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Heartfelt thanks for your love and support!

  • Mom - for being my #1 fan

  • Steve MacFarlane - for being my rock and earth

  • Bengie Santos

  • Gloria Santos

  • Inocentes-Aquino family

  • MacFarlane Family

  • Fineza Famiily

  • Seattle Men's Chorus

  • Flying House

  • Dennis Coleman

  • Bob Bruneau

  • Joe Farmer

  • Evan Stults

  • Aleksa Manila & Casa de Manila

  • Marcus Wolland

  • Michael Mikowski

  • Charles Baker

  • LInda Kosut

  • Maria Batayola

  • Francina Noordhoek

  • Eric La Gasca & Ken Hayes

  • Tania Villalonga & Mike Flanagan

  • Seattle Gay News

  • Erv Raible

  • The International Cabaret Conference at Yale Univeristy

  • The Filipino Community of Seattle

  • The Filipinos at Microsoft

  • The Official Pride Asia

  • The Cricket Foundation

  • Brian Silkworth & Bill Colter

  • The Pacific Northwest Cabaret Association

  • Seattle's March is Cabaret Month

  • The Bobs

  • Egan's

  • Julia's Off Broadway

  • Thumper's

  • Shunpike

  • The Duplex in NY

  • Sheri Eaker & Backstage East

  • Bistro Awards Committee

  • Gawad Musika

  • Living Arts, Tulsa

  • Nonoy Froilan & Edna Vida

  • Jojo Kassim

  • Bong Perez

  • Jenny d'Armand

  • The Philippine American Chamber of Commerce - Metro DC

  • Olma Inocentes

  • Cristina Sison

  • Thrina Lim

  • Jef Salongga

  • Kristoff Inocentes

  • and to all lovers of music and the arts.

THANK YOU DENNIS COLEMAN

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I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my mentor and champion Dennis Coleman who retired after 35 years as artistic director of the Seattle Men's and Women's Choruses.

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Dennis was instrumental in launching my cabaret persona when he asked me to sing in drag at a Seattle Men's Chorus (SMC) concert in 1991 as Breatheless Mahoney vamping in a red dress to Sondheim's "Sooner or Later". In 1992 he asked me to perform "South America Take It Away" as Carmen Miranda which I also performed at GALA in Denver that year in front of thousands of LGBTQ Chorus members from all over the world. During those times when drag was still fairly marginalized, I learned a very important lesson from Dennis when I asked him why people were complaining about my drag performances and he said, "Arnaldo, people will always say what they want to say. You have no control over that." A very wise lesson that just set me free!

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In 1996, Dennis asked me to perform "She's Got You" (aka Patsy) and that number took me to places I had not even dreamed of. Center stage at The Palau de La Musica Catalan in Barcelona, The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (most magical for me at the Gay Games), Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, London to name a few prestigious venues ... and every time, it never failed that the audience stood in ovation!

 

All my years with SMC, Dennis also asked me to perform other characters like Michael Jackson (I'll Be There), Oliver Button (performed, staged and choreographed), Little White Dove, a spinning dreidel, Orphan Annie and the Y2K bug (ha!) among other roles. He also asked me to choreograph and to stage many pieces for the chorus including "Tales of the City" with Armisted Maupin.

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In 1999, I decided to try out a solo cabaret and by 2002 (est.), due to scheduling and other commitments, I had to drop out of SMC. But that did not stop Dennis from inviting me back to perform as "Patsy" for chorus tours and guest soloist in the "Santa Baby" and "Baby It's Cold Outside" holiday shows.

 

As Arnaldo! drag chanteuse, my life has become richer and very blessed as I continue to meet wonderful people in my musical journey. I also met many lifetime friends in the chorus.

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For his final concert, Dennis Coleman invited me to perform at McCaw Hall and I was the only guest soloist. Once a chorine, always a chorine! For me, it was such high honor to perform for the man that has enriched and changed so many lives through his music.

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He certainly changed mine.

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