Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival 2015 Winners Announced
The Cultural Center of the Philippines held the Closing Ceremonies of the 2nd Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival on July 25, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the announcement of the winners of the Folk Song, Vocal Ensemble and Chamber Choir competition categories as well as the performances of the first place winners of the different categories.
Indonesian choir from Jakarta The Archipelago Singers led by conductor Ega O. Azarya garnered the 1st prize in the Chamber Choir Competition category with the choir’s rendition of Wilkin’s See, See the Shepherds Queen, Brahms’ Dem Dunkeln Schoss der heiligen Erde, Yohan’s Negros Fantasmas and Saunder Choi’s Ang Tren, the obligatory piece commissioned by the CCP for the Festival. The choral work is based on the poem of the same title by Philippine literary giant Jose Corazon de Jesus. The same choir also won the 3rd Prize in the Folk Song Competition where they premiered Filipino composer Nilo Alcala’s choral composition Kusinilo si Bao.
The 2nd Prize winner of the Chamber Choir Competition category was won by the University of the Visayas Chorale led by Anna Tabitha Abeleda Piquero. The 3rd Prize went to the University of the Philippines Los Baños Chorale conducted by Romel Lomarda. The choirs received cash prizes of $5,000, $3,500 and $2,500, for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes, respectively.
The winners of the Vocal Ensemble Competition held on July 23, 2015 at 7:00 PM are as follows: 1st Prize: Boscorale, Alvin Paulin, conductor;2nd Prize: University of Baguio Voices Chorale, Bienvenido Constantino Jr., conductor; and 3rd Prize: Philippine Vocal Ensemble, Jose Emmanuel D. Aquino, conductor. The choirs received cash prizes of $4,000, $2,500 and $1,500 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes respectively.
The winners of the Folk Song Competition held on July 22 at 7:00 PM are as follows: 1st Prize: University of the Visayas (UV) Chorale, Anna Tabitha Abeleda Piquero, conductor; 2nd Prize: Koro Ilustrado, Edmund Alan Piquero Jr, conductor; and 3rd Prize: The Archipelago Singers, Ega O. Azarya, conductor. The choirs received cash prizes of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes, respectively.
The jury was composed of Brady Allred from the United States, Jānis Liepiņš from Latvia, Silvana Vallesi from Argentina, Andre van der Merwe from South Africa and Mark Anthony Carpio from the Philippines.
As part of the Festival, a gala concert of the Philippine Madrigal Singers was held on Saturday, July 25 at 4:00 PM, while the special concert of guest choir Youth Choir “Kamēr” from Latvia conducted Jānis Liepiņš was held on Sunday, July 26, 2015 at 5:00 PM. Both choirs were two-time winners of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing.
The Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival was first held in 2013, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. The 2015 Festival continues to honor the legacy left by the late National Artist for Music Andrea O. Veneracion who was instrumental in the development and promotion of choral music all over the country. The Festival was made possible with the cooperation of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Tourism Promotions Board of the Department of Tourism.
