University of the Philippines Los Baños Choral Ensemble wins 1st Asia Choral Grand Prix

The University of the Philippines Los Baños Choral Ensemble (UPLBCE) was proclaimed winner of the 1^st Asia Choral Grand Prix.  The only Filipino choir among six competing choirs, the UPLBCE represented the 2017 winner of the Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival. 

The UPLBCE bested five other choirs from Indonesia: the St. Louis High School Choir from Surabaya and the Vocalista Harmonic Choir ISI from Yogyakarta representing the 2017 and 2018 winners of the Singapore International Choral Festival, respectively; the E Deum Voice from  Medan and the Paduan Suara Mahasiswa Universitas Padjadjaran from Bandung representing the 2017 and 2018 winners of the Bali International Choir Festival, respectively; and the Brawijaya University Student Choir from Malang representing the other 2017 winner of the Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival.

The win was announced at the joint closing/awarding ceremonies of the 4^th edition of the Andrea O. Veneracion (AOV) International Choral Festival and the 1^st Asia Choral Grand Prix (ACGP).

The competition winners were announced by Mark Anthony Carpio, the Asian member of the jury.  The Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival winners are as follows:  Mixed Choir Category – 1^st Prize: FEU Chorale, Karl Angelo Tangco, conductor; 2^nd Prize: TIP Choral Society, Cyro Bon Cloui Moral, conductor; 3^rd Prize: Chorus Vocales Philippines, Renier Aguilar, conductor.  Equal Voices Category – 1^st Prize: Don Bosco Makati-Boscorale, Alvin B. Paulin, conductor; 2^ndPrize: Miriam College High School Glee Club, Anthony Go Villanueva, conductor; 3^rd Prize: St. Paul College Pasig High School Chorale, Shiela Marie B. Fetalvero, conductor.  Folk Song Category – 1^st Prize: TIP Choral Society, Cyro Bon Cloui Moral, conductor; 2^nd Prize: FEU Chorale, Karl Angelo Tangco, conductor; 3^rd Prize: Chor Pueri et Puellae Cantores Plocences (Poland), Anna Bramska, conductor. 

Besides certificates and cash prizes for the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd prize winning choirs, the first prize winners of each category were awarded a trophy – a CCP commissioned sculpture inspired by the sound of a conch shell and a bird song  made of stoneware clay by CCP by 13 Artists Awardee for the year 2000, Katti Sta. Ana.

The UPLBCE was awarded a cash prize of US$6,000, a certificate and a trophy – a CCP newly commissioned   sculpture by multimedia artist Toym Imao made of pounded brass and carved wood entitled “Kilapsaw”, representing a vessel in which sound is produced.

The jury, representing five continents were composed of Jason Max Ferdinand from the USA, Digna Guerra from Cuba, Werner Pfaff from Germany, David Squire from New Zealand and Mark Anthony Carpio from the Philippines. 

The Asia Choral Grand Prix (ACGP) is a competition of the two top 2017 and 2018 winners of the Andrea O. Veneracion Festival, the Bali International Choir Festival and the Singapore International Choral Festival.  The ACGP is the fruition of two years of preparation which started with meetings initiated by the Cultural Center of the Philippines with the organizers of the two Festivals as early as July 2017.  Present during the Closing and Awarding Ceremonies were the Directors of the said Festivals, including the Artistic Director of the new ACGP festival member the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod who was introduced to the audience.

The FEU Chorale and the Don Bosco Makati – Boscorale were the two choir winners chosen by the jury to represent the Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral in the 2^nd Asia Choral Grand Prix to be held in Bali, Indonesia in 2021.  The biennial Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival held in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, was organized in 2013.  The AOV International Choral Festival and the Asia Choral Grand Prix were supported by the Tourism Promotions Board.