Elite jury for MBC National Choral Competition

MANILA, Philippines - An elite judging panel will lend prestige to this year’s grand finals of the MBC National Choral Competition, which will be held at the Aliw Theater on Dec. 9 at 6 p.m.

Chairing the jury will be Jonathan Velasco, president of the Philippine Choral Directors Association and advisor to the board of the International Federation for Choral Music. Currently, Velasco is also the Philippine representative to the World Choir Council, and is a member of the artistic committee for the Polyfollia Festival in Normandy, France. He joined the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers under Prof. Andrea Veneracion in 1981, and became its assistant choirmaster. In 1989, he studied Choral Conducting at the Berliner Kirchenmusikschule and finished with distinction. He is the first Asian principal conductor of the World Youth Choir and was jury for the 2002, 2004, and 2006 Choir Olympics in Busan, Bremen and Xiamen. He currently conducts the Ateneo Chamber Singers, National Power Corporation Chorale, Globalink Holdings Corporation Chorale, the Miriam College Glee Club, and the Chamber Choir of Asia.

Also sharing his expertise will be Prof. Fidel Calalang Jr., a renowned choral director, composer, and arranger whose musical vision shaped the highly-acclaimed UST Singers, which was named Choir of the World at last year’s Llangollen Eistedfodd in Wales. Calalang finished his music studies at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music as a scholar in piano and voice, and now heads the university’s Conducting Department. He is a member of the International Federation for Choral Music, the American Choral Directors Association, and the Contemporary A’capella Society of America. He has also sat as juror in the Czech Republic’s International Competition for Academic Choirs, as well as First National Competition for Welsh Choirs held in the United Kingdom. 

Resident judge Arnel de Pano, who personally led the individual teams that adjudged the regional eliminations in Cauayan, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao, Naga, and Mega-Manila, will head the roster of choral music experts who will adjudicate the semifinal rounds scheduled on starting today until Dec. 8 at the Star Theater. A multi-awarded composer and arranger, De Pano is best known for his liturgical piece Lead Me Lord. He is a two-time winner of the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) Choral Writing competition and is also a recipient of the Gawad ng Komisyon ng Wikang Pilipino. A former member of the Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club, he was also with the San Miguel Master Chorale and occasionally sings with the Ateneo Chamber Singers. De Pano currently serves as music director for the First United Methodist Church in Kamuning.

Ma. Lourdes Hermo, currently vice president of the Philippine Choral Directors Association, joins De Pano on the daily judging panel. The soft-spoken lady who is behind the success of the Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club, holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Choral Conducting from the University of the Philippines, where she was a member of the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers and the Philippine Youth Orchestra. A consistent adjudicator in many choral competitions, Hermo chaired the 2010 NAMCYA Children’s Choir Competition. 

Highly-respected vocal coach Janet Sabas-Aracama, chair of the choral conducting department at the University of the Philippines College of Music and conductor the UP Concert Chorus, is the fifth judge. Jai, as she is popularly known, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Music at the University of the Philippines as a Choral Conducting major, with a minor in Voice and Ethnomusicology.    A veteran of numerous world tours, her group has won golds in various international competitions, and just recently, came home with three more from Mannhausen, Gemany and Arezzo, Italy. She is also a renowned vocal soloist whose versatility lends itself to opera, art song, gospel, soul, and jazz with equal aplomb, having debuted on the Cultural Center of the Philippines stage with no less than Placido Domingo and the San Francisco Opera.    

And finally, adding zest, exuberance, humor and expertise in the field of live entertainment will be the funny lady of songs, Nanette Inventor. Best known for her immortal comic characterization of Dona Maria Leonila Evaporada Casinday viuda de Ford on the social satire gag portion of Penthouse Live, Inventor began her singing career as a member of the UP Concert Chorus, then went on to become a professional back-up singer with the group, Filipina. From there, she branched into voicing for radio and television commercial jingles and doing cover versions of foreign hits. Her rendition of the song Salamat Musika earned for composer Gary Granada the top prize at the 7th Metro Manila Pop Music Festival. The multi-faceted performer, recording artist, and live show host has also been seen lately on primetime TV soap operas.

With such a diverse yet highly capable jury, expect the 44 choirs from various parts of the country that are taking part in this year’s MBC National Choral Competition to be fine-tuning their entries for a grand choral showdown heretofore unmatched in the firmament of popular entertainment.

The 2011 MBC National Choral Competition is an annual project of Manila Broadcasting Company and Star City, supported generously by Smart Communications, Nagaraya, Hanabishi, Dunkin’ Donuts, Angel Condensada, Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut, M. Lhuillier, and Yakult.

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