Macau songwriting competition winners

MANILA, Philippines - Julius Teodoro, a 16-year-old second year computer engineering student of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, is going to Macau on the wings of a song.

The budding musician and songwriter, who learned to play the piano by simply listening to and watching others, won in the recent Macau Songwriting Competition the grand prize of a free four-day/three-night holiday package to Asia’s newest exciting destination.

Teodoro’s entry, Macau, Land of Joy, won the judges’ nod because its beat highlights the city’s multifaceted attractions and the melody is pleasant to the ears. The song alludes to Macau’s commitment to preserve its past, an interesting blend of east and west, while ensuring it is in step with the 21st century as expressed in the line: “In the land where the past meets the future.”

Second prize winner was Jan Michael Tan, a 21-year-old fourth year information technology student from the University of the East. His piece, Good Day (In Macau), mentioned some of the city’s most important and popular tourist destinations.

The top two winning compositions will be professionally arranged, sung by a celebrity singer, and recorded. The songs may be played on radio to promote Macau and will also be performed during dinners and other events organized by the Macau Government Tourist Office — Philippines (MGTO), the country’s tourism promotions arm.

The Macau competition was the first contest Teodoro, who aspires to be a composer in the future, joined. Although comfortable with any music genre, he leans towards pop music.

While Teodoro would rather remain in the background, runner-up Tan hopes to pursue his musical career in front of an audience as a singer and also as a songwriter.

The songwriting competition, with the theme “My Next Travel Destination: Macau” was limited to bona fide college students in the National Capital Region. Participants had to compose and write the lyrics to a song in any genre about Macau.