Lea Salonga
Encyclopedia
Lea Salonga-Chien is a mezzo-soprano singer and actress from the Philippines
well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical
Miss Saigon
, for which she won the Olivier, Tony
, Drama Desk
, Outer Critics
and Theatre World
awards.
She was the first Asian
to play the roles of Éponine
and Fantine
in the musical Les Misérables
on Broadway
. She also provided the singing voice of two official Disney Princesses: Jasmine
in Aladdin (1992), and Fa Mulan
in Mulan
(1998) and Mulan II
(2004). Salonga was named a Disney Legend in 2011 for her work at the company.
by Repertory Philippines. She became the lead star of Annie
and joined other productions such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
, Fiddler on the Roof
, The Rose Tattoo
, The Sound of Music
, The Goodbye Girl
, Paper Moon
and The Fantasticks
.
She began her recording career at the age of ten with her first album, Small Voice
, which received a gold certification. A song on the album, the duet "Happiness", marked her first recording collaboration with her younger brother Gerard Salonga
, who would, years later, work with her as musical director or creative director in her concerts and recordings. Her second album, Lea
, was released in 1988.
In addition to performing in musical theater and recordings, Salonga hosted her own musical television show, Love, Lea, and was a member of the cast of German Moreno
's teen variety show That's Entertainment
. She acted in films, which included the family-oriented Tropang Bulilit, Like Father, Like Son, Ninja Kids, Captain Barbell, and Pik Pak Boom. She also opened for international acts such as Menudo
and Stevie Wonder
in their concerts in Manila in 1985 and in 1988, respectively.
As a young performer, Lea Salonga received a Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) award nomination (the Philippine equivalent of an Oscar nomination) for Best Child Actress. and three wins from the Aliw (literally, "entertainment") Awards as Best Child Performer.
in 1989. Unable to find a strong enough East Asian actress/singer in the United Kingdom, the producers scoured many countries looking for the lead role of this major British production. For her audition, the 17-year-old Salonga chose to sing Boublil
and Schönberg's
"On My Own" from Les Misérables
and was later asked to sing "Sun and Moon" to test the compatibility of her voice quality with the songs in the musical. The members of the panel were impressed with Salonga's rendition of the songs, noting that from Salonga's very first note, they already knew they had a potential Kim. Salonga competed with childhood friend and fellow Repertory Philippines performer Monique Wilson as they were tested with songs from the musical, which included "Too Much for One Heart", a number replaced by the duet "Please" just before the musical opened. Salonga was offered the lead role, with Wilson as the understudy (who was also assigned the role of bar girl Mimi).
For her performance as Kim, Salonga won the Olivier
for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical for the 1989–1990 season. From its original London home, Miss Saigon moved to Broadway in April 1991. Salonga subsequently won the Tony
, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle
and the Theatre World
Awards for the same role. Between 1993 and 1996, she was asked periodically to play Kim on Broadway to boost ticket sales. In 1999, she was invited back to London to close the musical, and in 2001, at the age of 29 and after doing the Manila run of the musical, Salonga returned to Broadway to close the Broadway production.
In 1990, Salonga performed in a homecoming concert in Manila
entitled A Miss Called Lea. She also received a Presidential Award of Merit from Philippine president Corazon Aquino
.
in the Broadway production of Les Misérables
, and later flew to Los Angeles
to perform the song "A Whole New World" of Disney's
Aladdin with Brad Kane
at the 65th Annual Academy Awards
, where the song won an Oscar. That same year, she released her self-titled international debut album with Atlantic Records
, which had modest sales in the USA but went platinum in the Philippines and sold 3 million copies worldwide.
In 1994, Salonga played in various musical theater productions in the Philippines and Singapore
. She starred as Sandy in Grease
, as Sonia Walsk in They're Playing Our Song
, and as The Witch in Into The Woods
.
Back in the U.S. in 1995, Salonga played the role of Geri Riordan, an 18-year-old adopted Vietnamese American
child in the Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV movie Redwood Curtain
, which starred John Lithgow
and Jeff Daniels
. She then flew back to the Philippines to star with Filipino matinée idol Aga Muhlach
in the critically acclaimed film Sana Maulit Muli, which gave her a second Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) award nomination, this time for Best Actress. She accepted an invitation from Sir Cameron Mackintosh
to play the role of Éponine in his 10th anniversary production called Les Miserables in Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall
. Salonga performed along with Colm Wilkinson
, Michael Ball
, Judy Kuhn
, and Philip Quast
.
In 1996, Salonga was in Les Misérables once again. She played Éponine in the London production of the musical, then continued on to do the role in the musical's U.S. national tour in Hawaii.
in London and on Broadway
. In 1997, she released I'd Like to Teach The World to Sing (recordings from her childhood days) to gold sales in the Philippines. That recording was followed by Lea... In Love
in 1998 and By Heart
in 2000, with both albums reaching multiple platinum status in the Philippines. In addition to the release of these albums, she participated in the tribute concert to Sir Cameron Mackintosh
in London called "Hey Mr. Producer: The Musical World of Cameron MacKintosh", where she did numbers from several of his musicals. She also performed in four concerts: The Homecoming Concert, The Millennium Concert, The Best of Manila and Songs from the Screen – the last two being benefit shows. Salonga returned to Manila in Miss Saigon
, staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
at the end of 2000.
After Miss Saigon
s closing on Broadway in 2001, Salonga recreated the role of Lien Hughes
originally played by Ming-Na Wen in the soap opera
As the World Turns
. After completing her contract that year, she was asked to return to the role in 2003. She guested on Russell Watson's The Voice concert, narrated for the television special My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States, and appeared on the Christmas episode of the TV medical drama ER
, playing the role of a patient with lymphoma
.
