Novo Concertante's First European Tour

Choral singing in the Philippines has been elevated to an art form that now constitutes an influential force in defining contemporary Filipino culture. This dynamism began almost two decades ago when a number of university and church choirs started making names for themselves in the international choral world, following the pioneering and excellent achievements of the Philippine Madrigal Singers under Prof. Andrea O. Veneracion. The standards they have set, both in the technical aspect of choral singing, as well as in the management of these groups became the model for many choirs. The ultimate point of reference for these choirs to claim, at the very least, that they are almost there is by joining and eventually winning international choral competitions, particularly those that are staged in Europe.

Following this assertion, many choirmasters in the Philippines dream of the day when they can finally bring their choirs to the continent where choral tradition was born. Many try their luck in prestigious competitions where they are pitted against the best choral groups around the world. Luckily, many have come home with the most cherished laurel that they offer to the motherland, in the tradition of pasalubong-giving.

In the ten years that I have led the Novo Concertante Manila, I have always dreamt of this moment: the moment where we can finally fly to Europe and try our luck in choral competitions held in the most rightful place of judgment to gauge whether what we have done to the tradition is true to its form or not. We have waited ten years for this chance, which I hope is the first of many. We excitedly take the challenge to determine if our musicality and musicianship are already at par with our contemporaries from around the world. It is also my personal advocacy to responsibly remind people of the world that the Philippines is a country of happy singers whose deepest aspirations includethe free expression of truth. Through our songs, we can show another facet of the Philippine society, that side which can emphatically be accepted, understood, and hopefully loved by people of other races. This is how we intend to carry out the taskof bringing the good news from the Philippines to the world. If we are able to accomplish this, whether we come home with our bags full of the much-hoped-for prizes or not, then this trip shall be a victorious one. When we board the plane that will bring us to Europe, we no longer just carry our own dreams butwe transcend into the persona of the Filipino taht our forefathers dared dream of: the proud but amiable Filipino who can stand tall, side by side with his brothers from around the world.

Many from the past say that when a man dares to dream big, there is hope, not only for himself but for his surroundings. I am reminded of Pope John Paul II, who said that "hope is not an empty optimism springing from a naive confidence that the future will necessarily be better than the past. Hope and trust are the premise of responsible activity and are nurtured in that inner sanctuary of conscience where man is alone with God." Together with the Novo Concertante Manila, I have hoped for this chance to let our voices be heard in the concert halls and churches in Europe. We have worked responsibly hard in the past two years to improve our sound, and to try to accomplish the more difficult task of raising the much-needed millions to afford our necessary expenditures for the trip. The process is not an easy one but we are always comforted by a mysterious source of inspiration which continuosly assures us that everything will fall into the right place at the right time. And when we open our mouths to sing, it is our profound yearning that we shallbring our listeners to that familiar sanctuary where God is one with all of us. When we are able to make this a reality, then we can rightfully claim that "Yes! We are almost there!"