The Madz gives back with Et Al Choral Festival

Once again, the Philippine Madrigal Singers are paying it forward with Keep On Singing, the 2012 Madz Et Al Choral Festival. For eight nights this month, the world-acclaimed Madz will bring together over 50 choral groups from all over the country in a celebration of the fabled Filipino passion for music. This undertaking also gives our various choral groups from the provinces the chance to show off their talents to Metro Manila audiences. Hosting the festival is the Philamlife Auditorium and take note all music lovers, the ticket price for each night’s performance is only P400. That is the cost of peanuts in our expensive world, a small exchange for an evening of extraordinary singing.

The 2012 Madz Et Al Choral Festival opened last Nov. 18 with the following performers: the Koro Madrigal, Chorus Paulinus, After Glow Singers, Novo Concertante Manila, Ateneo College Glee Club and others; today’s show has Our Lady of Fatima University Chorale, Supreme Court Choir, The New Umak Chorale and more; The Philippine Vocal Ensemble, Imus Institute Pop Chorale, PVAO Chorale and others tomorrow, Nov. 20; and the NPC Chorale, Sounds of Santiago, Coro de San Sebastian and others on Nov. 21.

Nov. 22 has the NGCP Chorale, the Tala Choir, the Magsaysay Chorale and more; the Coro de Sta. Cecilia, the Woodrose Chorale, PAG-IBIG Fund Chorale, and others on Nov. 23; St. Scholastica’s College Manila High School Glee Club, the Coro Techniuv, the UP Los Banos Chorale Ensemble, the Anima Christie Chorale and others on Nov. 24; and the Kilyawan Male Choir, the College of the Immaculate Conception Chorale, the Maryknoll Sanctuary Choir of Baguio City, the Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral Choir and others on Nov. 25. 

 The Philippine Madrigal Singers have just returned from another successful tour of Europe where they performed in France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Spain and Portugal. They are not performing in Keep On Singing but fans who want to watch them one of these days can make sure they attend their upcoming Christmas concerts at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Dec. 15 and 16.

Incidentally, if I am not mistaken, the Madz is turning 50 in 2013.  That means, it has been half a century ago since National Artist for Music Andrea Veneracion put together a group of students from the University of the Philippines College of Music with the aim in view of training them to sing madrigals from old Europe. Just look at how far they have come. Ms. Veneracion has retired from the Madz.  The present choirmaster is Mark Anthony Carpio.

Speaking of Carpio, he was one of the 300 pianists, aged eight to 80  who performed in the Forte@40 concert held at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the CCP last night. The fund-raising event celebrated the 40th anniversary of the founding of The Piano Teachers’ Guild of the Philippines (PTGP) in November of 1972. It was conducted by Dr. Herminigildo Ranera and Daniel Bartolome and featured students, teachers/members, past and present PTGP board members, festival participants and competition winners.

The evening’s repertoire featured music from five genres, baroque, classical, 20th century, pop and Filipino. However, the highlight of the concert was the world premiere of Mga Gintong Pamana by Augusto “Agot” Espino. Commissioned by the PTGP, the work pays tribute to great composers like Nicanor Abelardo, Dr. Francisco Santiago, Francisco Buencamino Sr., Dr. Antonio  Molina, Rosendo Santos Jr., Lucio San Pedro, Felipe de Leon Sr., Ramon Tapales, Dr. Lucrecia Kasilag and Rodolfo Cornejo who all made unparalleled contributions to Filipino music. Mga Gintong Pamana was performed on 40 pianos by 80 players, and is the first of its kind in the history of local music.

Aside from Carpio, the other guests who performed at Forte@40 were CCP president and dean of the UST Conservatory of Music, Dr. Raul Sunico, Della Besa, Annie de Guzman, Fr. Manuel Maramba, OSB, Carmen Padilla, Nita Abrogar-Quinto, UST Singers conductor Fidel Calalang, Najib Ismail and Mary Ann Espina.