Akapela open now accepting entries

Something strange happened to me while listening to Ryan Cayabyab’s album, One, a few days ago. I was so caught up with the music that I started to wonder who were singing back-up vocals for Ryan in Bakya Mo Neneng. I reached out for the CD cover to check and then as though coming out of a dodo moment, I stopped when I realized.

Why was I looking for background singers when I have known for years that Ryan was singing all those voices? He did not even have a musical accompaniment. The entire album was recorded a capella with Ryan singing all 16 voices by himself. He also arranged all of them. And they sounded so good I was misled into thinking there was musical accompaniment and background singers.

A first of its kind, One was recorded in 1980. The album is made up of classic Filipino songs like, Bakya Mo Neneng, Hindi Kita Malimot, Saan Ka Man Naroroon, Dahil Sa Iyo, Minamahal Sinasamba and Maalaala Mo Kaya; and original compositions by Ryan, like Mamang Kutsero, Tsismis, Liman-dipang Tao and Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika.

One received a Special Album of the Year Award at the Cecil Awards in 1982. Ryan also won as Producer of the Year, Best Vocal Arrangement for two or more voices for Liman-dipang Tao; Best Novelty Solo Performance and Best Novelty Vocal Song for Tsismis; and Best Album Package by Edith Gallardo and Juanito Sy.

A lot of hard work obviously went into creating something as extraordinary as One. The now classic album is also a testimony to how highly Ryan regards the art of a capella singing. Capella is Italian for chapel. To say a capella means to sing without any accompaniment. While this can be as simple as singing alone, it can also be as complicated as using voices to simulate an accompaniment by various musical instruments.

What Ryan did in One is a wonderful way of showing to what limits a capella can go in the area of pop music performance. Over 30 years has gone since the album was released. It is now about time for Ryan to take another look or I should say, listen, to what other arrangers and other voices can do with a capella singing. We will get that chance with the ongoing Akapela Open competition for a capella ensemble singing.

The first of its kind in the country, Akapela Open is a project of The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab in cooperation with the PLDT Smart Foundation and the One Meralco Foundation. The contest is open to contemporary a capella singing groups. Join now and get your chance to shine.

Here are the rules:

Qualified to join the competition are singing groups with a minimum of three and a maximum of 12 members, aged 18 years old and above upon their filing of the application form. Groups may be all male or all female or mixed voices.

Only pop, R&B, jazz, hip-hop and rap, rock, folk and popular type a capella arrangements of songs from various genres can be performed in the competition. Stage movement or choreography is encouraged. Original a capella arrangements created specifically for the group are required.

Auditions will be done via Video Performance. First fill up the application form in the website. Then upload a video of the live performance of one song only and very important, make sure the live sound is unenhanced. Make sure too to wait for the confirmation that your video was successfully uploaded.

If shortlisted for the finals after the video auditions, the group will move into the Level 2 live auditions which will be held at The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab on Oct. 5 and 6. There will be an entry fee of P1,000 required from those accepted into the Level 2 Live Auditions.

 Those who will pass these live auditions will move on to the semi-finals round will be held also at The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab on Oct. 12. The finals will be held on Oct. 30 at the Meralco Theater.

The registration and acceptance of entries started last Aug. 1 and is now ongoing. The deadline for applications and the uploading of entries is at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 7, 2013. Log on to the official website of Akapela Open for more information: www.akapelaopen.com.

Winners will receive cash prizes and trophies: Grand prize, P250,000; first runner-up, P150,000; and second runner-up, P100,000. There will be a special prize of P50,000 for the best a capella arrangement of a Filipino song.

Lindsey Stirling at Ayala Malls

Lindsey Stirling, who must be the only dancing violinist in the world, will be performing at the Greenbelt 3 Park on Aug. 17, 7 p.m. and at the Alabang Town Center Commerce Mall on Aug. 18, 6 p.m.

Lindsey, a classically-trained violinist, caused a sensation in the Internet when surfers came across videos of her playing the violin while also dancing. She became even more popular when she joined America’s Got Talent and made it to the quarter finals. She lost in the contest but emerged with the tag Hip-Hop Violinist and a successful career of her own.

Lindsey is here to promote her recently released debut album featuring the web favorite Crystallize, plus cuts like Shadows, Elements and Electric Daisy Violin.