To help cover about $5,500 in hotel and competition costs for the championships — to be held this July in Los Angeles — Tugbang staged a concert, “Splendere: A Musical Performance,” on April 27. The concert took place at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts. Performers included Emilio Zarris III from the original cast of Miss Saigon, Brampton Symphony Orchestra vocalist Jasmine Ragual and the debut of In Harmony, a men’s a capella ensemble, among other acts.
Tugbang, who’s specialty is vocal performance, was selected by the World Championships committee to enter the competition.
The concert wasn’t just about raising funds, said Tugbang. It was also a thank you to his friends and supporters, some of whom were among the performers.
“I’ve been singing for 11 years... I’ve met so many different people and I’m thankful for so many different people, it’s kind of like a victory party for us. All the hard work that I’ve done, we’ve done in the last 11 years and all the support that people have given me, it’s paid off,” he said, looking forward to representing Canada on the “world stage.”
Tugbang has found that pursuing life as a singer can be expensive. Almost every year, he’s taken lessons from a vocal coach at a cost of about $2,000 annually.
On top of that, transportation and other costs are also high.
“Because I perform in a lot of different places... all over the GTA and sometimes even outside the city, south of the border, in Quebec, in Ottawa, we drive,” he said.
Tugbang does receive a talent fee or honorarium for some of his performances, but mostly credits his parents for their support, financial or otherwise.
“The majority of it would be through the help of my parents because my parents have always been there to support me,” he said. “Whatever it is I’ve wanted to do, they really helped me come through the things that I’ve wanted to do, especially music.”
Tugbang’s dream is to find success in the United States. And with the costs of the competition and the uncertainty of where performing will take him, he’s taking a year off from school after graduating from high school to focus on his singing career.
He would eventually like to continue his studies at one of the top schools in the United States, perhaps the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New York or Juilliard in New York City.
As for the world championships, “I need to make sure when I compete, I can represent Canada with 110 per cent of energy,” he said.