At a press conference at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last week, Madz choirmaster Mark Anthony A. Carpio said that some of the judges at the Tours competition expressed disappointment over the choice of works sung by some of the participants.
"The judge said the music sung by the other choirs in the final rounds were just not good enough for the contest," Carpio said. "When the Madz join any competition, we make sure to sing works that are fitting for the final round."
At the 2006 Florilège Vocal de Tours, they won first prize in the mixed vocal ensemble and free program categories. They also received the Prix Special Renaissance, a special category for a program of works from the Renaissance period. By gaining high marks in all their categories, they received the Grand Prix de la Ville de Tours (grand prize) at the competition.
The Philippine Madrigal Singers won in 1997 the European Grand Prix, when it was held in Tours, France. They won a place in the 1997 competitions after they won the Grand Premio Ktxa-Maximo Puntacion in the 18th Certamen de Masa Corales de Tolosa in 1996, held in Tolosa, Spain.
The Philippine Madrigal Singers, or Madz, were founded in 1963 by National Artist Prof. Andrea O. Veneracion. Known then as the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers, they were composed of students, faculty, and alumni of the UP Conservatory of Music (now the UP College of Music). They made their international debut in 1969 at the First Choruses of the World Festival in New York City.
Veneracion’s work with the Madz, their successes and triumphs at world choral competitions paved the way for other Filipino choirs to enter the international field of choral singing. It was Veneracion’s vision of a "Singing Philippines" that led to the regular holding of nationwide choral clinics and workshops under the auspices of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Veneracion retired as Madz choirmaster in 2001, passing on the management of the choir to Carpio, a Madz alumnus and UP College of Music faculty.
During the Madz press conference, CCP president Nestor O. Jardin acknowledged Veneracion’s work with the Madz, making them the premier choral group in the Philippines. He likened the recent achievement by the Madz to the successful Everest climb by Filipino mountaineers Leo Oracion, Pastour Emata, and Romi Garduce.
Carpio declared that Prof. Veneracion served as the choir’s inspiration during the competition.
Veneracion was indisposed at the time of the Madz press event.
Jardin said the CCP is preparing a tribute for the Madz founder in time for her birthday on July 11. The Madz will be singing a program featuring their winning pieces at the Tours competition.
Carpio said Filipino choirs are succeeding abroad because of the dedication and hard work they put into their singing.
"The reason why Filipino choirs do well is because they really sing from their hearts," he explained. "The advantage of Filipino choirs is that they follow the tradition of singing from memory. This way they can fully internalize the song."
For the Tours competition, the Madz prepared 16 pieces for the different events they were competing in. All competing groups were not to repeat any of their songs.
During the press conference, they sang three of their winning songs at the Tours contest: Mendelssohn’s "Jagdlied," which they sang in the finals of the vocal ensemble; Filipino composer Jude Edgard Balsamo’s "Angela Day," which they sang in the vocal ensemble qualifying round; and "Rhythmus," a choral study by a Slovakian composer, which they sang in the final round of the free program category. As an encore, they sang Gary Granada’s "Tagumpay Nating Lahat."
In the pieces they sang, the Madz showed exquisite vocal technique and ensemble singing that was rewarded by generous applause by an appreciative audience.
For the 2007 European Grand Prix, the Madz will be facing the winners at the choral competitions this year in Tolosa, Spain, Arezzo and Gorizia, Italy, Debrecen, Hungary, and Varna, Bulgaria. Jardin noted that a number of Philippine choirs are also set to compete in some of these contests.
The Madz’s stint at the Tours competition coincided with an 11-city, seven-country tour of Europe. The tour took them to cities like Moscow, Helsinki, Stockholm, Berlin, Biarritz, Paris, and Brussels.