The Philippine Madrigal Singers are currently embarking on a United States and Canada tour. The Madz, as they are fondly called, is a resident choral group of the University of the Philippines and was founded by Philippine National Artist Professor Andrea O. Veneracion in 1963. Professor Veneracion was an accomplished singer herself but chose to dedicate her talents in forming, molding and creating a choral group that embodies excellence in blending and harmonizing musical notes to perfection.
Over the 40 years since the group was first formed, obviously membership is very dynamic. However, Professor Veneracion has managed to reproduce the same level of quality, if not better, over and over in every Philippine Madrigal batch. This was evident in their dominance in choral competition throughout Europe in the 80s and 90s. Professor Veneracion was recently awarded the National Artist Award for Music, the highest award given in the Philippines to music artists. She was also the first choral director given such an award that had been usually reserved for music composers. Currently, Professor Veneracion has passed on the baton to member Mark Anthony Carpio.
Watching a Philippine Madrigal concert is indeed a privilege. There is no grand orchestra in accompaniment and no elaborate choreography. Unlike other choral group, the twenty-member Philippine Madrigal Singers sing in a semi-circle sitting down following the ancient tradition of madrigal singing. The thought would cross the mind that it was a hard feat to dig deep into your diaphragm and produce such angelic vocalization when one is sitting down. Indeed it is and that is why they are all the more amazing! The choirmaster is likewise seated with barely any notable indication that conducting of any kind is taking place. The signal to commence a number is given by a barely noticeable nod of a head. There are surreptitious body languages that indicate the course a song must take.
The Madz has primarily built its reputation in classical competition. They are well respected all across Europe for four decades now. Their most notable accomplishment in recent memory was winning the 1997 Grand Prix du Chant Choral in Tours, France. The Philippine Madrigal Singers were the European Grand Champion. To have won such a prize meant a group had reached a mark so high that they were not allowed to compete in the next five years. The Europeans probably figured this was only a fair thing to do since in their logic, a choral group that had been noted for such excellence will not be defeated throughout its expected choral lifespan of five years.
Go To Page: 1 2
