Tribu takes off from the late Danny Dolor’s Tribung Pinoy

The new group is called Tribu, loosely translated as tribe, a kinfolk, a community, a people.

In the local music industry, though, Tribu is a chip off the old block.

Publicist Toots Tolentino informed that Tribu as a singing quintet traces its roots to the Aliw Award-winning cultural group “Tribung Pinoy” from the 1980s, led by the late Danny Dolor, an avid advocate of Filipino arts and culture.It was Sweet Mananiego-Buchanan, a coloratura soprano, who formed Tribu in 2011 because she wanted to continue the legacy of Tribung Pinoy which at the time was already diminishing its membership because of inactivity, shift to other professions, old age and even death.

Sweet, who was a student at the University of Santos Tomas Conservatory of Music of Prof. Gloria Dizon Coronel, one of the original members of Tribung Pinoy, had the opportunity to sing with her teacher and its other living members.

She was also the youngest and most mobile among its members so she was assigned to steward the group.   

At the time, the Cultural Center of the Philippines sent Danny an invitation to mount “Harana sa Dapit Hapon” at the CCP.

Since Samaniego-Buchanan found it hard to gather the pioneering members of the mother group to perform at CCP, she formed the new vocal ensemble with the support of Ephesus Teatron Group, Inc.

Then arts patron Dolor died and Sweet was left alone to lead Tribu.

At the moment, its five members, aside from Sweet, are Nazer Salcedo and Terence Gil Guillermo, tenor, Only Torres, baritone and Margarita Roco, soprano.

Pre-COVID-19 health crisis and post-pandemic saw Tribu performing in various venues with a variety of repertoire of Filipino songs ranging from the timeless kundiman, beloved folk songs, captivating zarzuelas, and stirring patriotic anthems, to well-loved Original Pilipino Music (OPM).

“Tribu Timeless,” though, to be held at the Teatrino, The Promenade in Greenhills on October 26, 2024 at 8 pm will feature adaptation of Broadway musicals, operatic arias, Disney tunes and other Western influenced.

“We want to relate to as many listeners and audiences as much as possible. We also want to attract the current generation,” said Sweet.

“Kahit naman noon pang panahon ng Tribung Pinoy, kumakanta na ang grupo ni Danny Dolor ng mga (Even during its time, his group had been singing) modern foreign songs,” informed Ronald K. Constantino, a very close associate of Dolor. (Boy Villasanta)