In 2002, Salonga returned to Broadway to play the role of a Chinese immigrant in a reinterpretation of Rodgers and Hammerstein
's Flower Drum Song
opposite Jose Llana
. This was after the reinvented musical had a run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2001 with Salonga playing the lead role and with the show garnering multiple wins and nominations, including Lead Actress in a Musical for Salonga, from the Theatre Los Angeles Ovation Awards
. The show, given a brand new libretto
and considered one of the 10 best plays on Broadway in 2002 by Time
magazine, garnered Tony Award
nominations for Best Book, Best Costume Designer, and Best Choreographer, and earned nominations from the Outer Critics Circle
, the Drama League, the Astaire Awards, and Broadway.com's Audience Award
s and Broadwayworld.com's Fans' Choice Awards as well. The Salonga-led Broadway revival cast album was also a top contender at the 2003 Grammy Award
s for Best Musical Show Album. While Salonga's performance was received positively by theater critics such as Matthew Murray, Heather Cross, Patrick Purdon, and John Simon, among others, she was not nominated at the Tony Award
s for her brief stint on Broadway that season, although she did get nominations for Distinguished Performance from the Drama League, for Favorite Lead Actress in a Broadway Musical from Broadway.com's Audience Award
s, and for Best Lead Actress in a Musical from Broadwayworld.com's Fans' Choice Awards. Between the 2001 Los Angeles and 2002 Broadway
productions of Flower Drum Song
, she performed in a non-musical theatrical production for the first time, playing the role of Catherine in the stage play Proof
in Manila
. This was followed by a major concert, The Broadway Concert, at the Philippine International Convention Center
. She also sang with Harry Connick, Peter Gallagher, and Michelle Lee in a tribute number for Richard Rodgers at the 56th Tony Awards.
In 2003, Salonga did her first "all-Filipino" concert in Manila
called Songs from Home, which later won a second Aliw Award as Entertainer of the Year; she also won the previous year. Upon her return to the U.S., she performed in several shows at the Mohegan Sun
in Montville, Connecticut
. This was followed by a Christmas concert in the Philippines
called Home for Christmas at the end of the year, which was nominated for the 18th Aliw Awards, and performances at the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center in Marlton, New Jersey
the following year, in 2004. Later that year, she played Lizzie in the Manila
production of the musical Baby
, which earned her another nomination from the Aliw Awards.
and Norfolk, Virginia
followed. Later that year, Salonga performed with a 26-piece ensemble to a sold-out crowd at the Isaac Stern Hall in Carnegie Hall
for the benefit of Diverse City Theater Company. Between her concerts, the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS
) bestowed her with the Golden Artist Award at the 53rd FAMAS Awards in honor of her international achievements. She performed during the grand opening of Hong Kong's Disneyland and recorded two songs on tenor Daniel Rodriguez
's In the Presence CD. That same year, Salonga did voice work for Disney's English dub of Hayao Miyazaki
's My Neighbor Totoro as Mrs. Kusakabe. Salonga's other Disney film credits include the singing voice of Princess Jasmine
for Aladdin in 1992 and Fa Mulan
for Mulan
and Mulan II
in 1998 and in 2004, respectively.
In 2006, at the 15th Asian Games
in Doha
, Qatar
, Salonga concluded the closing ceremony with the song "Triumph of The One" before an audience of 50,000 people at the Khalifa Stadium.
In 2007, Salonga released her first studio album in seven years called Inspired, which has been certified platinum, and finished another stint in the musical Les Misérables
on Broadway, this time as Fantine
. She was scheduled to appear in a number of musical events scheduled in different countries until 2008.
Salonga received the Order of Lakandula Award from Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
in recognition of her excellence in her craft and for using her talents to benefit Philippine society. It was also announced that she would return to Broadway in the musical Les Misérables, replacing Daphne Rubin-Vega
as Fantine on March 6. Her tenure started, however, on March 2, four days earlier than planned. Her casting on the show has been credited with boosting the musical's ticket sales on Broadway. On September 27, 2007, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was in New York, watched Salonga in her new role
in the musical, whose cast that night included Filipino American
s Adam Jacobs as Marius
and Ali Ewoldt
as Cosette
. Her contract with the musical ended on October 21, 2007 and she was succeeded by Broadway's original Cosette Judy Kuhn
. For her performances in this revival, Salonga received rave reviews and made it again to the short list of Broadway.com's Audience Award favorites—this time for Best Replacement for her new role as Fantine. During her stint on Broadway this season, she appeared on Broadway on Broadway 2007 and Stars in the Alley 2007, spoke at the Broadway Artists Alliance Summer Intensives, guested on the Broadway musical 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and participated in Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS' 12th Annual Nothing Like A Dame event to benefit the women's health initiative of The Actors Fund. Right after doing Les Misérables, she performed in two events: at the US Military Academy Band's concert in West Point where she sang four songs and an encore and in her own concert at the Tarrytown Music Hall in New York.
As of November 2007, a number of performances were scheduled for the rest of the year and for 2008, including a Christmas presentation in Manila, concerts in other parts of the Philippines and in California, Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Guam and Broadway Asia Entertainment's international tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, where she plays the lead.
in the Philippine Daily Inquirer
with her column "Backstory" (Entertainment section), "Introducing: Lea Salonga, writer". She performed in "Global Pop" at the Music Center on July 11, 2008. It was presented by The Blue Ribbon a group founded by Dorothy Chandler in 1968. Backed by an orchestra
of 19 musicians, Lea Salonga received a standing ovation
for her solo concert on July 11 at Los Angeles' Walt Disney Concert Hall
. Salonga also performed part of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "There's Music in You", as preview of her coming show Cinderella at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
on July 29.
From late July 2008 to mid 2009, Salonga played the title role in a 30-week Asian tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, opening in Manila and continuing to China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. According to Billboard.com, Salonga was scheduled to perform in Nevada, Washington, California, Indiana, New York, Hawaii and more in 2009 and was also asked to dance novelty Filipino dances "Ocho-ocho" and "Spaghetti".
In July 2009, Salonga agreed to advertise the Avon Products
line of anti-aging skin care products Anew Rejuvenate in the Philippines.
Also in the same month, Lea was invited to sing at the 95th Anniversary Special of Iglesia Ni Cristo
. She was given a standing ovation after her first song, which was an original Iglesia Ni Cristo composition and arranged by Ryan Cayabyab
.
On August 5, 2009, at the final requiem
mass for President Corazon Aquino
, Lea Salonga sang "Bayan Ko
" as the final song right before Aquino's cortege was brought out from the Manila Cathedral
.
