The Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival, Manila, 2013, will realize the first international choral competition in the country with the participation of selected choirs from different parts of the world. The festival will take place at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) on August 7 to 10.
Held in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the world renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers, the resident choral ensemble of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the festival is named after National Artist for Music Andrea O. Veneracion, the founder of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. Veneracion is recognized for spearheading the choral movement in the Philippines and for raising the standards of the art of choral music all over the country.
The Festival includes the following competition categories: Folk Music, Chamber Choir and Vocal Ensemble Category. Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the gala concert of the Philippine Madrigal Singers will be held to mark its 50 years of unwavering commitment to the highest standards of choral excellence, having won the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing twice, and for its recognition as the most awarded choir in Asia.
Held with the support of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the competition will be adjudicated by the following internationally recognized adjudicators: Gary Graden (Sweden), Michael Barrett (South Africa), Eric Banks (United States), Oscar Escalada (Argentina) and Mark Anthony Carpio, the choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines has been in the forefront of the promotion and development of choral music all over the country. The first international choral festival the CCP organized was held in 1979 with the participation of countries from China, Spain, Poland, Hungary, USSR, Brazil, with the Philippine Madrigal Singers then gracing the festival’s opening concert. This was followed by international choral festivals in 1981 and 1983, and again in 1998 in celebration of the Philippine Centennial with invited choirs from South Africa, Spain, India, Germany, France and Japan. The most recent international choral festival was held in 2003. All these festivals have been non-competitive events. In 2009, the Cultural Center organized the first 1st CCP National Choral Competition in celebration of its 40th anniversary. The Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival marks a milestone in the field of choral music, with the very first international choral competition to be held in the Philippines.
The Philippines has now become widely recognized for its talent in choral singing through the many choirs from different part of the country who have competed and won in prestigious international choral competitions.
For more inquiries about the Festival, and for ticket inquiries please call the CCP Artist Training Division at (+632) 8321125 local 1604 or 1605, or the CCP Box Office at (+632) 8323704 or (+632) 8323706.
