Straight from Bohol, the Loboc Children’s Choir serenaded the Cebuanos with their angelic voices as part of their Yuletide concert tour at the Northwing Atrium of SM City Cebu.
“This is a great treat for Cebuanos for these children to be here,” said Marissa Fernan on the rare Loboc Children’s Choir (LCC) performance at SM City Cebu over the recent holidays.
“Despite the crisis, the retail business still continues. So, this is SM’s ‘thank you’ offering to all its customers—bringing the world-class entertainers here in Cebu,” added Fernan.
The Loboc Children’s Choir is composed of schoolchildren ages nine to 13 from the town of Loboc. The choir is a three-time National Champion of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) - Children’s Choir Category, considered to be the most prestigious music competition in the Philippines. They took the title in 1993, 1995 and 2001.
“We don’t only teach the children on how to sing properly, but good behavior and rich values were also taught to these kids,” said LLC manager Nerea Jimenez.
The well-decorated LLC also held performances all over the country as well as some parts in the world.
In July 2004, the group was especially invited by World Vision Korea to represent the Philippines in the World Vision 2004 International Children's Choir Festival held in Korea.
The Choir successfully held concerts in Seoul, Ansung, and Incheon and performed alongside the children's choirs from Australia, U.S.A., Hong Kong, and Korea.
With the theme "Imagine a World Where Children Are Safe," the children of Loboc joined about 600 other children in singing a rousing finale that brought forth their message of peace, hope, brotherhood, and love.
A major highlight of the choir's past activities was the 1st European Concert Tour in September to November of 2003.
The group also represented the Philippines in the 6th International Folksongs Festival "Europe and Its Songs" held in Barcelona, Spain. In this international competition, LCC bagged the Gold Medal (First Prize) of the Youth Category, and was awarded the Festival Cup or the Grand Prize for garnering the highest point average of 97.5, besting the other 12 choirs from all over the world.
The Choir also held very successful concerts in The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland.
Its SM City Cebu concert repertoire was a combination of classical, folk, modern and children's songs.