Ray An Fuentes to speak, perform in 30th FACC Gala

Multi-awarded singer and songwriter turned traveling evangelist Ray An Fuentes will be a keynote speaker and performer in the 30th Gala of the Filipino American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) to be held at the Renaissance Charlotte Sites Hotel this Saturday evening, Oct. 14 this year.

Known for his popular duet tune “Umagang Kay Ganda” with singer Tillie Moreno, Fuentes was lead performer in Philippine Broadway musical adaptations such as the Wizard of Oz (where he played the Scarecrow), Cats (as Rum Tum Tugger), Evita (as Che Guevarra) and Jesus Christ Superstar (as Judas Iscariot).

As one of several pop icons in the 80s, Ray An Fuentes paved the way for then budding artists like Gary Valenciano to make their mark in the Philippine entertainment scene. 

He was also among a handful of Filipinos to perform at the prestigious Carnegie Hall of New York, Ray An sang with artists like Sandi Patti, First Call and Phil Driscoll.

Recently the Canada-based Ray An was the main performer for the Full Gospel Businessmen’s World Convention in Florida and was a guest artist in pastor Tony Evan’s church in Dallas, Texas.

Aside from this he was the main performer in the “God Help Us” men’s conference in Macon Georgia. He was given a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition in 2002 from the U.S. Congress for “Outstanding and Invaluable Contribution to the (Filipino) Community.”

Ray An also gave command performances for the Washington D.C. Diplomatic Corps at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Sultan of Malaysia and the King of Morocco. 

Married to Sylvia Gozun with whom he has children named Miguel, Julio and Daniella, Ray An leads a full time faith based ministry for the past 28 years and traveled extensively to the US, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Japan and the Middle East.

Whenever his schedule permits, Ray An visits the Philippines to touch base with Filipino fans and gives the occasional performance or two as evidenced by online videos uploaded in YouTube. 

As both keynote speaker and a scheduled performer in the Oct. 14 Gala of the FACC, Ray An will perform three of his best known songs. 

As a true-blooded Filipino artist, Ray An will always have a place among Filipino-American communities in the US, Canada and the rest of the world./Susan Palmes-Dennis