Musikahan 2013 list of winners

 

Himig Handog Choral Competition

Children's Open Category 

Champion        :  Magugpo Pilot Central Elem. School Children's Choir         Tagum City

1st Runner-up  :  Lagao Elem. School - Himig Hilaga Choral                         Lagao, General Santos City

2nd Runner-up :  Davao City Special School Children's Choir                        Davao City

Musikahan's Avenida Musika

With dark clouds brewing at the distance and with some occasional sporadic drizzle, the Avenida Musika,  a marching band competition component of Musikahan was threatened to be canceled if heavy rains push through like the succeeding 4 days of the festival since the opening day. But the bugles and drums seemed to drive the thick clouds away and surprisingly gave way for a silver linings to appear on the horizon granting a number of fully-geared photographers great shots of the parade despite the absence of the blue sky. 

Marching in the main streets of Tagum City from the Freedom park at the back of the old City Hall, traversing Maharlika Highway across the eastern side of the city proper and proceeding to the New City Hall, 8 groups paraded in thunderous beats of the drums and amplified chorus of horns, each drawing crowds at the sides of the road. 

Sunrise String Orchestra in concert

It felt like deja vu. I have nostalgia that brought me 2 years back. It seemed like it's International Rondalla Festival in Tagum City once again. Only that now, Thailand delegation were the sole guest instead of the 11 more others. 

One of the highlights of this year's Musikahan Festival is the 2-nights benefit concert of the 30-man Sunrise String Orchestra (SSO) from Bangkok, Thailand: one at the Atrium of the New City Hall of Tagum City and the other one at Gaisano Mall in Davao City. The concert is aimed at raising funds for the housing project of the Typhoon affected communities in ComVal Province.  

Siakol rocks Musikahan

I never knew Siakol survived, keeping longevity up to this years. I thought they just fade away and gone to oblivion. Not until  Siakol came to Tagum City and had their jam-packed show at the New City Hall grounds for this year's Musikahan Festival Rock the Valley benefit concert. For one, almost all their batch mate bands in the mid 90's were disbanded, except of course to Parokya ni Edgar, and their last album release was 8 years ago.

I'm a child of 90's Pinoy alternative rock circa but I don't really dig Siakol's music. I just find their song writing so in your face, devoid of the usual rhetoric and euphemism.  I instead opted to the much hipper bands like Eraserheads and Rivermaya and the deeper and angst-driven Razorback and Wolfgang, with much of course veneration to the gods of Western and European bands.

Musikahan in the Church

The projecting cherubims'  head at he altar seems to be quietly observing. The playful seraphims in front and in the corners in silence seems to be listening too. The life-size statue of saints in the columns would not complain. There was this unusual yet special activity near the altar. It is Musikahan Festival's Himig Handog  choral competition in its Sacred music category.       

What better place to have the religious music sang than in the halls of the church in the presence of the clergies and the parishioners. The sacred music is among the compulsory songs that will be performed  by the participating choral groups in the champions league of the Himig Handog choral competition.

Musikahan in Hospitals

I am not fond of hospitals.  It is not with  fear of contracting any infectious diseases or whatsoever. It's just that, it is one place you go with  problems in mind. Either of a severe illness or a dying relative or injured friend. All these would equate to financial problems as will as physical and emotional burden to patients and their loved ones. 

No mater how beautiful the edifice of the hospital is, I still view it with such negativism. But I salute the people running hospital's medical operations. I still wonder how they handle such depressing vibe from people they got to encounter every day. 

Coke Bolipata serenades Musikahan

If I close my eyes in a minute and calm my breath, I could be transported instantly in a five star hotel lounge, with soothing  music in the background serenading all the way to the lobby and a tranquil atmosphere sets in, pacifying my weary senses. Only that I'm at the benefit concert of the world-renowned violinist Alfonso "Coke" Bolipata and his exceptional talented students,  the Pundaquit Virtuosi of San Miguel, Zambales playing great music at the Musikahan Festival.

Coke Bolipata that hailed and raised in the lahar-affected town in Zambales that was once devastated by the violent eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, empathized with the thousands of families displaced by Typhoon Pablo and many more suffering from the trauma and horror of the calamity. 

Uy Brothers in Concert

Let me count the similarities. The bold bald heads, chinito eyes, winning smiles and distinct tonal voices. I'm describing the Uy brothers: Mayor of Tagum City Rey T. Uy and Governor of Compostela Valley Province Arturo T. Uy.  If not for the height, they could be mistaken as identical twins.