Choir of the World : The Pavarotti Trophy, 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tmGlTiM4uY

Llangollen Eisteddfod 2011 - Announcement of Choir of the World 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVos38FcBpY&feature=related

(Note:  Nilo Alcala, presently based at White Memorial SDA Church in Los Angeles, composed the Bagbagto/Ifugao chant piece.  A member of the Philippines Madrigal Singers, Nilo completed his MMus in composition at Syracuse University.  Watch the video of Bagbagto sang by the Syracusse University Singers here:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2e9_Wm2S0M&feature=related )

Welcome to the 2011 Llangollen International Eisteddfod
Wales, UK  -  4 to 11 July 2011

Choir of the World

Adventist University - Philippines (Mixed Choir)

Competition 1: Mixed Choirs

1st - Adventist University - Philippines
2nd - Mansfield University - USA
3rd - CF1 - Wales


Competition 5: Chamber Choirs

1st - Adventist University of the Philippines Ambassador - Philippines
2nd - Choros Amici - England
3rd - Wessex Male Choir - England

http://www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk/en/competitors/2011-results

Competition 1: MIXED CHOIRS of no fewer than 30 and no more than 80 voices:
Competition to take place FRIDAY 8 July
A contrasting programme of up to 11 minutes of music, including at least
one original composition composed in or after 1961.
First Prize: International Trophy and £1,100; Second £550; Third £275


Competition 5: CHAMBER CHOIRS of no fewer than 12 and
no more than 29 voices, mixed or equal voice:
Competition to take place FRIDAY 8 July
A contrasting programme consisting of up to 11 minutes of music, including
at least one original composition composed in or after 1991. At least one
item should be unaccompanied.
First Prize: International Trophy and £1,100; Second £550; Third £275


http://www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk/en/competitors/2011-syllabus/2011-competitions/section-i-choral-competitions-1-5

Since 1987, the Eisteddfod has held this competition to determine the outright winner of the five choral categories. The choirs placed first in the Mixed, Barbershop/Close Harmony, Male, Female, and Chamber competitions will be invited to perform at the Saturday evening concert of the International Eisteddfod*. At this concert, one of them will be designated Choir of the World at Llangollen by the festival's international panel of adjudicators. There will be a prize of £3,500 and the premier international Pavarotti Trophy for the winning choir. At this final stage, choirs will be asked to present a varied, well-contrasted programme (of no more than 12 minutes'duration) of music of their own choice. http://www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk/en/competitors/2011-syllabus/2011-competitions/choir-of-the-world-the-pavarotti-trophy Reprinted from Adventist World, Sept 2011 Pavarotti Trophy goes to Adventist University of the  Philippines group. By Girlie Mae Andrada, Ray Puen, BUC News A choir from the Adventist University of the Philippines  (AUP) won three top awards at the 2011 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod festival in Wales,  United Kingdom, held between July 4 and 10, 2011. After gaining first place in both the Mixed Choirs and  Chamber Choirs categories, they went on to win the  renowned Choir of the World title and the Pavarotti  Trophy on July 9. The Llangollen Eisteddfod, with noted Anglican cleric  Terry Waite, CBE, as its president, is among  the world’s most prestigious choral competitions. The  group won three competitions, including the top prize,  Choir of the World which includes the Luciano  Pavarotti Trophy. The trophy was made even more  special for them as the event organizers moved the  starting time of the Saturday-evening competition to  accommodate the Sabbathkeeping choir. After winning the first two categories, and gaining  entry to the final, the group had already decided that it  would not compete during the Sabbath hours. However,  after praying about it, the group was delighted when  the competition was moved to 9:30 p.m.––well after  sunset. That does not mean they wasted their Sabbath:  during the competition they enjoyed the exceptional  hospitality and friendliness of the Welsh people who  accommodated the group in homes in the village.  In return for their kindness and hospitality, the group  organized a Sabbath concert for the villagers.  While the rest of the competitors were busy rehearsing  and preparing for the competition, the Ambassadors,  the official name of the choir, were witnessing by  singing and sharing their faith with the community.  They answered many questions about Adventists,  as many of the locals had never heard of the church.  Tenor Zhean Manalo said people reported “it was  the first time that they had met people like us, that  we were ‘different,’ and how deeply we touched  people’s lives.” The choir, led by Ramon Lijauco, Jr., arrived in the  United Kingdom on July 7, the night before the first  competition. Despite jet lag and fatigue from the  12-hour flight, the group competed with top choirs  from all over the world and won the first prize in  the Chamber Choirs and Mixed Choirs categories.  The minimum requirement for Mixed Choirs is  30 voices; the maximum for Chamber Choirs is  29 voices. An alto volunteered to drop out in order  for the group to qualify to compete in the Chamber  Choirs category. For the Mixed Choirs category,  the group sang “Agnus Dei,” by Krzysztof  Penderecki, and “Itako,” an original composition by  conductor Lijauco. For the Chamber Choirs  competition, in which they surpassed both Mansfield University Concert Choir from Mansfield,  Pennsylvania, United States, and the CF1 choir from  Wales, they sang “Amor de mi Alma,” by Z. Randall  Stroope, and “Bagbagto,” by Nilo Alcala. On Saturday evening they went head-to-head with five other choirs  for the most prestigious award, the Choir of the  World 2011 title and the Pavarotti Trophy.  Printed adjudication notes read:  “We were in no doubt this is a quality corporate  instrument of very high caliber, based on a strong  individual vocal culture molded toward a clearly  understood choral sound.” The AUP Ambassadors are the official chorus of  the Adventist University of the Philippines.  Elton Wallace, an American Seventh-day Adventist  missionary, founded the group in 1957 as an all-male  chorus. In 1971, under the leadership of Minerva  Arit-Penaranda, the group began accepting female  members. The group has actively promoted  Adventist education by visiting churches all  over the Philippines and other countries in Asia  and the United States. In 2006 the Ambassadors joined the World  Choir Games in China and came home Champion  in the Gospel and Spiritual categories. This has  inspired them to join more choral competitions, not  only to win medals and trophies but also to raise the  profile of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the  music community, the latest being the Llangollen  International Musical Eisteddfod festival.  Raising the US$80,000 (£50,000) needed for the  32 members of the choir to travel was a challenge,  but one that did not daunt their spirits or their faith. Since the Eisteddfod they have continued to share  their faith––and completed their fund-raising with  invitations to sing in St. Chad’s Church, Wrexham,  followed by a concert at the Stockport Seventh-day  Adventist Church, then a flight to Aberdeen, Scotland,  where a series of concerts were arranged by a local  pastor, Lorance Johnson. This was followed by four  mid-July concerts in the London area. Highlights of  the competition can be viewed online at the  Llangollen TV web site.