EVANGEL SONGSTERS DAVAO IN SOUTH KOREA
The Evangel Songsters Davao proudly received the Young Singers Incentive Prize at the 14th Busan Choral Festival and Competition held last October 17-20, 2018 in South Korea.
The acclaimed singing group is under the baton of Nemuel Danuco, one of the premier musicians in the city. The choir was founded in October 2016 through the initiative of Zion’s Praise Music Incorporated, a music education provider which has been actively partnering with various schools since 2009.
Composed of twenty-eight young individuals aged 9 to 18 years old from different Davaobased schools, the Evangel Songsters Davao’s first batch has previously competed at the 10th Orientale Concentus in Singapore where it bagged three silver grade awards in the Folk Song, Mixed and Youth categories.
“Throughout its festival and competition history, Busan Choral has fostered cultural exchange and promoted high quality choral music by attracting notable artists, conductors, and composers to one of Asia’s top choral festivals”, states its official Facebook page.
At the recent Busan Choral Festival and Competition, the Evangel competed in two categories namely, the youth and ethnic categories. Assisting Mr. Danuco during the competition was Ms. Kerby Niña Pogoy.
For the youth competition, the Evangel zealously sang “The Greatest Showman” medley (arranged by Richard Samuel Deligero) and Jam Sol Recedit (by Horation Parker). On the other hand, the students impressed the audience with their passionate rendition of “Rosas Pandan” (arranged by George G. Hernandez), “Tuksuhan” (arranged by Ramon P. Santos), “Iyeyan” (Sidney Boquiren) and “Paru-parong Bukid” (arranged by George G. Hernandez) during the ethnic category.
Aside from the competition proper, the Evangel Songsters were invited to showcase their amazing talents at the SeoMyeon Subway Station as part of their outreach program. They were joined by the AZ Singers from Japan and the Tarlac Na-
tional High School (TNHS) SPA Music Chorale, also from the Philippines, when they serenaded the busy subway station.
In addition, the students were given the chance to join choral workshops by Dr. Anton Armstrong, the choral festival’s president of the juries who is a decorated conductor and professor of music in Olaf University (U.S.A.).
The citizens of Busan likewise enjoyed the wonderful musical performances through the nightly concerts by the Stile Antico from England, Koro Ilustrado from the Philippines and the seven selected youth choirs, which included the Evangel Songsters.
At the awarding ceremony, the participating youth choirs sang “One Song” which beautifully symbolized unity amidst diversity. Just like the song’s heartwarming message, the unforgettable experience of performing together unified the choir members from numerous countries as they joined the rehearsal as one team and made lasting friendships.
To close the festival, fifty choirs from twelve countries were treated to an enjoyable afternoon of sightseeing during the Chorale Parade in Dong- baek Island.
Special thanks to Evangel Songsters mom Sharon Mangaoil for the photos and interview. Additional pictures courtesy of Nemuel Danuco, Karen Gemmel Yu, and the official Facebook page of the Busan Choral Festival and Competition
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