By Christine Cudis/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — What started as a heritage event of the European Union (EU) delegation to the Philippines at the Far Eastern University (FEU) in 2009 became what is now known as Musica FEUropa, one of the country’s most prestigious choral competitions.
Musica FEUropa, Far Eastern University’s annual choral competition and festival with the European Union in the Philippines as its principal partner, has grown in size and stature over the years.
Martin Lopez, director of the FEU committee on culture, said in an interview Wednesday that they began in 2009 with only four choirs, mostly from the city of Manila.
“The number rose to an all-time high of 31 choirs hailing from all over the Philippines,” Lopez said, adding that the competition’s two categories now cater to all contestants.
He said they are glad to know that the competition has become an avenue for choral groups in the Philippines to enhance their skills and polish their music.
“Musica FEUropa also served as a gateway for choral groups to be at par with other choirs in competitions abroad,” Lopez added.
The competition requires each choir to perform two songs: one song of their choice written in an official language of any European country, and one piece written in the Filipino language or any of its dialect.
Category expansions
As Musica FEUropa begins a new decade, some notable changes have been implemented to further intensify the competition.
The High School Category has been renamed into the Teen Category after it was expanded to cover youths between 13 years and 19 years, who may no longer be in high school.
Five choirs will compete in the Teen Category during the Musica FEUropa 11, along with 10 choirs that are joining the Open Category.
But just like in 2018, the top three finalists of each category will compete for the title of Grand Champion.
The winner will be determined by esteemed Filipino choral conductors and clinicians.
The semifinalists from the Teen Category will be adjudicated by Arwin Tan, Rodolfo Delarmente, and Maria Theresa Vizconde-Roldan, while Lester Delgado, Jude Roldan, and Emmanuel de Leon Jr. will adjudicate the Open Category.
The Grand Champion will be decided by Prof. Fidel Calalang Jr., Dr. Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng, Dr. Ed Manguiat, Ma. Lourdes Hermo, and Ramon Lijauco, Jr.
The Grand Champion shall take home PHP100,000 and a trophy, while the First Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up will receive PHP30,000 and PHP20,000, respectively, together with a trophy. A consolation prize of PHP10,000 will be given to the remaining grand finalists.
Musica FEUROPA 11 will be held in the recently-retrofitted FEU Auditorium on May 25 and 26.
Free tickets may be downloaded from TicketZMe, a ticketing app available at the App Store or Google Play for Android devices.
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