Salonga celebrated 20 years of Miss Saigon by performing in a concert called "Lea Salonga...Your Songs", at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Plenary Hall on December 11 and 12, 2009. Lea conducted an online poll via www.LEAyoursongs.com where fans could request songs they wanted to hear. The concert had crooner Richard Poon, the award-winning dance group Philippine All Stars and Concert Comedy Queen Ai-Ai de las Alas
as special guests. "Lea Salonga...Your Songs" was under the musical direction of her brother, Gerard Salonga along with the FILharmoniKA.
From July 23 - August 22, 2010, Salonga played the role of Grizabella in the Manila run of the Asia-Pacific tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Cats
at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
. She returned to Les Misérables on October 3 in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables as Fantine, fifteen years after appearing in the 10th Anniversary as Eponine.
In 2010, Salonga joined forces with Avon as a celebrity judge for Avon Voices, Avon's first ever global, online singing talent search for women and songwriting competition for men and women. Instantly, she become part of Miss Universe history because of her winning final question which won by Miss Angola
Leila Lopes.
Salonga was honored as a Disney Legend on August 19, 2011.
She was chosen to serve as one of the judges in the 60th Miss Universe 2011
Beauty Pageant in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011.
before moving to Manila
. She is the cousin of ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell
. She is not related to former Senator Jovito Salonga
. She has a brother named Gerard Salonga who is an orchestral conductor.
She studied and finished her secondary education in 1988 at the O. B. Montessori Center
in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, where she was a Bergamo 1 Student and an active participant in school productions. She also attended the University of the Philippines
College of Music's extension program aimed at training musically talented children in music and stage movement. A college freshman at the Ateneo de Manila University
when she auditioned for Miss Saigon
, she later took two courses at Fordham University
's Lincoln Center campus while in between jobs in New York.
On January 10, 2004, Salonga married Robert Charles Chien, a Chinese-Japanese managing director of an entertainment software company in Los Angeles, California
, whom she met while doing Flower Drum Song
. They have a daughter, Nicole Beverly, who was born on May 16, 2006, named after Salonga's late mother-in-law, Beverly. She is also an avid video game enthusiast, and has mentioned her love for the hobby in several of her print articles.
On October 15, 2010, Lea Salonga was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO).
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
, for which she won the Olivier, Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
, Drama Desk
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
, Outer Critics
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
and Theatre World
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
awards.
She was the first Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
to play the roles of Éponine
Éponine
Éponine Thénardier is a fictional character in the 1862 novelLes Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Éponine in the novel :As children, Éponine and her younger sister Azelma are described as pretty, well-dressed, charming and a delight to see. They are pampered and spoiled by their parents the Thénardiers...
and Fantine
Fantine
Fantine is a character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables.- Backstory :"Fantine was one of those beings which are brought forth from the heart of the people... She was called Fantine because she had never been known by any other name...""All four were ravishingly beautiful. As to Fantine,...
in the musical Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. She also provided the singing voice of two official Disney Princesses: Jasmine
Princess Jasmine
Princess Jasmine is a fictional character and one of the main characters of the 1992 film Aladdin and its sequels, The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves . She is voiced by Linda Larkin, with her singing voice performed by Lea Salonga in the first film and Disney Princess...
in Aladdin (1992), and Fa Mulan
Fa Mulan
Fa Mulan, later Li Mulan, better known simply as Mulan, is the main protagonist of Disney's thirty-sixth animated feature film Mulan and its direct-to-video sequel Mulan II. The character is inspired by the legendary Hua Mulan from the Chinese poem The Ballad of Mulan...
in Mulan
Mulan
Mulan is a 1998 American animated film directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with story by Robert D. San Souci and screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Philip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and Raymond Singer. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney...
(1998) and Mulan II
Mulan II
Mulan II is a 2004 American direct-to-video Disney animated feature directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerl and is a sequel to the 1998 animated film Mulan. The entire cast from the first film returned, except for Eddie Murphy , Miriam Margolyes , Chris Sanders and Matthew Wilder...
(2004). Salonga was named a Disney Legend in 2011 for her work at the company.
1978–1988
Salonga made her professional debut in 1978 at the age of seven in the musical The King and IThe King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
by Repertory Philippines. She became the lead star of Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
and joined other productions such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955...
, Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, The Rose Tattoo
The Rose Tattoo
- External links :*...
, The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, The Goodbye Girl
The Goodbye Girl
The Goodbye Girl is a 1977 American romantic comedy-drama film. Directed by Herbert Ross, the film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, and Paul Benedict...
, Paper Moon
Paper Moon (film)
Paper Moon is a 1973 American comedy film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was adapted from the novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown, and the film was shot in black-and-white. The film is set during the Great Depression in the U.S. states of Kansas and...
and The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It was produced by Lore Noto. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into...
.
She began her recording career at the age of ten with her first album, Small Voice
Small Voice
Small Voice is the debut album of Lea Salonga, one of the best-selling female recording artists in the Philippines. It was recorded when she was only nine years old. The album hit #1 and went gold and platinum. Philippine critics gave the album and Lea's performance positive reviews...
, which received a gold certification. A song on the album, the duet "Happiness", marked her first recording collaboration with her younger brother Gerard Salonga
Gerard Salonga
Gerard Salonga is a conductor, musical arranger, orchestrator and musical director from the Philippines. He is also the founder, musical director and conductor of FILharmoniKA, a symphony orchestra in the Philippines.-Biography:...
, who would, years later, work with her as musical director or creative director in her concerts and recordings. Her second album, Lea
Lea (album)
Lea is the second record of Lea Salonga which saw her in a danceable R&B mode. With this she entered the pop charts at #2 and R&B/soul at #1...
, was released in 1988.
In addition to performing in musical theater and recordings, Salonga hosted her own musical television show, Love, Lea, and was a member of the cast of German Moreno
German Moreno
German Moreno, also known as Kuya Germs or the Master Showman , is a Filipino television host, actor, comedian and Talent Manager popular during the 1980s...
's teen variety show That's Entertainment
That's Entertainment (TV series)
That's Entertainment is a defunct Filipino youth-oriented talent and variety show aired by GMA Network.-History:The show was launched on January 6, 1986 by GMA Network and gained popularity almost overnight among young audiences who were on the lookout for idols of their own. Hosted by German...
. She acted in films, which included the family-oriented Tropang Bulilit, Like Father, Like Son, Ninja Kids, Captain Barbell, and Pik Pak Boom. She also opened for international acts such as Menudo
Menudo (band)
Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
in their concerts in Manila in 1985 and in 1988, respectively.
