Kammerchor Manila (KM), a multi-awarded church-based and self-supporting choir, raised the Philippine flag once again when it won the prestigious Luciano Pavarotti Grand Prize as Choir of the World (COW) in the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod competition held July 8, 2023 in Wales, United Kingdom.
Under the baton of musical director Anthony Go Villanueva, KM won the coveted prize over some of the finest choirs from around the world, which were selected to compete in the following categories: Mixed Choirs, Equal Voices, Open Choirs, and A Cappella.
Kammerchor Manila, Choir of the World 2023
According to news release from the De la Salle-College of Saint Benilde, for their winning entries, KM staged lauded renditions of Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord, a sacred piece by one of the most recognized organists Alejandro Consolacion II, and Atsalums, Latvia composer Jëkabs Jančevskis’ contemporary take on the country’s traditional song.
In the 60th Seghizzi International Choral Singing Competition in Gorizia, Italy, apart from the COW, KM won more prizes: first prize in Spiritual and Gospel, Pop, and Jazz; second prize in Folk and Traditional categories; third place in the Grand Prix of the prestigious Italian competition.
KM duplicated the outstanding feat In the 69th Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifornia in Torrevieja, Spain, on the last leg of its European tour. It swept all the major awards: first prize in Habaneras, first prize in Polyphony, Best Conductor, Premio Excma, Diputacion Provincial de Alicante (Highest Global score in Habanera and Polyphony).
Before COW, KM also won the grand prize in the 14th Musica FEUropa. This was the first time the group joined this choral competition which started in 2009 under the Far Eastern University director of the Committee on Culture Martin Lopez and supported by the European Union, a few embassies of EU countries in the Philippines, and DZFE 98.7 FM.
Founded in 1992 by Fidel G. Calalang Jr., professor of music at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), KM was originally composed of members and alumni of the UST Action Singers, the former name of the UST Singers. The latter, under Calalang, bagged the Choir of the World (COW) top prize in 1995 and 2010, making it the first and only Filipino and Asian choir to win the celebrated award twice. The prize is now called Choir of the World–Luciano Pavarotti Grand Prize after the opera icon.
Villanueva, who was Calalang’s student at UST and a member of the UST Singers, took over the helm of KM in 2011. Calalang himself had declared that Villanueva brought KM to greater heights and a new level of artistry by winning prizes in international competitions.
Indeed, KM’s first shot at international fame came when they took the music world by storm after sweeping the awards and winning the Grand Prix at the 42nd Festival of Songs Olomouc 2014 in the Czech Republic. Olomouc, the undiscovered gem of the Czech Republic, is home to the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra. It has been the seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop for almost 1,000 years, priding itself for having some of the most beautiful churches in Central Europe.
KM’s first shot at international fame came when they won the Grand Prix at the 42nd Festival of Songs Olomouc 2014 in the Czech Republic
KM repeated its global feat when it won the Grand Prix in the 1st Leonardo da Vinci International Choral Festival in Florence, Italy, in 2017. In this cradle of the Italian Renaissance and Unesco World Heritage City, it was awarded a reproduction of La Battaglia di Anghiari by Leonardo Da Vinci made by a notable Florentine artist, as well as 3,000 euros for prize money.
During that European tour, the group also bagged the 1st prize in Habaneras and 2nd prize in Polifonia at the 63rd Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonia in Torrevieja, Spain. The choir also won the Mixed Choir category at the 8th Musica Eterna Roma in Rome, Italy.
According to the statement of the De la Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Villanueva and Krystl Buesa, both educators under the Music Production Program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Arts, Culture, and Performance (SACP), said that joining the Llangollen has been the team’s decade-long dream.
“We recognized how fortunate we were to have been granted the opportunity to represent the Philippines on a stage as prestigious as this,” Villanueva said in the DLS-CSB statement. “This might not happen again in the very near future. We gave our all, bared our souls, and left our hearts onstage. At the end of the day, our competitors were just as good. We left everything in God’s hands.”
The team is comprised of 34 vocalists, namely Queenie Ann Adon, Renz Tee Apostol, Aerich Khan Balanggao, Maybelle Baldorado, Krystl Buesa, Diana Arvi Cadahing, Ma. Eloisa Contreras, Janine de Belen, Marlo del Rosario, Feb Justine Elvira, Lory Esperancilla, Jaymitch Ferolino, Arvin John Garcia, John Paul Guanzon, Junico Allen Herrera, Chian Kemp Ilagan, and Christian John Ibañez.
