A nine-member Filipino band who has successfully carved a niche in the US after only a decade, proudly marks its illustrious 10th year in the music scene. The group cannot simply be thankful enough for the level of recognition they have achieved among Filipinos across the US.

Sounds of Manila started its humble beginnings in New Jersey, where all the members are based. To date, the group has performed across the US and has even released its debut album, produced by multi-awarded singer-composer Cecile Azarcon.

Formed in 2009 by Ronnie Sabangan and his wife, Suzanne Lansangan-Sabangan, Sounds of Manila later invited their friends and fellow musicians to join the band.

The group recruited drummer JR Gendrano and his brother Jojo, Sound of Manila’s first guitarist, and keyboardist Bobby de Leon. They all came from different bands.

They thought of having two lead vocalists as the band’s front man and woman, so with Lansangan, Sounds of Manila’s female vocalist, the group had to look for a male vocalist and that was Hermie Angeles, whom they met in a church choir.

The powerful vocal blending of Lansangan and Angeles became the selling point of Sounds of Manila. Through the years, however, other members left the band and were replaced by new ones.

To date, the present members of Sounds of Manila are Sabangan, his wife Lansangan, Angeles, Gendrano, lead guitarist Jason Paguiligan. first keyboard player Neil Estanislao, second keyboard player/back-up vocals Paulo Areza, percussionist Christian Hidalgo and back-up vocals Marla Villacorte. Occasionally, the group is joined by saxophone player Adam Hutcheson.

The members of Sounds of Manila consist of a college professor, an educator, an orthodontist, a global communications executive, a manager, a chemist, a medical technician and a dental hygiene student.

It was Lansangan who came up with the name for the group. “I thought the name Sounds of Manila reminds me of home,” she maintained. “I also wanted Filipinos in the US to be reminded of the music or the sounds that they listened to when they were back home in the Philippines. OPM is a major part of our group’s repertoire.”

Sounds of Manila does not perform regularly in specific venue. Every member has his/her day job. Yet, the band gets to sing in different places, like the Philippine Center in New York City, Symphony Space in Broadway, Music Pier in Ocean City, and Golden Nugget Casino in Atlantic City.

The group has also performed at Six Flags Great Adventure, Bergen Performing Arts Center, Pistahan sa Connecticut, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Beyond the Stars Palace in Los Angeles and Empress Theater in San Francisco.

Moreover, Sounds of Manila is a mainstay at the annual “Fiesta in America” at the Meadowlands Convention Center in New Jersey. The fiesta is a two-day event held every August and the group performs on two consecutive days.

They have been gracing the event for nearly a decade now. Whenever Filipino artists visit New Jersey, Sounds of Manila has always been invited to perform with them at “Fiesta in America.”

Artists whom Sounds of Manila have shared the stage with include Jericho Rosales, Martin Nievera, Ariel Rivera, Piolo Pascual, Angeline Quinto, Ariel Rivera, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Aga Muhlach, Jessa Zaragoza, Sheryn Regis, Rachel Alejandro, Bugoy Drilon, Angelica Panganiban, Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu.

Sounds of Manila also get invited to the Philippine Independence Day events in New York and New Jersey.

“To date, we are honored to have performed as opening acts for Jose Mari Chan and Regine Velasquez,” Lansangan stated proudly. “We have also shared the stage with Grammy award-winning singer Patti Austin, Pieces of a Dream and Joe Bataan in a jazz concert.”

In 2016, Sounds of Manila got to fulfill their dream of recording their debut album. The Sabangan couple was introduced by their publicist, Elton Lugay, to multi-awarded composer, Cecile Azarcon. Lugay previously worked with Azarcon in a different project.

Lugay informed Azarcon that the group’s mission is to preserve and promote OPM in the US and globally.

“Cecile and I spoke on the phone for about two hours to get to know each other and then we later connected on Facebook,” Lansangan shared. “We talked about doing a tribute album for her, which she was very thrilled about.

“She later introduced us to Lorrie Ilustre, whom she asked to help us with the song arrangements. He was very supportive of the idea of assisting us with the album.”

Azarcon offered to produce the Sounds of Manila album and subsequently, Ilustre agreed to co-produce it.

