Choir wins in France competition
CORO SAN BENILDO, a Filipino choir group, won three prizes in the recently concluded 46th Florilège Vocal de Tours, the highly anticipated annual choral competition in France which sees regular participation of large and small musical ensembles from all over the world. Coro, the resident choral group of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), shared 3rd place with Azusa Pacific University Chamber Singers from Los Angeles, California in the Renaissance Category, and ranked 3rd in the International Mixed Vocal Ensemble. No 1st prizes were handed out in these events. The Filipino team likewise received the Prix de Public, the People’s Choice Award, which is presented to the audience’s most-admired group. Rome’s Coro Musicanova garnered the contest’s Grand Prix de la Ville de Tours Champion’s honor, earning the right to compete in next year’s European Grand Prix for Choral Singing, which is considered to be the Olympics for choirs. Led by its choirmaster Lorenzo C. Gealogo, Coro San Benildo has also won in entirely different tournaments, such the 70th Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod held in Wales, where it was hailed champion in the Youth Choir competition, second in the Adult Folk category, and was a finalist in the culminating Choir of the World Event.
