Courtroom Concert: Thousand Tongues – “Music from the Philippines” Isabella Dawis, soprano; Paolo Debuque, tenor; Walter Tambo, piano

Hosted by composer Abbie Betinis, our popular Courtroom Concerts take place at noon most Thursdays in the Landmark Center in downtown Saint Paul. This series features accomplished musicians and composers from the Twin Cities and surrounding area, as well as occasional musical newcomers to the area. These one-hour concerts are free and open to the public.

About the Artists:

Isabella Dawis is a Filipina-American writer and performer from Minneapolis. Her wide array of creative roles includes playwright, actor, singer, librettist, lyricist, composer, music director, pianist, director, and dramaturg. Equally active in musical theater, plays, and opera, Isabella works to thread global traditions and feminist perspectives into American theater and music. A 2023 Loghaven Artist-in-Residence, Isabella is the recipient of the Kleban Prize in Musical Theatre for librettists, the Fred Ebb Award for musical theater songwriting, the Weston-Ghostlight New Musical Award, and the American Opera Project’s Composers and the Voice Fellowship. As bookwriter/lyricist, Isabella’s musicals with composer Tidtaya Sinutoke include Sunwatcher, based on the life of Japanese astronomer and “hidden figure” Hisako Koyama – and Half the Sky, the story of an Asian American woman climbing Mount Everest. Isabella’s work has been presented and supported by the 5th Avenue Theatre, Musical Theatre Factory, Ten Thousand Things, Theater Mu, the Kurt Weill Foundation, Berkeley Repertory Theater, the Atlanta Opera, Weston Theater Company, Tofte Lake Center, Ancram Center for the Arts, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, the O’Neill Center, Theater Latté Da, Goodspeed Musicals, the Civilians, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, among others. She has appeared onstage with the Guthrie Theater, the Center for Contemporary Opera, the Minnesota Opera, Theater Mu, the Jungle Theatre, New Ohio Theatre, and many more. Currently, Isabella holds a 2023-25 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship with the Jerome Foundation.

Paolo Debuque is a Filipino/Chinese-American conductor, artistic director, and designer noted for his innovative programming and commitment to grassroots, community-centered art. Trained in conducting, voice, and piano, his engagements have included Head of Performing Arts at the International School of Minnesota (PS-12), Founding Artistic Director of Path to Peace, a weeklong choral festival for gun violence prevention, and Founding Artistic Director of A Thousand Tongues, a concert series dedicated to amplifying the voices of Asian-American/Pacific Islander artists.

Paolo currently serves as Chorus Master of the Dakota Valley Symphony and as Chancel Choir Director at Good Samaritan UMC in Edina. He studied music at Swarthmore College and earned the Masters in Choral Conducting at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, studying with Dr. Jerry Blackstone. Further conducting study includes fellowships and apprenticeships with Interlochen Center for the Arts, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Wintergreen Music Festival, Berkshire Choral International, Chorus America, and more.

Walter Tambor joined LeagueAires as Music Director in 2016. In addition to leading this 60-voice women’s ensemble, he is the Director of Contemporary and World Music at The Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, MN. He directs Mundus, contemporary and world music ensemble; Juventus, the instrumental and choral ensemble for youth grades 8-12; and assembles various liturgical music ensembles from world cultures with the goal of authentically sharing a part of the world church with the local Basilica community. He is also Accompanist/Assistant Director of the Minneapolis Youth Chorus, the Children’s Choir of the Minnesota Chorale. Before coming to Minneapolis in 2004, Walter was Assistant Organist and Chapel Choir director at Saint Clement Church in Chicago, IL; on staff at the Chicago Children’s Choir Academy, an interracial and multicultural choral music education organization promoting musical excellence for children grades 4-8; and DePaul University Community Music Division, where he provided private piano instruction to mostly African-American and Hispanic foster children ages 8-12, mentoring children and promoting increased confidence and self-worth through weekly lessons and periodic performance opportunities. Mr. Tambor is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and DePaul University.