We did it ! : How We Won the Calinog Municipal Hymn Search Contest

It's 6:30 and I'm still in the middle of my work.
We have scheduled practice at six in the evening.
Daryl, our composer keep on calling and checking making sure our first practice session schedule is fixed.
Though i'm late, i have the confidence that they too are late, together with their funny familiar excuses.
It's always that way since then, our Filipino time, our practice habit.

I came just before seven, and i know i will still be early for our practice. It's our first session anyway.

I was wrong.
They are all there, almost . And the kids are there too. Our kids, and they are vocalizing, just like the way we stretched our voices let's say 20 years ago. 

Yeah.. you read it right - twenty years ago.

Way back then, at first we are a bunch of skinny and spirited dischord of voices. 

We compose our church youth choir. Even from different schools, and others out of school, we complimented for a single purpose, to sing for the church. With the charismatic leadership of our then parish priest Father Tom Delicana , amateur voices like us gradually adopted a unified culture more than being as a singing group but also as a close knit family as well.

We improved, and we fared so well, that later as a group we would present to different places as a chorale or as a multi-production.
We call ourselves "Bunlak" . I would prefer to just call us that one word, instead of "Bunlak Choir" that limits our existence as singers only.
Being "Bunlak" is the totality of our legend, not only in singing but in mischief as well , as a performing group, drinking buddies, chat mates about money and laundering , reciprocal guidance counseling, tearjerkers , felony.. (joke!)

We are artists, though not the type that capitalizes on tears or showing more skin ,or flaunting cosmetified faces.

We are only singers .We are just the type of act Lea Salonga or Bamboo would turn their seats to, after Sarah and Apple heard us and did theirs.

It's an overstatement. He he , but i think you get what i mean..hmm.

But that was 20 years ago, some of us doubled their age already and their waistlines too. Some singles become couples though a few remained reserved or preserved.

Fast forward two decades, here we are again, multiplicated with our kids this time and also our obligations, professions and chores, wa are called  once again to regroup and sing on stage for our mothertown -Calinog.

We are joining our Municipal Hymn Search Contest.

Singing is not that much concern to us, but together with our hyperbreed and excited progenies things are gonna run differently and requires a generous amount of patience while maintaining discipline to produce remarkable results.

Though not daily, we have sessions for a span of two weeks, mainly chatting ,drinking, eating, gaming  and with singing as intermission . Yeah, singing is just an intermission .

He he .. tuod!

We can't concentrate more on the singing part because of our individual distractions, plus the kids have their own agenda too!

Anyway, we managed to wrap it up,doing brainstorming and try and retry ideas as it occur to us as we practice.

We finished it just like we're playing everytime, complete with four voices plus kids own shrills and wail, and appropriate choreagraphy.

Then came yesterday, the contest proper.

Since it's a municipal hymn and meant for it's people, we decided to present every sector of the community on our costume and the kids as students of different schools.
We had a great time scrambling for our individual costumes and preparing the kiddies.

We are all nervous what will come out since its our first time performing with the kids .
The children ,they are just more than excited. They are animated, frantically eager but have no idea what will happen onstage on the final run.

Though we did stage blocking the night before, there's still that doubt in our minds, what if..?
We did'nt show it to them, instead we encouraged them to give their best.

And so, this is how i critique the performances:

( I may am not in the position to do so but it's my blog anyway..)

Contestant number one has a solo interpreter.
I shall call it - The Classical Hymn , since the entry is a perfect classical piece. 

The elegantly coutured diva eloquently spewed her singing prowess to the max with gestures appropriately performed at the Royal Albert Hall. She sang so well the sound operators are enchanted by her gaits not realizing her accompaniment is much way too loud for her voice.

Personally, i was impressed the way the song was composed and thought, this will be one of our major competitor.

Then, came contestant number two. 

The Elderly Carolers as i may tag them, and they did their best.  

Seniors at that, they were able to come up a wonderful performance and an energetic one! 

Even technically unprepared, they still managed to show the audience what they can.
They did a good singing job. They performed well and justified senior singing capabilities.

Then came number three,  i will undoubtedly call it the Pilipinas Got Talent Trio. 

Composed by one of the most respected academic supervisors of the district, even before the contest proper, this act is so popular that it intimidates all other entries.
It is said that the preparations are more than expected by hiring professional singers and musicians to interpret the song. Reason maybe other newbies did not pursue to try and join.
It's really an electric interpretation in the level of what you can see on PGT on TV.
It was splendid performance for a pop trio.

We are the fourth performer and i name our group - The Family Chorale . 

We are called, and there we go, more than thirty singers of varied species: serious, reserved , outspoken , megasize, strict , mischievous or tantrumic.
Our composer, together with her husband and kids seems in a kind of trance as to how her composition might turn out in this final performance.

As they marched to the assembly area , i was on the keyboard downstage nervously waiting for them to be prepared. 

Me, though thoroughly mastered my instrumentation, have that slight inconfidence; it's been a decade since i handled again a chorale and on a contest and also the keyboard. 

Come what may i said, as i signaled and begin the intro of our song.

We are the group with the most participants, with full four voices, tiples and descant accents, with choral enunciation and choroegraphy discipline.

We are always like that.
We aim not to perform only but we are scientific musically.

Our live performance was no like our tupsy-turvy practice sessions.
Surprisingly, the kids did not fidget anymore. And the facial expressions, this time all you see are the nervous but perfectly expounded lyrics not evident off stage.

We ended with the traditional waving and shaking of hands like a grand chorale and made the crowd go frenzy.

At our last note, and the bow ,I have a faint smile in my heart, then i say to myself , this is over now, at last i can sleep tonight at 8 PM. Sigh..!

Not yet.

The fifth performer, i shall name - The Corporate Jingler . 

Composed by a principal teacher friend, their song  has the likes of what you hear on business jingles, given  the style and rhythm of the piece.

It is a great work though, hearing it, i also can say it's one of our top competitors.
And their costume is well thought of too.
I will award them the best dressed on the occassion. 

Five performers, including us gave their best on the contest.
We won.

I'm not biased about our group but evidently basing on performance and entry we really should have won.
All of the five judges, vouched for our championship.
..and by the way, Fr. Tom Delicana was the chief judge .
I have to repeat though, it's a unanimous decision.. hmmm.

Wan't some unsolicited insights about the contest? 

( I will state this as a general rule on contests and not specifically on any entry or on this contest in particular.)

01 When there's a call for an original composition contest, be sure to pass your personal work and not others.
The reason why? You can't improve the piece well when it's not your work or if you commission others to do the improvement for you.
Moreso, if the person you hire is not from the locality the original composition is called for.
Nobody can interpret a hymn well other than it's natives.

02 For first time performers, always block on stage before the contest proper, so as to have a smooth movement on the finals.
Also check technicalities like extension cord and wires availability, and or positioning to have confidence on the contest proper.

03 For hymn contests, the more participants, the more leverage since the piece is for group singing.

04 Costume is least considered on a singing composition contest.

05 Do not join an original composition contest if you can't compose the song yourself.

06 A personal lesson i learned on the contest:
When accompanying a live performance,do not yet pack your instruments up right after your number
( this i always do ) or else you end up reinstalling your gadgets, wires and stands if ever you win .
The champions always are called for a repeat performance.