Philippine Madrigal Singers in a National Outreach Concert Tour

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Cultural Exchange Department (CED) will present the world renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers in a National Outreach Concert Tour beginning this January. 

The Tour celebrates the Madrigals’ 50th anniversary this year.  The Tour will be held in two legs, from January to March in selected communities in Visayas-Mindanao and October to November in Luzon.

Billed as “Goin for the Gold”, the MADz goes back to the local communities to share its remarkable achievements in chorale music for the last five decades.  The first part of the tour will be in the Visayas region particularly Dumaguete, Bacolod, Roxas & Iloilo from January 18-29, 2013.

As one of the country’s longest existing art organization that promotes excellence and artistry, the MADz will commemorate its milestone to further promote and propagate the creativity, brilliance and uniqueness of the Filipino culture and heritage.  Their last provincial tour entitled “Tara Na, MADzitwanan Na” organized by the CCP Outreach was back in 2007 where the MADz gave 12 concerts to over 30,000 audiences in 11 sites around the country  to include Iloilo, Bacolod, Silay, Dumaguete, Marawi, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Tagum, Vigan, Naga & Sorsogon. 

Founded in 1963 by National Artist Professor Andrea O. Veneracion, the choir is one of the world’s most awarded, having consistently won all the top prizes in most of the world’s prestigious choral competitions.  They hold the distinction of being the first choir in the world to win the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing twice (1997 and 2007). It is composed of students, faculty and alumni from the different colleges of the University of the Philippines (UP). The ensemble performs a wide repertoire of various styles and forms: renaissance music, classical music, Filipino and international folksongs, contemporary and avant-garde music, opera and even popular music. Their specialization and focus on the madrigal idiom has inspired their unique set-up of singing while seated in a semi-circle, without a conductor.   The Madz is led by Mark Anthony Carpio, one of the foremost choral experts today. 

For this year’s tour, the Madz will also conduct workshops for local choirs as well as perform with these choirs in a grand public showcase. From January 18-20, 2013, the MADz will be at the Silliman University (SU) Dumaguete City; January 21-23 John Paul II Cultural Center, Sacred Heart Seminary, Bacolod City; January 24-26 Capiz Gym-Roxas City; and January 27-29 at the Central Philippine University (CPU)-Iloilo City. These outreach engagements are made possible with the partnership of the SU Cultural Affairs Office;  Negros Cultural Foundation & Negros Museum;  Provincial Govt. Tourism Office of Capiz;  Association of Resorts, Restaurants & Hotels of Capiz;  and the CPU Cultural Office & College of Arts & Sciences.  The second and final leg of the 2013 tour will be in Mindanao (March) and Luzon (October-November).

For more information about the MADz 50th Anniversary Outreach Tour, contact the CCP Cultural Exchange Dept. at telefax no. 832-3674 & 832-1125 locals 1708-1709.