On Saturday, November 9th at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Tampa’s PHILIPPINE CHORAL GROUP conductor will be one of the recipients of “HALL OF FAME 2019” award for the preservation of the Philippine music in America at a Gala Awards Dinner & Dance as a Salute and Recognition in honor of the 2019 Chicago Filipino Asian American Hall of Fame who is also celebrating their silver anniversary. The event is produced and organized by the VIA Times News Magazine of Chicago.
Connie Chnarasmi lives in Pinellas Park, Florida. She was born and raised in Manila. She graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Masters in Business Administration.
While in the university, she became a member of the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers (MADZ). In 1990, she relocated to the United States after a successful 6-month tour with the group in Europe and the United States.
She met her husband Tony during the MADZ tour. They have two children, Andrew, and Carissa who both graduated from the top ten public universities in the United States.
Her experience with the MADZ inspired her to teach choral music to the Filipino community in Florida. She has been the music director of the Philippine Choral Group for over 20 years now. As one of the Philippine Cultural Foundation Inc.’s (PCFI) cultural arms, the group helps to preserve and present Philippine heritage and culture. The choir is a collective of people with various professions that come together to perform and/or participate in almost every Filipino-American event in the Tampa Bay Area. The choir repertoire ranges from Philippine ethnic, folk, and popular music to church hymns and Broadway tunes.
Connie Chnarasmi started as a member of the PCFI Cultural Affairs Advisory Board in 2000, and in 2017 she received a Distinguished Service Award from the PCFI at the “Gabi ng Parangal”, recognizing the years of service she has given to the foundation.
Connie Chnarasmi is also very active in the local community. In 2009, she received the Saint Jude Medal award from the Diocese of St Petersburg for her dedicated service to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinellas Park, FL where she served as a cantor and assisting choir director for over 15 years. Currently, she is a cantor at Saint Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church in Clearwater, FL and has been with this parish for 4 years.
In 2005, she also served as the music director of the Little Hometown Soldiers, a non-profit children’s organization of kids 5 – 12 years old that reaches out to support families with members who serve within the armed forces.
Connie Chnarasmi currently works as a Senior Specialist at Citi’s Security Lending Operations and has been with the company for 25 years.
She will be joined in Chicago by two previous awardees also from Tampa, Joey Omila who was awarded in 2005 for his outstanding efforts in the preserving Philippine folk dances as the Director and Choreographer of the Philippine Performing Arts Company of Tampa and Nhick Ramiro-Pacis who was awarded in 2016 for his original compositions and arrangements of Philippine music and as the conductor of the Musikong Kawayan-Bamboo Ensemble.
For those who would like to attend the ceremony in Chicago or place a congratulatory add in the Hall of Fame 2019 Souvenir Program, contact JOEY OMILA at (813) 312-6518 or email me at [email protected].
