Recently, I had the chance to shoot a concert entitled From Darkness to Light. Some of you might think about this organization, but I doubt they’re directly connected. However, the concert and the organization seem to share a common cause – combating sexual abuse.

From Darkness to Light featured some of the biggest names in the Philippine music scene including Lea Salonga, Rannie Raymundo, Pilita Corrales, and Pinky Marquez, groups like MetaFour, MGage, and Koro Ecclesiano, as well as representatives from the Philippine Opera Company and Center for Arts Foundation. However, as famous as these artists are, they were only there to support the real stars of the show – the women (and girls) of the Third World Movement Against the Exploitation of Women.

The big names may have drawn in the crowds, but the Third World Ladies stole their hearts. You see, these ladies are all victims of sexual abuse – and they found, through the performing arts, a way to deal with their experiences.

To me though, the hidden star of the show is Jerome Vinarao, the director and (I believe) the driving force behind the whole production. He helped the Third World Ladies get out of their protective shells and taught them to perform in front of an audience. On top of this, he gave them this opportunity to share the stage with Lea, Pilita, and some of the greatest performers in the Philippines.

When I first heard about this project, I thought it would be just another concert – I was wrong. It has been one of the best projects I’ve been involved with, and I would love to do something like this again.

At this point, you may be wondering why this post in the images category, so here are a pair of my favorite images from the event. My problem right now, though, is this: I have way too many images that I’d like to share. That’s why I’m looking for gallery software to install on this site. I want to post albums of some of my favorite shoots.

Anyway, without further ado, here are a pair of my favorite images from the concert.

Tags:Center for Arts Foundation, concert, Darkness to Light, darkness2light.org, From Darkness to Light, Jerome Vinarao, Koro Ecclesiano, Lea Salonga, MetaFour, MGage, Music Museum, Philippine Opera Company, Pilita Corrales, Pinky Marquez, Rannie Raymundo, Third World Movement Against the Exploitation of Women, tw-mae-w.org

• Luis • 19 March 2008 •