BY: JOHN RHEY OCAMPO AND YVONNE MAE PERALTA (DMMMSU SLUC INTERNS)
A choir group from La Union brought home two gold awards after an impressive showing at the recent Vietnam International Choir Competition held in Hoi An City on April 9.
The DMMMSU Northern Chorus stood out among several competing groups from various countries, winning in the Folklore and Youth Choir of Mixed Voices categories.
“It was really a mix of emotions. There was fear, happiness, and even sadness. Fear because we had so many things to consider such as funding, the commitment of the singers,” said Professor Danreve Leo Gamboa, the group’s conductor.
One of the members, John Oliver Abi-ang, shared the intense preparations they underwent, “We trained for six straight months. When you join an international competition, that’s the minimum. We really believed in the saying, ‘If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’”
The group faced challenges along the way. Some members came from different DMMMSU campuses, making it difficult to coordinate rehearsals.
“Sometimes we couldn’t complete the group. That was really stressful for me. We had to stick strictly to call times to develop discipline,” Gamboa added.
Even securing licenses for the pieces they wanted to perform was a hurdle, until they discovered that Dr. Viemvinido Constantino, a DMMMSU faculty member, was the original composer of the traditional piece Salidumay.
Their efforts eventually paid off. “We prayed to bring home a gold diploma, and our prayers were answered,” said Gamboa.
The university later recognized their achievement, and the choir is now preparing for upcoming competitions across the country.