The group is completed by Sheryl Lagundino, Renz Marc Marcial, Warren Cris Magana, Caren Joy Mongcopa, Joel Nalda, Reniel Czar Nobleta, Lakasdiwa Paguia, Mariah Ericka Patawaran, Patricia Patnugot, Jamille Logmao, Ann Janine Lomentigar, Darwin Lomentigar, Ruffa Mae Robles, Roxanne Evette San Jose, Mark Jerome Silvestre, Ivan Jasper Sueña, and Kevin Anthony Yu.
In the DLS-CSB release, Villanueva dedicated their achievement to those who supported their entire journey. “We are beyond thankful for the blessings that we received, and this is not only for ourselves, but also for our families, friends, supporters, and most of all for God and the Philippines.”
The Pavarotti–Choir of the World competition in Wales is KM’s first competition in its eight stops for its 2023 UK-Europe Tour, titled Resurgence. They also performed in Germany and Austria. The exhaustive tour began in the Netherlands in early July; a London performance immediately followed its COW win. From Gorizia, Italy, where they won more prizes in the 60th Seghizzi International Choral Singing Competition, the choir will proceed to Torrevieja, Spain, to represent the Philippines in the 69th Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonia.
Before clinching the Pavarotti Trophy, the indefatigable choir had won the Grand Prix at the Queen of the Adriatic Sea International Choral Festival in Italy in 2021, beating the excellent choirs from Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Japan, Poland, UK, USA, and Russia. KM conductor Anthony Go Villanuevamwas named the Best Conductor in the competition, streamed online from June 4 to 6.
With Villanueva guiding the group, KM has evolved into an excellent chamber choir composed of artists from all walks of life, and continues to deliver performances that span a diverse range of musical genres, from madrigals to contemporary music, from sacred to pop music. This versatile and talented group is outstanding in its commitment to excellence, inspiring many other choirs and elevating the level of choral music. It was thus recognized in 2016 and 2019 by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) as a recipient of the Ani ng Dangal Award.
With Villanueva guiding the group, KM has evolved into an excellent chamber choir composed of artists from all walks of life
Villanueva, who studied Music, major in piano and choral conducting, at UST, and is in his late 30s now, is also musical director of government, private company, and non-government choral groups, numbering 10 in all.
Starting young as an organist at San Bartolome Church in Malabon, he distinguished himself by winning first prize in the 2003 Likha Awit Song Writing Competition. He was also a piano finalist in the 2004 NAMCYA, and was best conductor for two consecutive years, in 2012 and 2013, in Himig Tomasino, the UST music fest.
In 2021, he won the Best Conductor Award at the Second Ken Steven Choral Festival in Indonesia. His entry choir—the Malabon Concert Singers—emerged as the Grand Champion in the Open Choir category. The choral group which Villanueva formed only during the pandemic in April 2021 bested 10 other contenders from Southeast Asia.
Kammerchor Manila, which is based in the Parish of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary in West Triangle, Quezon City, remains the main choir that Villanueva conducts. He emphasizes, “Music plays a big role in our society. It communicates with the soul. When a person sings praising God, it makes him bigger than the person he is.”
Why are Pinoys so musically inclined and why do they excel in music on the world stage? Dr. Felipe de Leon, Jr., professor and composer and former chair of NCCA, replied: “The Filipino is a natural performer. It has been noted that we use the karaoke to express ourselves through song more than any other people on earth. Our theatrical, musical, and dancing skills are outstanding. The Philippine Madrigal Singers were the very first choral group in the world to win twice in the European Grand Prix for choral singing, the toughest and most challenging international choral competition. Nora Aunor, a local superstar’s winning so many international awards, should come as no surprise to a people endowed with superlative performing talents.”
De Leon added: “The Jesuit historian Fr. Horacio de la Costa thought that the genius of the Filipino lies in their gift of music. But from a deeper perspective, this is only a manifestation of the profound expressiveness of the Filipino, which in turn is rooted in the heart-to-heart connectivity and soulfulness that is the true genius of the Filipino. But of course, music being the most expressive and soulful of the arts, it is but natural for the Filipino to excel in music.”
That profound expressiveness of the Filipino rooted in the heart-to-heart connectivity with the audience, that soulfulness, seems to be the clincher in the global music competition. Kammerchor Manila’s tenor Marlo del Rosario, bass Darwin Lomentigar, and conductor Villanueva are one in saying about their Pavarotti trophy: As affirmed by the jury during the adjudication of the competition, it was the group’s sound and programming that eventually led to the group’s victory. Every single member of the group bared their hearts and souls onstage, and we believe that the audience and the jury felt that.”
