Coro San Benildo captivates the world

MANILA, Philippines - A comune called Gorizia in a little corner of Italy near the Slovenian border will soon vibrate with voices from different countries. The occasion? Seghizzi: 54th International Choral Singing Competition, organized by Interkultur, a non-profit song festival and primary authorities behind the choristers’ Olympic equivalent, the World Choir Games, which aims to enrich the public’s appreciation of fine music and its power to connect people from diverse backgrounds all over the planet.

With the fashionably boot-shaped country as the birthplace of opera and numerous superb and iconic classical singers, such as the late tenor powerhouse Luciano Pavarotti, and the exceedingly skilled mezzo-coloratura Cecilia Bartoli, it would be indeed a great honor to perform on any celebrated Italian arena.

It comes as no surprise that one of the most eminent aspects of Philippine culture is the thriving world of choral singing that springs from many of our islands. Our people’s natural acuity to melodies and lyrics, enhanced by the influences of other lands, has given rise to countless choirs, many of which have risen to world acclaim.

One such fine collection of Filipino talents, the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde’s Coro San Benildo, will take to the stage in Seghizzi and have the opportunity bring home glory and honor.

Now, with a potent selection of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses, renowned choral and concert director, musical arranger, voice clinician, musician, stage-actor and scriptwriter Maestro Lorenzo Gealogo hopes to craft and execute a captivating repertoire that showcases island-born musicality in its finest form, as he leads his flock into the realm of musical creation.

The Coro San Benildo is the official resident chorale of its home institution. And this is its sixth year in the global arena.

The group first grabbed a spot in tournaments abroad by winning second place in 2009 in the Let the People Sing Choir Competition held in Oslo, Norway. Organized by the media service alliance European Broadcasting Union, it has an open category for choral groups that perform exclusively music of particular cultural traditions or styles, such as folksong, gospel, barbershop, jazz and traditional, along with general selection for children, youth and adult choirs, and it commemorates the humanity one finds in the art form.

The following year, the songsters were semi-finalists in the Manila Broadcasting Company’s Paskong Pinoy Choral Competition, at the Star Theater in Pasay City. In 2011, they once again participated overseas in the Vietnam International Choir Festival and Competition in Hoi an, where they were declared overall champion in the Folklore Category.

Here, they earned additional distinction — the Gold V Diploma, one of the most prestigious measures of a chorus’ caliber. Aside from this, they also garnered first runner-up in the Mixed Youth Choir Category, granting them a Gold II Diploma, whose commensurate value in points becomes the basis for the world ranking of choral groups.

2012 was another big year for the cantors as they won the Platinum Award in the first Xinghai Prize International Choir Championship held in Guangzhou, China, which was named after the renowned Chinese cosmopolitan composer of the Yellow River Cantata, Xian Xinghai.

Another Gold Diploma V was yet again filed in its ever-growing arsenal of awards in 2013,  along with a Fleur de Lis Medal and Trophy in the A1 Mixed Choirs of the Sing ‘n’ Joy Louisville International Choral Festival and Competition in Kentucky, USA. Conducted late in November and early December, the competitors also engaged in the friendship concerts carried out in the city’s gorgeous churches, museums and theatrical venues. 

Sing ‘n’ Joy was also established by Interkultur, this time in Manila, during the same year, with the group once again garnering acclaim, as they bagged three diplomas in different categories — Gold Diploma Level III for Folklore, as well as one for Sacra and a Gold Diploma Level II for Mixed choir, steadily bringing them among the top choruses locally and abroad.

Last year, they participated at the 10th Busan Choral Festival and Competition in South Korea. They competed with choirs representing their places of origin in the Classical Mixed Category, where they bagged third place.

With several prestigious titles already under its belt, Coro San Benildo continuously grows in its artistry. Through passionate and disciplined rehearsals, and boundless creativity and skill, the group pursues a path that will surely mold them in becoming a force to be reckoned with in their chosen field.

Relatively young in its endeavors in distant lands, it shows great potential as a beacon to represent a love for music with the spirit and felicity of compositions that are made timeless with the voices of the young from an archipelago that sings from the heart.