As a young performer, Lea Salonga received a Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) award nomination (the Philippine equivalent of an Oscar nomination) for Best Child Actress. and three wins from the Aliw (literally, "entertainment") Awards as Best Child Performer.
1989–1992
Salonga was selected to play Kim in the musical Miss SaigonMiss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
in 1989. Unable to find a strong enough East Asian actress/singer in the United Kingdom, the producers scoured many countries looking for the lead role of this major British production. For her audition, the 17-year-old Salonga chose to sing Boublil
Alain Boublil
Alain Boublil is a musical theatre lyricist and librettist, best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg for musicals on Broadway and London's West End...
and Schönberg's
Claude-Michel Schönberg
Claude-Michel Schönberg is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with the lyricist Alain Boublil.These include the musicals:...
"On My Own" from Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
and was later asked to sing "Sun and Moon" to test the compatibility of her voice quality with the songs in the musical. The members of the panel were impressed with Salonga's rendition of the songs, noting that from Salonga's very first note, they already knew they had a potential Kim. Salonga competed with childhood friend and fellow Repertory Philippines performer Monique Wilson as they were tested with songs from the musical, which included "Too Much for One Heart", a number replaced by the duet "Please" just before the musical opened. Salonga was offered the lead role, with Wilson as the understudy (who was also assigned the role of bar girl Mimi).
For her performance as Kim, Salonga won the Olivier
Laurence Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Award is presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre. Named after the renowned British actor Laurence Olivier, they are given for West End shows and other productions staged in London...
for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical for the 1989–1990 season. From its original London home, Miss Saigon moved to Broadway in April 1991. Salonga subsequently won the Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
and the Theatre World
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
Awards for the same role. Between 1993 and 1996, she was asked periodically to play Kim on Broadway to boost ticket sales. In 1999, she was invited back to London to close the musical, and in 2001, at the age of 29 and after doing the Manila run of the musical, Salonga returned to Broadway to close the Broadway production.
In 1990, Salonga performed in a homecoming concert in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
entitled A Miss Called Lea. She also received a Presidential Award of Merit from Philippine president Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
.
1993–1996
In 1993, upon completion of her initial stint as Kim on Broadway, Salonga played the role of street waif ÉponineÉponine
Éponine Thénardier is a fictional character in the 1862 novelLes Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Éponine in the novel :As children, Éponine and her younger sister Azelma are described as pretty, well-dressed, charming and a delight to see. They are pampered and spoiled by their parents the Thénardiers...
in the Broadway production of Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, and later flew to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to perform the song "A Whole New World" of Disney's
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
Aladdin with Brad Kane
Brad Kane
Bradley Caleb Kane is a singer, actor, and writer.-Career:Kane began to act when he was three years old, with a small role in the movie Six Weeks. At the age of eight, he obtained the role of one of the four chorus boys in the Broadway musical Evita...
at the 65th Annual Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, where the song won an Oscar. That same year, she released her self-titled international debut album with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, which had modest sales in the USA but went platinum in the Philippines and sold 3 million copies worldwide.
In 1994, Salonga played in various musical theater productions in the Philippines and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. She starred as Sandy in Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, as Sonia Walsk in They're Playing Our Song
They're Playing Our Song
They're Playing Our Song is a musical with a book by Neil Simon, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by Marvin Hamlisch.In a story based on the real-life relationship of Hamlisch and Sager, a wisecracking composer finds a new, offbeat lyricist, but initially the match is not one made in heaven...
, and as The Witch in Into The Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
.
Back in the U.S. in 1995, Salonga played the role of Geri Riordan, an 18-year-old adopted Vietnamese American
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
child in the Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
TV movie Redwood Curtain
Redwood Curtain (film)
Redwood Curtain is a 1995 American dramatic TV movie created by Hallmark Hall of Fame, and directed by John Korty based upon the 1993 Broadway play of the same name by Lanford Wilson. Starring Jeff Daniels, Lea Salonga, Debra Monk and John Lithgow, the film debuted on ABC on April 23,...
, which starred John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
and Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
. She then flew back to the Philippines to star with Filipino matinée idol Aga Muhlach
Aga Muhlach
Ariel Aquino Muhlach , commonly known as Aga Muhlach, is a 2-time Gawad Urian and FAMAS award-winning Filipino actor and product endorser...
in the critically acclaimed film Sana Maulit Muli, which gave her a second Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) award nomination, this time for Best Actress. She accepted an invitation from Sir Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
to play the role of Éponine in his 10th anniversary production called Les Miserables in Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. Salonga performed along with Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson is an Irish tenor, best known for originating the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and for playing the title role in The Phantom of the Opera .Due to his association with these musicals, he reprised the role of...
, Michael Ball
Michael Ball (singer)
Michael Ashley Ball, born 27 June 1962) is a British actor, singer, and radio and TV presenter who is best known for the song "Love Changes Everything" and musical theatre roles such as Marius in Les Misérables, Alex in Aspects of Love, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Edna Turnblad...
, Judy Kuhn
Judy Kuhn
-Life and career:Kuhn was born in New York City and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. She attended Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.She entered Oberlin College in 1976. Although she was very interested in singing and theater, she began Oberlin in the College, not the Conservatory. After taking...
, and Philip Quast
Philip Quast
Philip Quast is an Australian actor perhaps best known for his role as Inspector Javert in the stage musical version of Les Misérables, or for appearances in numerous Australian soap operas including Sons and Daughters, The Young Doctors and Police Rescue.-Personal life:Quast was born in 1957 in...
.
In 1996, Salonga was in Les Misérables once again. She played Éponine in the London production of the musical, then continued on to do the role in the musical's U.S. national tour in Hawaii.
