Provincial Board members Wenceslao Gakit and Victor Maambong have congratulated the Mandaue City School for the Arts for winning three gold medals in the 1st Asian Choir Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia from Nov. 2 to 10.
The Mandaue City School for the Arts Children’s Choir was the only public school that joined in the international competition, in which 13 countries participated. The event has 21 categories and each contingent was allowed to compete in a maximum of three categories
The group competed in the children’s choir category, folklore category and music of the religion category and won the gold in all categories.
In their resolution, Maambong and Gakit said the latest feat of the school has brought honor to Cebu and the country.
“The Cebu-based choir was able to prove to the other countries around the world that the Filipinos are blessed with talents and skills that are beyond compare,” their resolution said.
In 2004, the school bagged the first prize in one of the country’s prestigious music competitions: the National Music Competition for Young Artist.
Last year, the choir had a month-long concert tour in the US where they earned praises from Utah-based Filipino musician Rey Pesquera Roa.
The school was established to promote arts as avenues for aesthetic development and cultural enhancement. It started during the time of former mayor Alfredo Ouano.
Ouano had provided the 2,000 square-meter lot in Casili for the school, whose buildings were built with the assistance from a civic group and from Cebu sixth district Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz.
At least 60 students from the school shared the limelight with world-class Filipino artists in entertaining the heads of state during the gala night of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in January. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/LPM