Thomasian conductor wins international award in Italy

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UST SINGERS founder Fidel Calalang Jr. bagged the second prize in the 5th International Competition of Choral Composition “Ennio Morricone” in Florence, Italy.

Calalang’s winning composition titled “Laudate Dominum,” was adapted from the 117th psalm in the Book of Psalms where the Gentiles were depicted as being invited to join in praising God.

“I have an affinity for writing music with a spiritual message. I also thought using Italian or Latin as text of the composition has a certain practical advantage for the scrutiny of the Italian jury,” Calalang told the Varsitarian in an online interview.

The competition takes after the famed Italian composer Ennio Morricone who has scored more than 500 scores for cinema and television, as well as over 100 classical works.

Morricone selects the winners himself from the roster of composers of any nationality. The competition is held in conjunction with the Florence International Choir Festival every year at the end of July.

Calalang has received international and local awards such as the 1999 Ojai International Composition Competition in the US for his entry “Pater Noster,” the 2015 Best Contemporary Choral Arrangement Prize in Italy for his arrangement of Ennio Morricone’s “My Heart and I,” and an award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines and National Commission for Culture and the Arts for his composition “Magtanim ay ‘di Biro.”

 

The awarding of winners will be held at Teatro Odeon in Florence, Italy on July 20.

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