Rod Ohira's People
Voice of soprano touches many

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

Diminutive soprano Helen Duhaylongsod Barcelona acknowledged applause from the Waipahu United Church of Christ congregation with a smile after singing "Ave Maria" to near perfection for the ump-teenth time. The clarity of her sweet voice is an inspirational complement to worship.

Helen Duhaylongsod Barcelona's repertoire includes hundreds of Filipino, Hawaiian, English and Italian songs. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

But she does more than sing in church on Sundays. For more than six decades, the 74-year-old Barcelona's soothing voice has lent comfort to funerals, a touch of class to weddings, and joy to festive occasions within the Waipahu community.

As a young child growing up in Waipahu's "Spanish Camp," she was often invited to the home of Hans L'Orange, legendary O'ahu Sugar Co. manager, to perform for guests. Barcelona's repertoire includes hundreds of Filipino, Hawaiian, English and Italian songs. Tunes about love, such as "Sweethearts" and "One Kiss," are among her favorites.

Barcelona's singing is pure emotion. There are no gestures, no expressions. It's all in the voice.

"You have to sing from the heart, feel what you're singing all the time," said Barcelona, who is in her 41st year as volunteer choir director at Waipahu United Church of Christ, across from the community's Civic Center on Mokuola Street.

Barcelona's physical presence is not as imposing as her voice. She is a half-inch shy of 5 feet tall and weighs less than 90 pounds. Her demeanor is described by friend Molly Arakawa as "prim and proper."

"I respect her a lot," Arakawa said. "She's very devoted to the church and everything she does comes from the heart."

Jose "Sonny" Barcelona, Helen's husband of 50 years and the brother of drummer Danny Barcelona, who played many years with Louis Armstrong's band, has known his wife since she was 4 or 5 years old. Sonny can recall only one flawed performance.

"It was the first time she sang in public," he recalled. "My dad was manager of the Oahu Sugar Co. band and she did a Filipino song, "Amapola," at the Waikiki bandstand. "She was so nervous, she sang off key. After she finished, she cried and cried."

Mocking anger, Helen Barcelona reminded her husband that she did not sing off key. "I just missed a note," she said.

Born in February 1927, Helen was the third eldest of Alejandra and Cayetano Duhaylongsod's five children. Two years after her father died in 1933, her mother married Tomas Ramos. The couple had four children. The social life of the large but close family revolved around Christian celebrations, Helen Barcelona said.

While attending Waipahu High School, Barcelona's music teacher Emma Meurlott Holt sent her to piano lessons at St. Andrew's Priory. "She paid for my lessons for one year," Barcelona said. "The rest is self-taught."

Barcelona also received voice lessons from her sister-in-law, Consuelo Barcelona Casey, and Carlos Sebastian before earning a scholarship at The Mannes Music School in New York.

"I'd rather sing than speak to a group of people in public," said Barcelona, a retired accounting technician who worked for 30 years at Barbers Point Naval Air Station. "I can express myself better singing than talking. Singing makes me feel good. When I'm doing it, I think of good things — my mom and my family. It makes me feel very close to God."

Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.