Songwriting tilt honoring Padre Pio accepting entries until April 6
The Saint Padre Pio Home for the Relief of Suffering-Philippines Foundation Inc. will hold its first songwriting competition, dubbed “Huni Kang Santo Padre Pio Alang sa Santuario”, at the IEC Convention Center Cebu on May 25 – a special date for members of the organization as it falls on the Italian saint’s birthday, which this year would have been his 137th.
“This is one of the ways of honoring him on his birthday. We will celebrate his birthday, and at the same time, find songs that we will sing for Padre Pio, which we hope to use for celebrations,” said Spiritual Director of Padre Pio Contemplative Community of Cebu (PPCCC) Msgr. Roger Fuentes during the March 15 press conference at Sacred Heart Center.
Event proceeds will be used for the ongoing construction of the sanctuary honoring Padre Pio of Pietrelcina in Barangay Pulangbato, Cebu City.
Entries coming from here and even abroad are welcome, as long as the lyrics are based on the life and faith of Santo Padre Pio. Interested songwriters should fill out an online form provided on the competition’s Facebook page or by contacting the event’s Musical Director, Roy Tabasa, at 0919 331 2007 or event Assistant Director Jan Paolo Villaluz at 0927 403 0580.
Applicants should also submit a PDF file and “editable” (i.e. Microsoft Office Word) document file of their lyrics and an MP3 audio file with recorded vocals, with a guitar or piano arrangement that should not exceed four minutes. All of the required files must be titled based on the name of their song entry and must be submitted before or on April 6.
Entries can tackle different genres as long as the lyrics celebrate Saint Padre Pio’s legacy, and that the piece can be used for prayer and worship. While multiple entries are allowed, applicants should choose only one qualified song that would be shortlisted for the finals.
While the contest’s official rules state that the song must be in Cebuano, Tagalog, English, or a combination of these three, they are also open to entries originally composed in another language as long as there is a translation in any of the three aforementioned languages.
“We will accept submissions even from France or Italy and the screening committee will assess the entries. We will make sure to get a translation to see if that entry is the song we are looking for,” Villaluz added.
Limitations include that the entries should be originally composed and performed for the competition – meaning that the song should not have been an entry in other tilts, not posted on social media platforms, and not have been performed before the contest.
The screening committee will select 12 songs (criteria is 50% for lyrics, and 50% for melody) that will compete in the May 25 finals at IEC.
The grand winner will receive P100,000, while the first and secondrunner-up will take home P75,000 and P50,000 respectively. A consolation prize of P20,000 will be given to the rest of the finalists. Special awards with a cash prize of P10,000 will also be handed out, including for Best Interpreter, Best Arrangement, and Best Recorded Audio.
Applicants may read more about the competition’s rules and mechanics by liking the competition’s Facebook page “Huni Kang Santo Padre Pio”. Ticket sales will be announced at a later date.