TSU Chorale Wins International Choral Competition in Taipei
Members of the Tarlac State University Chorale literally sang their way to victory when their musical group received two gold prizes during the 1st Taipei International Choral Competition (FTICC) held from July 31 to August 3 in Taipei City in Taiwan.
The TSU Chorale won first place in the Youth Choir Category and third place in the Musica Sacra Category of the competition. The TSU choir has also qualified in the Grand Prix Competition of the FTICC, where participants to the first World Choral Championship in July 2019 in Tokyo, Japan, are selected.
The requirement in the Youth Choir Category was that the participants should belong to the 16-to-24-year-old age range. No age limit was set in the Musica Sacra Category but “(a)ll pieces MUST be of Christian religions.”
Close to 50 groups from the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Macau joined 2018 FTICC.
As a component of the 2018 Taipei International Choral Festival, the FTICC “hope(s) to enhance the global cultural exchange, to showcase the abundant Taiwanese choral music, and to help (in) elevating the art of choral singing.”
Aside from the TSU Chorale, the following also qualified in the Grand Prix Competition: Carmel Pak U Secondary School Choir (Hong Kong); Chien-Kuo High School Choir (Taiwan); Enchant Choir from The Affiliated Senior High School of National Chung Hsing University (Taiwan); F Sharp (Taiwan); National Hsinchu Girls' Senior High School Choir (Taiwan); Puzangalan Children's Choir (Taiwan); Taipei Philharmonic Women's Chorus (Taiwan); and Taipei Philharmonic Youth Choir (Taiwan).
The World Choral Championship is founded by four international choral competitions: the International Krakow Choir Festival Cracovia Cantans (Krakow, Poland); the Tokyo International Choir Competition (Tokyo, Japan); the Taipei International Choral Competition (Taipei, Taiwan); and the Rimini International Choral Competition (Rimini, Italy). It is open only to the Grand Prix winners of the four international choral competitions. [OPAI]