Saturday, July 9, 2011

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
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.


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 Wallacean 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.

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