By Ma. Recellina P. Lafue

Ani ng Dangal 2023 Awardee for Music Far Eastern University (FEU) Chorale is set to represent the Philippines at the upcoming 2nd Asia Choral Grand Prix (ACGP) to be held in Bali, Indonesia in July this year. 

In an interview with FEU Advocate, FEU Chorale President Christine Tenazas shared the impacts of the pandemic on the preparation of the group.

“‘Yung mga dati naming singers nung 2019, lahat prepared na for 2021. Kaso, hindi naman natin inaasahan ‘tong pandemic, parang nasira ang momentum. That time, hindi namin alam kung matutuloy pa ba yung ACGP (Our former singers from 2019 were already prepared for the competition. But the pandemic came and caused our momentum to stop. During that time, we were not even sure if the competition would push through),” she said.

Despite having new members this year, Tenazas also showed confidence in her team’s current performance.

“Nakakatuwa ngayon na may disiplina ‘yung members namin. Marunong sumunod at marunong makinig. [At] ‘yung biggest asset namin ay balance. Hindi kami sobrang loud kumpara sa ibang choir (I’m happy about the members’ discipline. They know how to follow rules and listen actively during rehearsals. And compared to other choirs, our biggest asset is that we have a balanced sound),” he shared.

Artistic Director and Conductor Karl Angelo Tangco also eyes winning and learning from the process of preparation.

“Unang-una, manalo. Syempre magbigay pride sa Philippines, sa FEU community, kasi isang karangalang mapabilang sa ACGP… But then, ‘yung matututunan din sa process ng preparation, siguro ‘yun yung mas malaking makukuha namin. Win or lose, may matututunan kami from each other (First of all, we want to win. It is a great honor to be qualified for the ACGP this year and we want to give pride to the Philippines and to the FEU Community. But then, the whole process of preparing for this competition will be a huge gain for us. Win or lose, we will surely learn from each other),” he said.

FEU Chorale qualified for the international competition after winning the First Prize in Mixed Choir Category at the Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival held last July 2019. 

Due to the pandemic, the organizers pushed back the 2nd ACGP which was initially set to commence back in 2021.

The ACGP is a competition of champions from four international choral festivals namely Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival, Bali International Choir Festival, Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod, and Singapore International Choral Festival.

(Photo courtesy of Christine Tenazas/FEU Chorale)