"We did the actual vocal recording in Vallejo, California, so Ms. Cecile could supervise everything,” Lansangan recalled. “We learned so much from her and it was a truly memorable experience for us.

“We feel so blessed and truly honored to have had the opportunity to record an album containing some of the most beautiful OPM songs, penned by a talented and legendary singer and songwriter.”

The group’s first keyboardist was Lorrie Ilustre, who also became their musical director when they went on tour. Lansangan was thrilled that Ilustre provided valuable help through the development of the album.

“Besides arranging all the songs, Lorrie also gave us some recording tips,” she said. “The best part of our collaboration with Ms. Cecile and Lorrie was the friendship that we developed with them, which we will forever treasure.

“To this day, we continue to collaborate with Ms. Cecile and Lorrie on different projects. It is our hope to continue to tour the CD in the US and God willing, hopefully in Manila.”

“Sounds of Manila Sings Cecile Azarcon” contains beautiful songs that the group revived like “Help Me Forget” (originally recorded by Kuh Ledesma), “Special Memory” (sang by Iwi Laurel), “How Did You Know” (Chiqui Pineda), “Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin” (Martin Nievera), “Even If” (Jam Morales) and “One More Try” (Kuh Ledesma).

Two tracks in the album – “All My Tomorrows” and “Once It’s In Your Heart” – are Sounds of Manila’s original interpretation of Azarcon’s original compositions.

“That (album) was a wonderful collaboration with Ms. Azarcon, who also produced our CD,” Lansangan beams. “Many of the songs in our CD were played on the airwaves in Manila (‘Fresh with George Boone’ 104.3) and on Internet radios in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom.”

The CD was launched at Symphony Space in Broadway, New York, Beyond the Stars Palace in Los Angeles and the Empress Theater in San Francisco.

“Those were all really memorable because that was the first time for us to perform in those big venues,” said Lansangan. “We were so pleased to receive compliments and accolades. It made our hearts swell with joy knowing that we did a good job.”

Recently, Sounds of Manila guested on Makilala TV to perform the band’s original interpretation of Azarcon’s “All My Tomorrows.” They dedicated their performance to family and friends all over the globe.

Sounds of Manila had a concert and CD tour with Azarcon in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The group was also featured on various Fil-Am TV shows in the US, including G. Toengi's “Kababayan L.A.,” Makilala TV in New York, Adobo Nation on The Filipino Channel, Fil-Am Now in Chicago and on MCBN Pinoy Radio Broadcast Center in the Greater Toronto Area.

Today, after a decade of actively performing in the East Coast and in other parts of the US, Sounds of Manila has achieved ultimate recognition and undeniable success as the premier OPM band in the US.

“We're the first Filipino-American band that performed on the Philly Groove Stage as part of Philadelphia's Signature July 4th Festival,” Lansangan offered. “We have also shared the stage with artists from the Philippines and performed as special guests in Jose Mari Chan's Christmas concert at the Golden Nugget Casino and Regine Velasquez's concert in New Jersey.”

Sounds of Manila has proudly collaborated with brothers Spanky and Roger Rigor of the famous VST & Company. Last year, Sounds of Manila joined the brothers’ concert in Virginia to celebrate VST & Company’s illustrious 40th anniversary in the Philippine music industry.

“During our concert in Virginia last year, we donated a portion of our CD sales to a nine-year-old Filipino cancer patient,” Lansangan said. “We have also performed in various charity events. We collaborated with other Filipino-American artists to create a video for Typhoon Yolanda victims.”

On June 15, Sounds of Manila will share the stage anew with Spanky and Roger Rigor for a concert at Baruch Performing Arts in New York City. The show will be produced by Jelisa Olaguera of Infinity Entertainment NYC, with Myrna and Rolan Gutierrez of Queens Asian Festival.

The concert is being held in celebration of Sounds of Manila’s 10th anniversary, as well as VST and Company’s 40th year in the Philippine music industry. There are plans to bring the show to Chicago and also to Manila.

“We are also proud to have had an opportunity to collaborate and work with the legends of the Philippine music industry, who include Lorrie Ilustre, the co-producer/ musical arranger of our CD, and Spanky and Roger Rigor of VST & Company,” Lansangan beamed.

What’s in store for the next decade? Sounds of Manila keeps the faith that they will continue to be in the music scene actively and proudly.