Big cheers for gold medals recently earned by some Filipino performing arts groups internationally

The UP Concert Chorus’s gold medal-winning pieces were Ilay Gandangan, Malinac Lay Labi, Tuksuhan, and Manga Wata sa Ripag for the folklore category. Meanwhile, it performed Laudate Dominum, Bagong Umaga, and Wade in the Water for the unrestricted repertoire category.

Prior to the festival proper, the UP Concert Chorus embarked on its 25th international tour, MusiKADASIG: An International Goodwill and Cultural concert, where it performed in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland until arriving finally in the Czech Republic.

The historic win was swiftly followed by the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra (MSJO), the youth ensemble counterpart of the revered company, Manila Symphony Orchestra.

MSJO won gold prize and grand prix at the 6th Bratislava International Music Festival in Slovakia last July 4. The impressive youth orchestra repeated its success three days later by winning first place and outstanding success recognition in the string orchestra category at the 16th Summa Cum Laude (SCL) International Music Festival in Vienna, Austria.

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Together with the MSJO, the Hsing Lung String Orchestra from Taiwan won first place at the SCL, while the Hong Kong Youth Strings and the Taipei Municipal Zhongzheng Junior High School took second place. The Singapore National Youth String Orchestra won third place.

What’s impressive to note is that MSJO performed entirely from memory a programme consisting of Giacomo Puccini’s Crisantemi, Antonín Dvořák’s Scherzo from Serenade for Strings, Stephan Koncz’s A New Satiesfaction, Ermani Cuenca’s Nahan arranged by Cyro Cloud Bon Moral, and Tagu-taguan by Ryle Nicole Custodio.

MSJO was led by its conductor, Maestro Jeffrey Solares, and their trainers, Sara Maria Gonzales and Arnold Josue. This 40-member orchestra also impressed the European audience with its equally gold medal-worthy concert tour, which began on June 29 in Budapest, Salzburg, until the competition in Bratislava.

After the SCL, the MSJO continued its concert at the MuTh Theater in Vienna, the Winner’s Concert at the Vienna Konzerthaus, and the Smetana Hall in Prague, then returned to the Philippines. Standard Insurance, led by its group chairman Ernesto “Judes” Echauz, joined the MSJO in its concert route as its esteemed sponsor.

MSJO performed with over 38 ensembles from 14 different countries at the SCL, which is led by its artistic director Prof Saul Saks and managing director Christian Bender.

From Europe, we go further down south with the Quezon City Performing Arts Development Foundation Inc (QCPADFI) Concert Chorus’s historic winning moment at this year’s World Choir Games, dubbed as the biggest choir competition in the world as it caters to 250 choirs from 42 countries.

This sumptuous two-week feast of music culminated last July 19 at Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand. QCPADFI Concert Chorus, under the masterful conducting of Nicanor Castro Infante, earned a gold medal and a trophy—for the mixed chamber choirs and the sacred choral music with accompaniment categories.

History was made at the World Choir Games when the Philippine National Anthem was performed at the competition for the first time in more than a decade. Consisting of 30 member-singers ranging from 18 to 27 years of age, the relatively new performing arts group spent nearly a year rehearsing.

Other winners include Miriam College High School Glee Club and the Mariano Marcos State University’s Nasudi Chorale in the open competition’s youth choirs category. Both choirs earned golden diplomas in the sacred choral music a capella category. Lastly, the Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion Choral earned a golden diploma for the open competition’s folklore and indigenous music a capella category.

Organised by Interkultur, the World Choir Games 2024 is hosted by the New Zealand Choral Federation, delivered by Chor 2024 Limited and supported by New Zealand Major Events and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Auckland’s cultural and economic agency. Members of the World Choir Council include Philippine Madrigal Singers alumnus Jonathan Velasco. Meanwhile, fellow alum and artistic director/conductor of Koro Ilustrado Anna Tabita Abeleda-Piquero served as one of the jurors.

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