1997–2003
From 1997 to 2000, Salonga did recordings and concerts in the Philippines and another engagement in London, in addition to her periodic returns to Miss SaigonMiss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
in London and on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. In 1997, she released I'd Like to Teach The World to Sing (recordings from her childhood days) to gold sales in the Philippines. That recording was followed by Lea... In Love
Lea... In Love
Lea... In Love is Lea Salonga's album released in 1999. The album is a great mixture of jazz, easy listening and R&B/soul ballads. It received rave reviews for Lea's great performance from singing to songwriting...
in 1998 and By Heart
By Heart
By Heart is an album by Lea Salonga, released in 1999. It peaked at #1 on both the pop and R&B/soul albums chart. It produced two #1 crossover hits. The album went 3x platinum and sold 2 million copies worldwide. The album earned positive reviews and the tour was very successful...
in 2000, with both albums reaching multiple platinum status in the Philippines. In addition to the release of these albums, she participated in the tribute concert to Sir Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
in London called "Hey Mr. Producer: The Musical World of Cameron MacKintosh", where she did numbers from several of his musicals. She also performed in four concerts: The Homecoming Concert, The Millennium Concert, The Best of Manila and Songs from the Screen – the last two being benefit shows. Salonga returned to Manila in Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
, staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...
at the end of 2000.
After Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
s closing on Broadway in 2001, Salonga recreated the role of Lien Hughes
Lien Hughes
Lien Hughes is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns. She was portrayed by Ming-Na from February 20, 1988 to May 1991 and Lea Salonga from March 6, 2001 to August 9, 2001 and January 30, 2003. She is the daughter Tom Hughes conceived with Vietnamese nurse during his...
originally played by Ming-Na Wen in the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
. After completing her contract that year, she was asked to return to the role in 2003. She guested on Russell Watson's The Voice concert, narrated for the television special My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States, and appeared on the Christmas episode of the TV medical drama ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, playing the role of a patient with lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
.
In 2002, Salonga returned to Broadway to play the role of a Chinese immigrant in a reinterpretation of Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
's Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...
opposite Jose Llana
Jose Llana
Jose Llana is a Filipino-American singer and actor known for his high tenor voice.-Biography:Born May 5, 1976, Llana, a native of Manila, Philippines, grew up in Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C...
. This was after the reinvented musical had a run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2001 with Salonga playing the lead role and with the show garnering multiple wins and nominations, including Lead Actress in a Musical for Salonga, from the Theatre Los Angeles Ovation Awards
Ovation Awards
The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the Los Angeles Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. They have been called the "...highest-profile contest for local theatre..." by the Los...
. The show, given a brand new libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
and considered one of the 10 best plays on Broadway in 2002 by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, garnered Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations for Best Book, Best Costume Designer, and Best Choreographer, and earned nominations from the Outer Critics Circle
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
, the Drama League, the Astaire Awards, and Broadway.com's Audience Award
Audience award
An audience award is typically an award at a film festival which is selected by the audience attending the festival, rather than by the festival jury or a group of critics.- Examples :...
s and Broadwayworld.com's Fans' Choice Awards as well. The Salonga-led Broadway revival cast album was also a top contender at the 2003 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s for Best Musical Show Album. While Salonga's performance was received positively by theater critics such as Matthew Murray, Heather Cross, Patrick Purdon, and John Simon, among others, she was not nominated at the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s for her brief stint on Broadway that season, although she did get nominations for Distinguished Performance from the Drama League, for Favorite Lead Actress in a Broadway Musical from Broadway.com's Audience Award
Audience award
An audience award is typically an award at a film festival which is selected by the audience attending the festival, rather than by the festival jury or a group of critics.- Examples :...
s, and for Best Lead Actress in a Musical from Broadwayworld.com's Fans' Choice Awards. Between the 2001 Los Angeles and 2002 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
productions of Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...
, she performed in a non-musical theatrical production for the first time, playing the role of Catherine in the stage play Proof
Proof (play)
Proof is a play by David Auburn originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on 23 May 2000. It then went to Broadway on 24 October 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, and was directed by Daniel J. Sullivan, with Mary-Louise Parker as Catherine, Larry Bryggman as Robert, Ben Shenkman as Hal, and...
in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. This was followed by a major concert, The Broadway Concert, at the Philippine International Convention Center
Philippine International Convention Center
The Philippine International Convention Center is a convention center located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines...
. She also sang with Harry Connick, Peter Gallagher, and Michelle Lee in a tribute number for Richard Rodgers at the 56th Tony Awards.
In 2003, Salonga did her first "all-Filipino" concert in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
called Songs from Home, which later won a second Aliw Award as Entertainer of the Year; she also won the previous year. Upon her return to the U.S., she performed in several shows at the Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...
in Montville, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. This was followed by a Christmas concert in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
called Home for Christmas at the end of the year, which was nominated for the 18th Aliw Awards, and performances at the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center in Marlton, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
the following year, in 2004. Later that year, she played Lizzie in the Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
production of the musical Baby
Baby (musical)
Baby is a musical with a book by Sybille Pearson, based on a story developed with Susan Yankowitz, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr.. It concerns the reactions of three couples each expecting a child. The musical first ran on Broadway from 1983 to 1984.-Synopsis:Three...
, which earned her another nomination from the Aliw Awards.
2004–2007
In 2005, Salonga played her first US concert tour in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, and Chicago. Concert dates in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
followed. Later that year, Salonga performed with a 26-piece ensemble to a sold-out crowd at the Isaac Stern Hall in Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
for the benefit of Diverse City Theater Company. Between her concerts, the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS
FAMAS
The FAMAS is a bullpup-styled assault rifle designed and manufactured in France by MAS located in Saint-Étienne, which is now a member of the French government-owned Nexter group...
) bestowed her with the Golden Artist Award at the 53rd FAMAS Awards in honor of her international achievements. She performed during the grand opening of Hong Kong's Disneyland and recorded two songs on tenor Daniel Rodriguez
Daniel Rodriguez
Daniel Rodríguez is an American operatic tenor from New York City. He became known as "The Singing Policeman" in his former work with the New York City Police Department, due to his role as one of the department's designated National Anthem singers...
's In the Presence CD. That same year, Salonga did voice work for Disney's English dub of Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
's My Neighbor Totoro as Mrs. Kusakabe. Salonga's other Disney film credits include the singing voice of Princess Jasmine
Princess Jasmine
Princess Jasmine is a fictional character and one of the main characters of the 1992 film Aladdin and its sequels, The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves . She is voiced by Linda Larkin, with her singing voice performed by Lea Salonga in the first film and Disney Princess...
for Aladdin in 1992 and Fa Mulan
Fa Mulan
Fa Mulan, later Li Mulan, better known simply as Mulan, is the main protagonist of Disney's thirty-sixth animated feature film Mulan and its direct-to-video sequel Mulan II. The character is inspired by the legendary Hua Mulan from the Chinese poem The Ballad of Mulan...
for Mulan
Mulan
Mulan is a 1998 American animated film directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with story by Robert D. San Souci and screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Philip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and Raymond Singer. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney...
and Mulan II
Mulan II
Mulan II is a 2004 American direct-to-video Disney animated feature directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerl and is a sequel to the 1998 animated film Mulan. The entire cast from the first film returned, except for Eddie Murphy , Miriam Margolyes , Chris Sanders and Matthew Wilder...
in 1998 and in 2004, respectively.
