Filipinos are musically inclined by nature. My instinct tells me that there’s atleast one hotel in each country that employs a Filipino showband. I can vouch for that here in Southeast Asia. Singing and performing are innate to us. We grew up watching musical variety shows on tv. We were ushered on stage to perform for our own families. We have our own karaoke system…and now our own karaoke microphone (with chip) – ok, I admit it, I have. Used to spend my very very limited free time in KL singing my heart out to the point that hubby thought I lost a screw in my head. My point is, we love to sing and basically give the best performance of our lives without being egged to do so.
It is therefore not easy for me to feature one group of performer because in reality, Philippines is abundantly blessed.
A personal favorite though would be The Philippine Madrigal Singers (MADZ). This highly acclaimed choral group has won every imaginable competition in Asia and beyond. In fact, in 2007, they cinched the much coveted European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in Italy – this competition is considered the Choral Olympics. This was their second time having won the same award a decade prior.
Photo courtesy of philippinemadrigalsingers.com
The group’s name was derived from the style of their performance. Though it performs a multitude of styles, it specializes in the Madrigal, “a polyphonic and challenging musical style popular during the Renaissance period where singers and guests would gather around the table during a banquet to sight-sing and make music together. This served as the inspiration for their unique style of singing - singing seated in a semi-circle without a conductor”.
The year 1963 gave birth to the MADZ (formerly known as the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers) under the tutelage of Prof. Andrea O. Veneracion. After four decades of leadership, the baton was passed on to Mr, Mark Anthony Carpio.
Throughout the years, they have wowed illustrious audiences such as Pope John Paul II, President Richard Nixon, Queen Sofia of Spain and Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to name a few. When you have the chance to do so, do watch their riveting performance. A must do.
