CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines—A hip and energetic rendition of “Lady Marmalade” was what bowled over the judges of the International Choral Festival and Competition held recently in Busan, Korea.

Twenty girls and boys from Cagayan de Oro City’s Capitol University swayed while belting out high notes as the set of foreign judges, all authorities in music, and a largely Korean audience, clapped and rose in standing ovation.

The CU glee club won the gold prize as best in pop in this prestigious competition held yearly by the Korean Choral Institute. It bested 40 other choirs from 12 countries, including the famous choir from the University of Kentucky and the Manado choir from Indonesia.

Conductor Ritchie Asibal, a sleek young man of 30, won as best conductor, the first Filipino ever to get the title.

Two other Filipino entries, the University of the East choral group and the University of the Philippines chorale, won top prizes.

“We were diminutive compared to the other singers. One of the judges said, ‘Look at those Filipinos, they are small, thin and look like high school students, but their voices are so powerful,’” recounts Joseph Espadilla, the glee club’s tour manager.

“Among the other competitors, including the other Filipino choirs, we were the poorest. We had to beg for donations just to get to Korea. When we got there, we didn’t have enough money. It was all pressure at all fronts. So it was such a relief that we won,” Espadilla adds.

The group was awarded US$5,000 and a trophy, while Asibal received US$1,000.

Beyond stereotype

People who have heard and seen the choir describe their performance as beyond stereotype.

“I actually hate competitions. I never like the pressure. But with this performance, I just told the group to enjoy it, have fun,” Asibal says.

For the competition, the choral group sang three pieces—the upbeat “Lady Marmalade,” an ethnic song from the Cordillera titled “Kumala,” and the powerful “This is the Moment,” with Asibal doing the lead vocals.

In performing “Lady Marmalade,” the group had a rock-and-rhythm choreography, something that induced guffaws from the audience.

“This is the Moment” also impressed the judges because Asibal’s singing was not usually done by choir conductors.

Surprise victories

Espadilla says everyone was surprised to win because they knew that the other competitors had extensive experience in the field and had been all well-trained and well-funded.

“The others all had formal education in music, and even had doctorate degrees, major in voice, major in piano, etcetera. What we had are ordinary students taking up business administration, education … what chance did we have against them?” Espadilla says.

The best conductor award given to Asibal was also surprising because the Filipino defeated the Indonesian conductor who is a national artist in music and had won several individual titles in the past.

“We just made sure our performance will be fun, the audience and the judges might have felt that,” explains Asibal. “But the most important is that we always sing from the heart. That’s also the observation of one of the judges, that we sang from the heart, unlike other contestants who were more mechanical and technical.”

Patience, commitment

Local officials recognized the choir’s achievement and took pride in the fact that they defeated other more experienced and well-trained competitors.

Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno, one of the choir’s benefactors, lauded the group for not giving up despite the difficulties in gathering enough funds.

Cagayan de Oro Mayor Constantino Jaraula also commended the group and promised to give more support for its future endeavors.

The National Commission on Culture and the Arts extended help, although belatedly, and has recognized the choir’s achievement by committing funding for its next engagements.

After winning, the choir immediately received invitations from other international festivals, including the Montana Music Festival to be held in summer next year in the United States.

“We almost gave up. We had very little time to prepare, barely six months. What made it worse was we also had to go out and sing to solicit money. We almost backed out,” recollects Asibal, hoping that their next competition will not be as stressful.

Asibal attributes their triumph to the patience and commitment of the whole group and the support of parents and the university officials. Inquirer.Net

Tags: Competitions, CU glree club, Young Achievers