In 2006, at the 15th Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, Salonga concluded the closing ceremony with the song "Triumph of The One" before an audience of 50,000 people at the Khalifa Stadium.
In 2007, Salonga released her first studio album in seven years called Inspired, which has been certified platinum, and finished another stint in the musical Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
on Broadway, this time as Fantine
Fantine
Fantine is a character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables.- Backstory :"Fantine was one of those beings which are brought forth from the heart of the people... She was called Fantine because she had never been known by any other name...""All four were ravishingly beautiful. As to Fantine,...
. She was scheduled to appear in a number of musical events scheduled in different countries until 2008.
Salonga received the Order of Lakandula Award from Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
in recognition of her excellence in her craft and for using her talents to benefit Philippine society. It was also announced that she would return to Broadway in the musical Les Misérables, replacing Daphne Rubin-Vega
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Daphne Rubin-Vega is a dancer, singer, and actress. She is best known for originating the role of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical Rent, and the role of Lucy, in the Off-Broadway play Jack Goes Boating.-Biography:Rubin-Vega was born in Panama City, Panama, the daughter of Daphine Vega, a...
as Fantine on March 6. Her tenure started, however, on March 2, four days earlier than planned. Her casting on the show has been credited with boosting the musical's ticket sales on Broadway. On September 27, 2007, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was in New York, watched Salonga in her new role
Role
A role or a social role is a set of connected behaviours, rights and obligations as conceptualised by actors in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behaviour and may have a given individual social status or social position...
in the musical, whose cast that night included Filipino American
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
s Adam Jacobs as Marius
Marius
Marius may refer to:* Marius , a male given name, a Roman family name, and a modern surname** Gaius Marius, Roman general and statesman.* Marius , on the Moon* Marius Hills, on the Moon* Marius , written by Marcel Pagnol...
and Ali Ewoldt
Ali Ewoldt
Ali Ewoldt is an American Broadway actress, who made her Broadway debut in the Les Misérables revival in 2006, in the role of Cosette. She is a Yale University graduate, and is partly of Filipino descent.-Theatrical career:...
as Cosette
Cosette
Euphrasie "Cosette" Fauchelevant is a fictional character in the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Cosette in the novel :...
. Her contract with the musical ended on October 21, 2007 and she was succeeded by Broadway's original Cosette Judy Kuhn
Judy Kuhn
-Life and career:Kuhn was born in New York City and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. She attended Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.She entered Oberlin College in 1976. Although she was very interested in singing and theater, she began Oberlin in the College, not the Conservatory. After taking...
. For her performances in this revival, Salonga received rave reviews and made it again to the short list of Broadway.com's Audience Award favorites—this time for Best Replacement for her new role as Fantine. During her stint on Broadway this season, she appeared on Broadway on Broadway 2007 and Stars in the Alley 2007, spoke at the Broadway Artists Alliance Summer Intensives, guested on the Broadway musical 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and participated in Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS' 12th Annual Nothing Like A Dame event to benefit the women's health initiative of The Actors Fund. Right after doing Les Misérables, she performed in two events: at the US Military Academy Band's concert in West Point where she sang four songs and an encore and in her own concert at the Tarrytown Music Hall in New York.
As of November 2007, a number of performances were scheduled for the rest of the year and for 2008, including a Christmas presentation in Manila, concerts in other parts of the Philippines and in California, Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Guam and Broadway Asia Entertainment's international tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, where she plays the lead.
2008–present
On July 3, 2008, Salonga became a columnistColumnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
in the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
with her column "Backstory" (Entertainment section), "Introducing: Lea Salonga, writer". She performed in "Global Pop" at the Music Center on July 11, 2008. It was presented by The Blue Ribbon a group founded by Dorothy Chandler in 1968. Backed by an orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
of 19 musicians, Lea Salonga received a standing ovation
Standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...
for her solo concert on July 11 at Los Angeles' Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...
. Salonga also performed part of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "There's Music in You", as preview of her coming show Cinderella at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...
on July 29.
From late July 2008 to mid 2009, Salonga played the title role in a 30-week Asian tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, opening in Manila and continuing to China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. According to Billboard.com, Salonga was scheduled to perform in Nevada, Washington, California, Indiana, New York, Hawaii and more in 2009 and was also asked to dance novelty Filipino dances "Ocho-ocho" and "Spaghetti".
In July 2009, Salonga agreed to advertise the Avon Products
Avon Products
Avon Products, Inc. is a US cosmetics, perfume and toy seller with markets in over 140 countries across the world and sales of $9.9 billion worldwide as of 2007.-Business Model:...
line of anti-aging skin care products Anew Rejuvenate in the Philippines.
Also in the same month, Lea was invited to sing at the 95th Anniversary Special of Iglesia Ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
. She was given a standing ovation after her first song, which was an original Iglesia Ni Cristo composition and arranged by Ryan Cayabyab
Ryan Cayabyab
Ryan Cayabyab is a Filipino musician and was the Executive and Artistic Director of the defunct San Miguel Foundation for the Performing Arts...
.
On August 5, 2009, at the final requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
mass for President Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
, Lea Salonga sang "Bayan Ko
Bayan Ko
"Bayan Ko" is one of the most recognizable patriotic songs in the Philippines that, because of its popularity, is sometimes assumed to be a folk song and the unofficial national anthem of the Philippines...
" as the final song right before Aquino's cortege was brought out from the Manila Cathedral
Manila Cathedral
Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is also known as Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception or Basilica Minore dela Inmaculada Concepcion or Basilica Minore dela Nuestra Señora de Inmaculada Concepcion A Roman Catholic church having a higher status of "Minor Basilica" with...
.
