PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan - The 2025 Palawan International Choral Festival (PICF) is indeed global in scope no matter being held in this scenic provincial city.
With a great deal of foreign as well as homegrown music experts and professional artistic presentations, the festival is attracting a large chunk of audiences not only from this place but from its neighboring regions, provinces, towns and cities and even from islands in the northern and southern parts of the country.
One of the most awaited portions of the fest is the competition proper of choral groups all over the archipelago.
Held Thursday afternoon at the Palawan State University (PSU) Theater, the crowd was enthusiastic in witnessing the creative participation of choirs.
The competition was limited to five entries because of the quantity of applications considering the distance and other logistical requirements.
"But the five contestants are worth the race," quipped Robert Delgado, President of the National Association of Filipino Choirs, Inc. (NAFCI) which is also the organizing entity of the event.
Who among these well-deserved choral companies will bring home the bacon?
Palawan Mixtus, a local congregation from the host province; Surigao Luminary Voices, an aggrupation of singers from the south; Barcelona National High School Chorale (BNHSC), an association of dynamic choir members from Sorsogon in the Bicol Region; Woodrose Chorale from the National Capital Region and Imusicapella, music ambassadors from CALABARZON.
The general public will know the results tomorrow, Saturday, August 16, 2025.
The Chairman of the Board of Judges is Maestro Jae Joon Lee, Korean Orchestra Conductor; Dr. Beverly Cheng of the UP College of Music; Dr. Joel Navarro, a highly esteemed conductor; Dr. Ed Manguiat, founder of the UP Singing Ambassadors; Viktoriya Vakulishyna, a Ukrainian music genius who teaches in a university in China; and Dr. Markus Detterbeck, a German music wizard.
Aside from the contest, this year's PICF boasts of other components in the interest of world music such as conferences led by National Artist for Music Ramon Santos; workshops and lectures by Dr. Raul Navarro, Dr. Bien Constantino, Fr. Joel de los Reyes, German Kamil Gojowy, Navarro, Manguiat, Vakulishyna, Detterbeck, among other illustrious names in international music.
The 2025 PICF runs from August 13 to 16, 2025 in various venues in Puerto Princesa City.
Photo Caption: Woodrose Chorale of the National Capital Region (NCR) (Photo Credit: Boy Villasanta)
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