Cultural Center of the Philippines

3rd Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival in Manila 2017Following the huge success of the 1st and 2nd Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival, Manila held in 2013 and 2015, respectively, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is pleased to announce the 3rd Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival, Manila 2017 which will take place from 20 to 23 Jul.

The festival is named after the founder of the world renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers, the late National Artist for Music, Professor Andrea O. Veneracion, an esteemed choirmaster and choral clinician who is recognised for spearheading the choral movement in the Philippines.  Under her direction, the choir won major awards in international choral competitions in different parts of the world.  Now under choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio who has continued her legacy, the Philippine Madrigal Singers is known to be the only Asian choir which has won the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing twice: in 1997 and 2007; and is set to compete for the third time at the European Grand Prix in Tolosa, Spain this year.

The Competition is open to choirs who will qualify in three Competition categories:

1. Folk Song
2. Vocal Ensemble
3. Chamber Choir. All songs have to be sung a cappella.

A jury of five internationally renowned adjudicators from Europe, North America, South America, Africa/Australia and the Philippines will evaluate the competitors.
                                                  
Outreach performances are available for the foreign choirs who wish to extend their stay for a few days after the Festival. These concerts will take place in cultural heritage sites or in venues outside Manila, courtesy of a local host; allowing the choir to experience Filipino hospitality.

The Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival is the only international choral competition organised in the country. Hosted biennially by the CCP, the country’s premier government cultural institution, this Festival is one significant choral event which local and foreign choirs should look forward to, as it will offer them the opportunity to learn from and establish friendships with choral singers from different parts of the world.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/choralfestmnl or email choralfestmnl2017@gmail.com

13th CINEMALAYA INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVALThe 13TH Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival will be held from 4 to 13 Aug in all CCP venues and select partner cinemas all over the country. Established in 2005, the said annual event is an all-digital film competition and festival that aims to encourage the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers – works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity. It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers. Through the years, it has supported and promoted the production of 127 full feature independent films and 106 short films. Many of these films have won awards in local and international competitions and festivals. Through the annual festival, Cinemalaya has showcased over 1,000 works by independent filmmakers including full feature films, shorts, documentaries, Filipino film classics and art films.

Along with these competition films are an array of exhibitions that include Tributes to Past Indie Mavericks of Pinoy Cinema, World Premieres of New Digital Works and other modules. Aside from the screenings are other exciting film-related events: the Cinemalaya Film Congress, a two-day conference that looks at all aspects of independent filmmaking and distribution, and the Cinemalaya Sine Taktakan, a forum with the year’s batch of new Cinemalaya filmmakers.

For more information, please visit www.cinemalaya.org, and the CCP and Cinemalaya Foundation Facebook pages.

VIRGIN LABFEST 13 AT THE CCPThe Virgin Labfest, a festival of untried, untested, unpublished and unstaged plays will be held from 28 Jun to 16 Jul at the various venues of the CCP. The annual event is a project of the CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino and the Writers’ Bloc, Inc. with the assistance of the National Commission for Culture and Arts.

Now on its 13th year, the Virgin Labfest has earned a solid reputation for its exciting and provocative line-up of one-act plays from playwrights both young and old. Established in 2005, the event is a laboratory festival of new plays by emerging and established Filipino playwrights. Each year, new works and new styles have been shown and have etched out their own respective journeys. Some plays have won several awards in prestigious competitions such as the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, Aliw and GawadBuhay! awards for theatre. A number of plays were also adapted for film.

Student audiences as well as an increasing number of theatre enthusiasts have become the staple audiences of this annual event.

This year, the festival will showcase a crop of 15 one act plays in bare-boned production (12 new plays and three “revisited” plays) and five plays for public/staged reading sessions. The Annual Virgin Labfest Playwriting Fellowship will also be held for two weeks during the Festival run. This is a mentorship programme for new writers with a culminating activity; a staged reading of the short plays written by the workshop participants on the last day of the Festival. The 3rd volume of the Virgin Labfest Anthology will also be launched this year.

Visit Cultural Center of the Philippines’ website here for full programme details.