The Apo Hiking Society, proponents of Original Pilipino Music (OPM), kick-off their year-long 50th anniversary celebration with a concert entitled “Apo Hiking Society 50 Years, The Concert.” The awe-inspiring show will be held on July 15 and 16, 2023 (Saturday and Sunday) at state-of-the-art Hyundai Hall proscenium theater of Areté in Ateneo de Manila University.
The concert is a homecoming as the APO trace their roots to the Ateneo de Manila where the musical group was formed and initially performed at school events. Upon the members’ graduation from college, all of them were set to pursue different paths. But three of them– Jim Paredes, Danny Javier and Boboy Garrovillo– persisted and Philippine music has become more vibrant because of their choice.
In an interview, Boboy said that 1973 was the year their school-based group was supposed to break up. “Fifty years ago, we were going to say goodbye to our friends through a concert.”
Jim revealed in a post on social media that 1973 was not the end but the start. “We actually started even earlier. But we decided to count our years from 1973 when we as a very little known group held a farewell concert…Boboy was going into farming. I was leaving for Turkey for an AISEC job and wander around the world after. Lito de Joya, the 4th APO was going to take over the family business. Danny had gotten a job in a network.”
Jim also said that despite an ongoing typhoon, people flocked to the venue (Meralco Theater) and gave them standing ovations. “Showbiz beckoned,” said Boboy, “and it infused our personal and professional lives as artists.”
The career of the APO has spanned recording, television, concerts and film. They have produced 27 albums and have become instrumental in inspiring the next generation of Filipino singers and bands. APO as a trio retired in 2010 but continued to be active in the entertainment scene individually.
Danny passed away in October 2022, two months before Jim and Boboy sang before an SRO crowd at 19 East which signaled another chapter in the APO’s continuing musical journey. As Boboy reiterated, “There is a new beginning after 50. Life begins at 50.”
For “APO Hiking Society 50 years,” Jim said that he and Boboy promise “surprise and delight and originality with musical memories, spiels, show stopping numbers and new cool stuff.”
Joining them on stage for the two night-concert are Hangad, the Company of Ateneo Dancers (CAD) and special guests. The July 15 concert is co-presented by Maryknoll College Batch ’74, for the benefit of the Miriam College Endowment Fund Scholarship Program and the “May Puno! May Buhay!” tree-planting project.
For tickets, log on to ticket2me.net or contact mobile number 09568138042.