Salonga celebrated 20 years of Miss Saigon by performing in a concert called "Lea Salonga...Your Songs", at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Plenary Hall on December 11 and 12, 2009. Lea conducted an online poll via www.LEAyoursongs.com where fans could request songs they wanted to hear. The concert had crooner Richard Poon, the award-winning dance group Philippine All Stars and Concert Comedy Queen Ai-Ai de las Alas
Ai-Ai de las Alas
Martina Aileen de las Alas, popularly known as Ai-Ai delas Alas, is a Filipino comedienne and film actress. She has three children, two with ex-husband singer-actor Miguel Vera.She is dubbed as Philippines Comedy Queen.-Personal life:...
as special guests. "Lea Salonga...Your Songs" was under the musical direction of her brother, Gerard Salonga along with the FILharmoniKA.
From July 23 - August 22, 2010, Salonga played the role of Grizabella in the Manila run of the Asia-Pacific tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...
. She returned to Les Misérables on October 3 in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables as Fantine, fifteen years after appearing in the 10th Anniversary as Eponine.
In 2010, Salonga joined forces with Avon as a celebrity judge for Avon Voices, Avon's first ever global, online singing talent search for women and songwriting competition for men and women. Instantly, she become part of Miss Universe history because of her winning final question which won by Miss Angola
Miss Angola
-External links:*...
Leila Lopes.
Salonga was honored as a Disney Legend on August 19, 2011.
She was chosen to serve as one of the judges in the 60th Miss Universe 2011
Miss Universe 2011
Miss Universe 2011, the 60th anniversary of the Miss Universe pageant, was held at the Credicard Hall in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011. Ximena Navarrete of Mexico crowned her successor, Leila Lopes of Angola, at the end of this event...
Beauty Pageant in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011.
Education and personal life
Lea Salonga is the daughter of Feliciano Genuino Salonga and Ligaya Alcantara Imutan and spent the first six years of her childhood in Angeles CityAngeles City
The City of Angeles , located within the province of Pampanga in the Philippines, is locally classified as a first-class, highly-urbanized city. Its name is derived from El Pueblo de los Ángeles in honor of its patron saints, Los Santos Ángeles de los Custodios , and the name of its founder, Don...
before moving to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. She is the cousin of ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell
Shay Mitchell
Shannon Ashley "Shay" Mitchell is a Canadian actress and model. She stars in the ABC Family original series, Pretty Little Liars as Emily Fields.-Early life:...
. She is not related to former Senator Jovito Salonga
Jovito Salonga
Jovito "Jovy" Reyes Salonga is a Filipino nationalist politician and lawyer, as well as a leading opposition leader during the Marcos regime from 1972, when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, until 1986, when Marcos was deposed as a result of a bloodless revolution...
. She has a brother named Gerard Salonga who is an orchestral conductor.
She studied and finished her secondary education in 1988 at the O. B. Montessori Center
O. B. Montessori Center
Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center Incorporated is an Italian-based school in the Philippines named after Maria Montessori. It was founded by Preciosa Soliven. The mother organization Operation Brotherhood International was founded by Oscar B. Arellano...
in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, where she was a Bergamo 1 Student and an active participant in school productions. She also attended the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
College of Music's extension program aimed at training musically talented children in music and stage movement. A college freshman at the Ateneo de Manila University
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
when she auditioned for Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
, she later took two courses at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
's Lincoln Center campus while in between jobs in New York.
On January 10, 2004, Salonga married Robert Charles Chien, a Chinese-Japanese managing director of an entertainment software company in Los Angeles, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, whom she met while doing Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...
. They have a daughter, Nicole Beverly, who was born on May 16, 2006, named after Salonga's late mother-in-law, Beverly. She is also an avid video game enthusiast, and has mentioned her love for the hobby in several of her print articles.
On October 15, 2010, Lea Salonga was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
FAO Goodwill Ambassador
The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United Nations (FAO).
Discography
- Small VoiceSmall VoiceSmall Voice is the debut album of Lea Salonga, one of the best-selling female recording artists in the Philippines. It was recorded when she was only nine years old. The album hit #1 and went gold and platinum. Philippine critics gave the album and Lea's performance positive reviews...
(1981) - LeaLea (album)Lea is the second record of Lea Salonga which saw her in a danceable R&B mode. With this she entered the pop charts at #2 and R&B/soul at #1...
(1988) - Miss Saigon (Original London Cast)Miss SaigonMiss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
(1990) - The King And I (Hollywood Studio Cast)The King and IThe King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
(1992) - Little Tramp – The Musical (1992)
- Aladdin (soundtrack)Aladdin (soundtrack)-Arabian Nights:"Arabian Nights", performed by The Peddler , opens the film. Initially a longer composition, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's 1990 score treatment incorporated several reprises allowing The Peddler to comment on plot developments....
(1992) - Lea SalongaLea Salonga (album)- Track listing :#Vision of You#Every Time We Fall#It's Just Good-Bye#Finish What You Started #Heaven Tonight #We Could Be In Love #Lessons of Love #Remind My Heart #I Honestly Love You #A Flame for You #The Journey...
(1993) - Les Miserables - The Dream Cast in ConcertLes Misérables - The Dream Cast in ConcertLes Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert a.k.a. Les Misérables in Concert is a concert version of the musical Les Misérables, produced to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It was filmed in October 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall and released on DVD, VHS and LD in 1998 and re-released on DVD in North...
(1995) - Hey Mr. Producer: The Musical World of Cameron MacKintosh (1997)
- I'd Like to Teach The World to Sing (1997)
- Mulan (soundtrack)Mulan (soundtrack)Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 1998 Disney animated film, Mulan. Released on June 2, 1998, the album featured songs by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel, conducted by Paul Bogaev, and score composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith...
(1998) - By HeartBy HeartBy Heart is an album by Lea Salonga, released in 1999. It peaked at #1 on both the pop and R&B/soul albums chart. It produced two #1 crossover hits. The album went 3x platinum and sold 2 million copies worldwide. The album earned positive reviews and the tour was very successful...
(1999) - Lea... In LoveLea... In LoveLea... In Love is Lea Salonga's album released in 1999. The album is a great mixture of jazz, easy listening and R&B/soul ballads. It received rave reviews for Lea's great performance from singing to songwriting...
