PR-32-2022 
13 September 2022

Noted Melbourne church choir gets lessons from Madz

The Kiko Choir, a 30-year-old Filipino singing group performing regularly at the Saint Francis Church, the oldest Catholic church in Melbourne, became the beneficiary of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be tutored by the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers, famously known as “Madz.”

This was made possible by a partnership entered into by the Philippine Consulate General in Melbourne with the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) on its flagship project titled, “Sentro Rizal Masterclass with the Madrigal Singers,” whereby a local talent was picked to study some singing and performance techniques from the Madz.

This activity is part of the cultural diplomacy campaign of the Consulate which seeks, among others, to spread Filipino talent in the performing arts in the wider global community. NCCA’s Sentro Rizal project, meanwhile, aims to safeguard and promote Philippine culture among Filipinos overseas, most especially to migrants and their children.

The Masterclass consisted of a two-day, online training course using the Zoom platform from 12 to 13 September 2022. The course, titled Choral Music Singing, consisted of lectures and videos on singing techniques and interactive sessions to test their application.

Voice Workshop, 12-13 September 2022

On day 2, The audience was divided into four breakout groups according to the voice classifications of the Kiko Choir and taught techniques specific to their voice.

Prof. Mark Anthony Carpio, the Madz choirmaster since 2001, provided much of the content and engaged the Kiko choir members in a wide-ranging conversation, sharing the Madz’s keys to continued success over the decades.

The Kiko Choir members, in awe of the Madz’s renowned talent and prestige, expressed deep appreciation for the opportunity to learn from the group. They described the experience as “very inspiring, very nice and informative.”

They particularly enjoyed the interaction with the Madz choirmaster. “The collaboration with the PCG Melbourne, NCCA, and the Madrigal Singers was a truly wonderful and memorable experience. Every member of the Kiko Choir learned a lot from Mark Carpio and the Madz Mentors. Totally priceless,” exclaimed Nino Deomano, current president of Kiko Choir.

Deputy Consul General Anthony Achilles M. Mandap officially opened the proceedings, thanking the NCCA for the initiative, and expressing great anticipation from the sessions and the learnings shared by the prestigious singing group.

Maria Cristina Malvas, the Consulate’s cultural officer, shepherded the entire proceedings and expressed hope that, with Madz’s tutelage, Kiko Choir would be even better than they have been. She invited Kiko to showcase their new techniques in future events, especially during the Christmas season.

-End-