MADz at 50 goin’ for the gold

MANILA, Philippines - To celebrates the 50th anniversary this year of the world renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Cultural Exchange Department will present the MADz in a national concert tour this month in selected communities in the Visayas, March in Mindanao and October to November in Luzon.

Billed as “Goin for the Gold,” the MADz goes back to the local communities to share its remarkable achievements in chorale music over the last five decades.

As one of the country’s longest existing art organizations that promotes excellence and artistry, the Madz will commemorate its milestone to further promote and propagate the creativity, brilliance and uniqueness of Filipino culture and heritage. In their last provincial tour in 2007 entitled “Tara Na, MADzitwanan Na,” the MADz gave 12 concerts to over 30,000 audiences in 11 sites around the country.

Founded in 1963 by National Artist Andrea Veneracion, the choir is one of the world’s most awarded, having consistently won all the top prizes in most of the world’s prestigious choral competitions.

They hold the distinction of being the first choir in the world to win the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing twice (1997 and 2007).

MADz is composed of students, faculty and alumni from the different colleges of the University of the Philippines and performs a wide repertoire of various styles and forms: renaissance music, classical music, Filipino and international folksongs, contemporary and avant-garde music, opera and even popular music.

Their specialization and focus on the madrigal idiom has inspired their unique set-up of singing while seated in a semi-circle, without a conductor. The MADz is led by Mark Anthony Carpio, one of today’s foremost choral experts.

For this year’s tour, the MADz will also conduct workshops for local choirs as well as perform with these choirs in a grand public showcase.

For more information about the MADz 50th anniversary tour, contact the CCP Cultural Exchange Dept. at 832-3674 and 832-1125 locals 1708-1709.