20 musicians. We are not professional musicians; we just love to sing! And most of us weren’t even friends before joining the choir.
Over time, we have become a living tapestry of Filipino values: faith, resilience, hospitality, unity, and bayanihan. We have shared laughter and tears, celebrating each other’s successes and finding ways to help one another through trials and struggles, such as visa uncertainties and homesickness.
We were once strangers, but we have become brothers and sisters—a family united by faith and love of music.
Initially we sang only once a month at the church for the Filipino Mass—until we were asked to also sing at the fourth-Sunday 9 a.m. Mass (non-Filipino, regular Mass). We have been singing at the church since 2013, and we are grateful for the support from the FCCP (Filipino Chaplaincy Chatswood Parish) and the parish community.
We have since been invited to sing at weddings, charity events, cultural occasions, and other functions. Last September, the choir joined our parish contingent at the annual Chatswood Spring Street Fair and Parade group; we showcased our Filipino culture by dressing in traditional Filipiniana.
Night of song, spirit, Christmas light
On Dec. 2, beneath the towering brilliance of the Martin Place Christmas tree, we shared our gift of song with friends and family as well as passersby who stopped to listen. Each song we sang carried with it over a decade of friendship, faith, and Filipino joy.
From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., we filled Martin Place with traditional hymns like “Silent Night,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Angels We Have Heard on High,” along with beloved Filipino treasures such as “Pasko Na Naman,” “Simbang Gabi,” Bukas Palad’s “Bituin,” and other carols that we hoped would make Filipinos in the audience feel like they were back in the homeland.
Contemporary Christmas classics set a festive mood, and “Feliz Navidad” sparked dancing among the crowd. There were several highlights in our performance that night, like our rendition of the triumphant “Hallelujah Chorus” and “Simbang Gabi,” the musical retelling of the nine-day novena that prepares the Filipino heart for Christ’s coming.
To be honest, we were all nervous that we would be unable to pull it off. But we did. In those songs, Himig Sandiwa poured out everything: strength, prayer, breath, devotion. It was worship wrapped in melody. A special moment for many of us was when we sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Our tambourine player, Mae Arpafo, decided to gather the couples in the crowd (mostly the titos and titas in our church) to slow-dance as we sang. It was such a touching moment that some people in the crowd actually teared up.
Stretched, strengthened, united
The road to Martin Place was nothing short of a miracle. A choir member, Dré Panganiban, had suggested that we put our name in the hat for “Choirs in the City,” and kept a lookout for the call for choirs on social media. But we missed the deadline by two days! Not discouraged, she reached out to the organizers to ask if we could put in a late submission. It was providential that we were picked. We knew then that we were meant to be there performing!
The journey to Martin Place also demanded much from us. We were aware of our gift of talent, but we also needed dedication and perseverance. The large repertoire and limited time for practice made for a perfect combination of heightened emotions and short tempers. To try and remedy that, Giselle introduced the idea of starting our Tuesday practice with a song of prayer, “Ama Namin” (Lord’s Prayer). In this way, we prepared our hearts and minds for the big task at hand.
After several Tuesdays of practice, we were sufficiently confident in our singing. Still there was another hurdle to overcome: For some of us afflicted with stage fright, the thought of singing in front of strangers in an open space was overwhelming. But while the heightened nerves were real, the knowledge that we were standing shoulder to shoulder and singing as one provided the necessary courage. When the first notes rang out in the open air—and with no mics!—our breath steadied, we relaxed, and we began to enjoy doing what we love.
A great source of encouragement for us was seeing our family, friends, parishioners from Our Lady of Dolours, Chatswood, including our parish priest Fr. David Ranson, Fr. Roger Delmonte, Deacon Roberto Corpuz and Yvonne Corpuz, and members of our Filipino community cheering us on. Even the pillars of the Philippine Consulate were present. Yes, the Filipino community came in full force!
It was such a magical night that the event organizer was blown away by the audience engagement. We had such fun, and it was infectious, sparking a joyful Filipino Christmas celebration right in the heart of Sydney.
As the final notes faded and the applause rose, Himig Sandiwa stood humbled and grateful for the warmth of our audience and the community, and for God’s unmistakable presence in every melody. We felt that, more than a Christmas performance, it was a night of prayer and a celebration of our Filipino culture.
