page_title: Lea Salonga
section_title: 2008–2012: Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist and touring
hierarchical_section_title: Lea Salonga / Life and career / 2008–2012: Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist and touring
caption_attribution_description: English: Lea Salonga performing at the 2009 Volvo Voice of Leadership Gala Night and Elocution Finals held at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
context_page_description: Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga, OL, is a Filipina singer and actress, best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplying the singing voices of two Disney Princesses, and as a recording artist and television performer.
  At age 18, she originated the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, first in the West End and then on Broadway, winning the Olivier and Theatre World Awards, and becoming the first Asian woman to win a Tony Award. Salonga is the first Filipino artist to sign with an international record label.
  Salonga was the first actress of Asian descent to play the roles of Éponine and Fantine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway. She also portrayed Éponine and Fantine, respectively, in the musical's 10th and 25th anniversary concerts in London. She provided the singing voices of two official Disney Princesses: Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan. She was named a Disney Legend in 2011 for her work with The Walt Disney Company. Salonga starred as Mei-li in the 2002 Broadway version of Flower Drum Song. She has played numerous other stage, film and TV roles in the US, the Philippines and elsewhere.
context_section_description: On 3 July 2008, Salonga became a columnist in the Philippine Daily Inquirer with her column "Backstory" (Entertainment section), "Introducing: Lea Salonga, writer". Since then she has written numerous columns for the Inquirer. 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. Salonga gave a concert on July 11 at Los Angeles' Walt Disney Concert Hall. That same year she received a special citation from the Awit Awards.
  From late July 2008 to mid-2009, Salonga played the title role in the 30-week Asian tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, which premiered in Manila. Salonga performed a series of concerts in North America in 2009 and was also asked to dance the Filipino novelty dances "Ocho-ocho" and "Spaghetti". The same year, Salonga advertised the Avon Products line of anti-aging skin care products Anew Rejuvenate in the Philippines. In June 2009, she sang at the 95th Anniversary Special of the Iglesia Ni Cristo. Salonga sang Patriotic song "Bayan Ko" at the Requiem Mass for former President Corazon Aquino at Manila Cathedral. Salonga celebrated 20 years of Miss Saigon by performing in concerts called "Lea Salonga... Your Songs", at the Philippine International Convention Center Plenary Hall on December 11 and 12, 2009. Her brother, Gerard, was musical director.
  From July to August 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. In October, she played Fantine during the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables, fifteen years after appearing in the 10th Anniversary as Eponine. The same year, she served 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.
  Salonga was honored as a Disney Legend on August 19, 2011. She was one of the judges in the 60th Miss Universe 2011 Beauty Pageant in São Paulo, Brazil on 12 September 2011. Salonga, along with Darren Criss, sang "A Whole New World" to its composer, Alan Menken, as Menken was named the winner of the 2011 Maestro Award at the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference on October 24, 2011.
  Salonga performed in a six-concert series titled "The Magic of Broadway and Disney Favorites" in 2012 with the Palm Beach Pops. She starred in the first production of Allegiance, at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego from September to October 2012. Salonga starred in the Philippine production of the comedy God of Carnage from July 2012 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Manila. She took on the same role at the DBS Arts Centre in Singapore, in November 2012. Salonga joined the Candlelight Processional at Epcot in Walt Disney World as narrator on December 14 to 16, retelling the Christmas story accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and a mass choir.
caption: Salonga in Makati City in 2009
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