Photo courtesy of ACGC.

THE ATENEO College Glee Club (ACGC) swept three awards in the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition last May 6, putting the Philippines once more on the global choral music map.

Garnering a score of 93.89 percent, the ACGC bested 11 other choirs from Europe and Asia. The group was conferred the Fleischmann International Trophy for receiving the highest score.

“I was happy after our performance because I know we sounded well and I knew the people loved it when they started clapping and stomping their feet after our performance,” said Eugene Soyosa, ACGC Assistant Conductor for Choral Development.

The other two awards received were the Heinrich Schütz Perpetual Trophy for the best rendition of a song by the composer of the same name and the PEACE Trophy for exemplifying the spirit of the competition.

The ACGC performed “Selig sind die Toten” by German composer Heinrich Schütz, “Benedictio” by Estonian composer Urmas Sisask, and “Koyu no Tebulul,” a T’boli folksong arranged by Eudenice Palaruan of the University of the Philippines.

The said competition was part of the 58th Cork International Choral Festival held in Cork, Ireland. The last time ACGC bagged the Fleischmann International Trophy was in 2000.

Appreciation and aspiration

ACGC President Mikhael Llado said, “These distinctions are more than the ACGC’s, but also accolades that Ateneans can call their very own.”

He added that on a larger scale, they view their awards as “contributions to the Atenean identity,” pointing out that Ateneans are also skilled in the arts and not just in science, business and sports.

Whereas Llado touched on furthering Atenean identity, Soyosa talked about enriching the local choral scene.

“I want the Ateneo community to view our awards as a huge contribution to Filipino choral music. A few Filipinos might know this, but the Philippines is a powerhouse in choral music,” Soyosa said.

Llado and Soyosa are keeping their chins up that choral music will gain more support within the Ateneo. Soyosa even went as far as hoping that the Ateneo considers building an “Ateneo College of Music.”

ACGC Vice President (VP) for Finance Dom Bulan explained that besides prominent figures in the Ateneo, he wishes that even the average Atenean would recognize their accomplishments.

Performing Arts Cluster Head Gabbey Calma said that she plans to target the Ateneo student body when promoting public endeavors of organizations under her cluster.

“I would definitely like to improve on art appreciation here on campus, especially [the] attendance of Ateneans during concerts and the like,” she said.

Meanwhile, ACGC member Luigi Cortez extracted a lesson about working together from the competition.

“The Philippines has already established itself in the world of choral music among many others and I am pretty certain that we can extend this to innumerable other fields if we, as a people, can become genuinely interested and genuinely care for people who devote their lives to their respective fields of expertise,” he said.

Wows and woes

Soyosa’s view of folk songs across the globe is inclusive, stating that each of them is unique in its own way. He noted that native Filipino music, in particular, has an affinity for the sounds of nature.

“[What] makes Filipino music, at least our ethnic or native music, beautiful and stand out is the way it has this bright, resonant sound we hear when we listen to nature,” he said.

On the other hand, Llado and Bulan delved deeper into the emotional side of Filipino music. Llado observed that when local music is performed by a Filipino musician, “passion transforms into warmth that embraces the entire audience.”

Bulan said that Filipino music has the ability to draw out emotions. “We sing about our joys and sorrows, our successes and failures, our hardships, and how we overcome them.

Madamdamin tayong tao (We are an emotional people), and that is clearly heard in our music.” He further shared that the Europeans they met would remark that Filipinos sing with heart.

In spite of the quality of Filipino music, Llado, Bulan, and Cortez lamented the lack of appreciation for local music such as folk and ethnic ones.

“We have so many beautiful songs that are simply being forgotten when once, they were inextricably intertwined with our very lives,” Cortez said.

During ACGC’s tours in Europe, Llado saw the disparity between Philippine and Western appreciation for choral music. “The reality is that even in Europe, the reception of a purely European audience and a Filipino community after a performance is different, usually the former being more active.”

Musings on music

“Music is the universal language. Despite language barriers in most of the countries we went to, we were able to convey the meaning of our songs and bridged the gap between the two cultures,” ACGC VP for Externals Daniella Dasig said.

Llado’s opinion is similar to that of Dasig, saying that music transcends language barriers and differences.

For Bulan, music is a form of creative expression. He specifically mentioned that music is an integral part of Filipino culture and should be given due pride.

Soyosa, meanwhile, talked about the importance of music today. He said, “It teaches us how to hear, think, and most importantly, music teaches us how to feel, something that could be very relevant to address the issues of today, and in that way, music is and will always be relevant.”