(1999) - Lea Salonga Live Vol. 1 (2000)
- Lea Salonga Live Vol. 2 (2000)
- Lea Salonga: The Christmas AlbumLea Salonga Christmas AlbumLea Salonga: The Christmas Album is a Christmas themed album by Lea Salonga.- Track listing :#Mary Did You Know#Grown-Up Christmas List#Pasko Na Sinta Ko#The Gift #It's Just Another New Year's Eve#Sana Ngayong Pasko...
(2000) - Making TracksMaking tracksMaking Tracks is an Asian American musical theater production by Second Generation, with music by Woody Pak, lyrics by Brian Yorkey, and concept and book by Welly Yang.Making Tracks tells the story of the rich and diverse history of Asians in America...
(2001) - Songs from The ScreenSongs from The ScreenSongs from The Screen is Lea Salonga performing with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra - Performed Live at PICC Plenary Hall, Manila Philippines. Her accomplished brother, Gerard Salonga, serves as the Conductor/ Musical Director.- Track listing :...
(2001) - The Broadway ConcertThe Broadway ConcertThe Broadway Concert is a critically acclaimed live recording of a broadway-themed concert of Lea Salonga in Manila. Having forged her career in the bright lights of New York City and London, this CD is truly a reflection of her musical career...
(2002) - Flower Drum SongFlower Drum SongFlower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...
(2002) - 100% Lea Gives Her Best (2003)
- Songs from Home: Live Concert RecordingSongs from Home: Live Concert Recording-Songs From Home is Lea Salonga's all-Filipino album performed during a sold-out 2-night concert at the Plenary Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila on September 2003. Featuring Lea Salonga and some of the Philippines' most well-known artists."This is quite possibly...
(2004) - Mulan II (2005)
- The Ultimate OPM CollectionThe Ultimate OPM CollectionThe Ultimate OPM Collection is a greatest hits collection of famous Filipina singer Lea Salonga. Most of the songs on this album are from the beginning of her career.-Track listing:#"Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal"#"Nandito Ako"#"Tell Me"...
(2007) - InspiredInspiredInspired is a collection of Lea Salonga's personal favorites, including "To Hear You Say You Love Me" , "Do You Hear It" , "Who Are You" , and her Official Wedding Song "Two Words" .-Track listing:...
(2007) - Shelldon (2008)
- The Journey So Far - Recorded Live at Cafe Carlyle (2011)
Filmography
- Les Misérables: The 25th Anniversary Concert (2010) - Fantine
- Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your DreamsDisney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your DreamsDisney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams is a 2007 direct-to-video animated feature produced by DisneyToon Studios. It is the first film in a planned new Disney Princess Enchanted Tales series of direct-to-video films, each featuring new stories about the Disney Princesses...
(2007) – singing voice of Princess JasminePrincess JasminePrincess Jasmine is a fictional character and one of the main characters of the 1992 film Aladdin and its sequels, The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves . She is voiced by Linda Larkin, with her singing voice performed by Lea Salonga in the first film and Disney Princess... - Mulan IIMulan IIMulan II is a 2004 American direct-to-video Disney animated feature directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerl and is a sequel to the 1998 animated film Mulan. The entire cast from the first film returned, except for Eddie Murphy , Miriam Margolyes , Chris Sanders and Matthew Wilder...
(2004) – singing voice of Fa Mulan - My Neighbor TotoroMy Neighbor Totoro, is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film follows the two young daughters of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan...
(2004) – voice of Mrs. Kusakabe in the DisneyThe Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
English language version - As the World TurnsAs the World TurnsAs the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
(2001) - Lien HughesLien HughesLien Hughes is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns. She was portrayed by Ming-Na from February 20, 1988 to May 1991 and Lea Salonga from March 6, 2001 to August 9, 2001 and January 30, 2003. She is the daughter Tom Hughes conceived with Vietnamese nurse during his...
(reprised role in 2003) - Mulan (1998) – singing voice of Fa Mulan
- Les Misérables: The 10th Anniversary Concert (1995) - Éponine
- Redwood CurtainRedwood Curtain (film)Redwood Curtain is a 1995 American dramatic TV movie created by Hallmark Hall of Fame, and directed by John Korty based upon the 1993 Broadway play of the same name by Lanford Wilson. Starring Jeff Daniels, Lea Salonga, Debra Monk and John Lithgow, the film debuted on ABC on April 23,...
(1995) – Geri Riorden - Sana Maulit Muli (1995)- Agnes
- Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal (1992) - Sandy
- Aladdin (1992) – singing voice of Princess JasminePrincess JasminePrincess Jasmine is a fictional character and one of the main characters of the 1992 film Aladdin and its sequels, The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves . She is voiced by Linda Larkin, with her singing voice performed by Lea Salonga in the first film and Disney Princess...
- The heat is on in Saigon (1989) – The making of Miss Saigon
- Dear Diary (1989)
- Pik Pak Boom (1989)
- Ninja Kids (1986)
- Like Father, Like Son (1985)
- Captain Barbel (1986)
- Tropang Bulilit (1981)
See also
- Kuh LedesmaKuh LedesmaKuh Ledesma is a popular Filipino pop and jazz singer. She is known in the Philippines as the "Pop Diva". Kuh Ledesma has been performing for 25 years in the music industry which encompasses more than 300 concerts, numerous awards in the Philippines, and 18 albums in the Philippine recording...
- George CansecoGeorge CansecoGeorge Masangkay Canseco was a Filipino song composer.Canseco studied liberal arts at University of the East...
- Pilita CorralesPilita CorralesPilita Garrido Corrales is a Popular Filipina singer. She is tagged "Asia's Queen of Songs."-Biography:Pilita Garrido Corrales was born in Lahug, Cebu to a Spanish mother Maria Garrido and a half Filipino half Spanish father Jose Corrales...
- Martin NieveraMartin NieveraMartin Ramon Razon Nievera is a singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the main hosts of musical variety show ASAP on ABS-CBN-Early life:...
- Gary ValencianoGary ValencianoEdgardo Jose Martin Santiago Valenciano , better known as Gary Valenciano or Gary V., is a Filipino musician. He is also dubbed as Mr. Pure Energy. He has released 26 albums, and won the Awit Awards for "Best Male Performer" 11 times. In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador...