2ND ANDREA O.

VENERACION INTERNATIONAL CHORAL FEST SET

IN JULY
(long version)

The Cultural Center of the Philippines with the support of the National Commission
for Culture and the Arts presents the 2nd Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral
Festival on July 22-25, 2015. The Festival, which follows the huge success of the
first Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival held in August 2013 will
witness 16 foreign and local choirs compete in three categories: Folk Song, Vocal
Ensemble and Chamber Choir.

The competing choirs are the following: Boscorale , De La Salle University Chorale
- Dasmarias , Giovent in Cantata, Inggou Victory Children Voice GKPS, Koro
Ilustrado, Mandaluyong Childrens Choir, Svaditra-Bandung Chamber Choir,
Technological Institute of the Philippines Choral Society, The Archipelago Singers ,
The Voices of Davao, Tumben Paax, Philippine Vocal Ensemble, Universitas Pelita
Harapan, University of Baguio Voices Chorale, University of Los Baos Choral
Ensemble (Philippines), and the University of Visayas Chorale. Guest Choir is Youth
Choir Kamr from Latvia, conducted by Janis Liepins. A two-time winner of the
European Grand Prix for Choral Singing, Youth Choir Kamr will give a special
performance on Sunday, July 26 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main
Theater).

The Folk Song competition will showcase the performances 15 choirs singing folk
songs from the Philippines, from the foreign choirs respective countries, as well as
songs within or outside the choirs region. The Vocal Ensemble competition will see
13 choirs sing freely chosen pieces with the exception of folk songs. The Chamber
Choir competition will present nine (9) choirs singing period pieces: one (1)
Renaissance/Early Baroque choral work, one (1) Romantic choral work, one (1) 20 th
or 21st century choral work; and the obligatory piece Ang Tren composed by
Saunder Choi.

Ang Tren is a setting of Filipino literary giant Jose Corazon de Jesus poem about
Philippine commuter culture. The work, commissioned by the CCP for the Festival,
was composed by Saunder Choi, a 2012 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer
Award finalist and recipient of the 2013 Leroy Southers Award from the Berklee
College of Music Composition Department. He was one of five selected composers
for the 1st Young Composers Initiative call for scores by the Boston Philharmonic
Youth Orchestra and was recently awarded the 1st prize in the 2014 American Prize
for Choral Composition (student division). He sang tenor and was one of the
resident composers of the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers. Saunder is
currently purusing his Master of Music in Composition at the USC Thornton School of
Music, studying with Donald Crockett.

A jury of five (5) internationally renowned adjudicators one (1) from North
America, One (1) from Europe, one (1) from South America, one (1) from
Africa/Australia and one (1) from the Philippines will evaluate the competitors.
These are the following: Brady Allred (United States), Janis Liepins (Latvia), Silvana
Vallesi (Argentina), Andre van der Merwe (South Africa), and Mark Anthony Carpio
(Philippines).

Dr. Brady Allred is Artistic Director and Conductor of the Salt Lake
Choral Artists, an organization of seven choral ensembles. Honored
as one of Utahs Top 25 Cultural Power Brokers, he has recently
guest conducted, adjudicated, and given master classes in sixteen
countries throughout Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle
East. He is a winner of the European Grand Prix, two First Prizes and
the Conductors Prize at the Marktoberdorf International Chamber
Choir Competition, holds MM and DMA degrees in conducting from
the Eastman School of Music.
Jnis Liepi was the second conductor of youth
choir Kamr (2006 - 2012), which he leads as its artistic director
and chief conductor since 2012. The same
year Kamr won two first prizes and Grand Prix at the Bela
Bartok choir competition in Debrecen, Hungary. These wins
allowed the choir to participate in further competition in Arezzo,
Italy (2013), where Kamr was awarded the European Grand
Prix in choral singing for the second time. In honour of these
achievements and in recognition of successful debut concerts
with the Latvian National Symphony orchestra, Liepaja
Symphony orchestra and Sinfonietta Rga, Jnis Liepi received
the Great Music Award as the Young Artist of 2013.

Sivana Vallesi is the first Latin Aerican choir conductor be awarded the European
Grand Prix for Choral Singing (2009, Tours, France) and the Grand Prix Bella Bartok
(2008, Debrecen, Hungary) where she also received the Best Choir Conductor
award. With the Coro Universidad de Mendoza, she received from the Senate of the
National the honor Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and was declared Ambassadors
of the People and the Province of Mendoza by the Provincial
Government. They were also declared Cultural Ambassadors
by the U.N.Cuyo. She has been distinguished for Uno
Medios as outstanding Mendoza for two consecutive years,
and recognized by the Association of Women Wine
Argentina (AMUVA).

Andr van der Merwe, conductor

and composer from Cape
Town, South Africa, is often invited to
perform as guest conductor,
adjudicator and clinician nationally
and internationally. At present he conducts two choirs
both multi-awarded: the Stellenberg Girls Choir (since
1999), which currently ranks number 7 on Interkulturs
world ranking list of the top 1000 international choirs. They
also are ranked number 1 on the list for international Youth
Choirs. The Stellenbosch University Choir (since 2003) is currently ranked number 1
on Interkulturs world ranking list of the top 1000 international choirs.
Mark Anthony Carpio is acknowledged as one of the foremost experts in the field
of choral music among the younger set of Filipino conductors. Personally chosen
by Prof. Andrea Veneracion to succeed her reins as the choirmaster of the Philippine
Madrigal Singers in 2001, he has, since then, he has led the group in its numerous
tours all over the world. In 2004, he brought the choir to Europe where they won
both First prIzes in the Habanera and Polyphony categories in the Certmen
Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonia held in Torrevieja, Spain. Among the Madz
greatest recent accolades under his direction are their victories in the 35th Florilege
Vocal de Tours, France (2006), and at the 2007 European Grand Prix for Choral
Singing held in Arrezo, Italy, the second European Grand Prix Award for the Madz.

The Festival schedule is as follows: Wednesday, July 22, 2015: 5:00 PM Opening
Ceremonies; 7:00 PM- Folk Song Competition ; Thursday, July 23, 2015: 7:00 PM
Vocal Ensemble Competition; Friday, July 24, 2015: 7:00 PM Chamber Choir
Competition; Saturday, July 25, 2015: 4:00 PM Madrigal Singers Gala Concert; 7:00
PM Closing Ceremonies.
For ticket reservations, please call the CCP Marketing Department
at 832-3704 and 832-3706.

2ND ANDREA O. VENERACION INTERNATIONAL

CHORAL FEST SET IN JULY
(short version)

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) with the support of the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts presents the 2 nd Andrea O. Veneracion
International Choral Festival on July 22-25, 2015. The Festival, which follows the
huge success of the first Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival held in
August 2013 will witness 16 foreign and local choirs compete in three categories:
Folk Song, Vocal Ensemble and Chamber Choir.

The competing choirs are as follows: Boscorale , De La Salle University Chorale -

Dasmarias , Giovent in Cantata, Inggou Victory Children Voice GKPS, Koro
Ilustrado, Mandaluyong Childrens Choir, Svaditra-Bandung Chamber Choir,
Technological Institute of the Philippines Choral Society, The Archipelago Singers ,
The Voices of Davao, Tumben Paax, Philippine Vocal Ensemble, Universitas Pelita
Harapan, University of Baguio Voices Chorale, University of Los Baos Choral
Ensemble (Philippines), and the University of Visayas Chorale. Guest Choir is Youth
Choir Kamr from Latvia, conducted by Janis Liepins. A two-time winner of the
European Grand Prix for Choral Singing, Youth Choir Kamr will give a special
performance on Sunday, July 26 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main
Theater).

The Competition will premiere the obligatory piece commissioned by the CCP for
the Chamber Choir competition entitled Ang Tren. The choral work is a setting of
Filipino literary giant Jose Corazon de Jesus poem about Philippine commuter
culture, composed by young award-winning composer Saunder Choi.

A jury of five (5) internationally renowned adjudicators one (1) from North
America, One (1) from Europe, one (1) from South America, one (1) from
Africa/Australia and one (1) from the Philippines will evaluate the competitors.
These are the following: Brady Allred (United States), Janis Liepins (Latvia), Silvana
Vallesi (Argentina), Andre van der Merwe (South Africa), and Mark Anthony Carpio
(Philippines).

The Festival schedule is as follows: Wednesday, July 22, 2015: 5:00 PM Opening
Ceremonies; 7:00 PM- Folk Song Competition ; Thursday, July 23, 2015: 7:00 PM
Vocal Ensemble Competition; Friday, July 24, 2015: 7:00 PM Chamber Choir
Competition; Saturday, July 25, 2015: 4:00 PM Madrigal Singers Gala Concert; 7:00
PM Closing Ceremonies.

For ticket reservations, please call the CCP Marketing Department at 832-3704 and
832-3706.