MHS Glee Club rocks Guam music fest

  The singing prowess of the Marianas High School Glee Club’s “Rhythm ‘n Harmony” was the big winner in Guam’s Tumon Bay Music Festival over the weekend, with the group adjudged as the festival’s overall champion and Sweepstakes Trophy champion.

Also from the CNMI Public School System, the Koblerville Elementary School’s Umang Club came home with the biggest of smiles after sweeping nine major awards in its division.

According Harold Easton, MHS faculty adviser and National Forensic League chairman who traveled with the group to Guam, this year marked the MHS Glee Club’s first participation. He said its “Rhythm ‘n Harmony” was the gold medalist in the choral competition category for high school, besting other contenders who were mostly from Guam. The group competed on Friday and was invited to the festival’s command performance Saturday night where gold medal awardees rendered repeat performances for special audiences.

The 13-member champion group included Nikki Canape, Mariel Ferrer, Rosemarie Liangco, Kaitlyn Conner, Kelly Demapan, Mary Grace Barro, Gemmilie Anne Eugenio, Jennella Nelmida, Matthew Lopez, Mark Gonzales, Darren Cajipo, Rolando Sangalang, and Patrick Llaban. They were guided by musical director Paul Dujua of Friends of the Arts, MHS choral group director Ruthie Fruit, and Easton.

The CNMI’s Saipan Southern High School Manta Ray Band bagged the Sweepstakes Trophy in 2011 while the second overall award went to the Umang Club. This year, the Manta Band skipped the festival to prepare for their performance at the London Olympics in August.

Easton described the Sweepstakes Trophy as a very important recognition for the MHS Glee Club and could become the group’s stepping stone to future big performances. After the Manta Band’s historic success in Tumon Bay events, the group joined the New York International Music Festival and performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York. Their next step is the London Olympics.

“We’re very, very pleased because our members did so well. It’s very important to be able to score well in a competition where the expectations of excellence are so high. Like the Manta Band, this may be a stepping stone for us,” Easton told Saipan Tribune yesterday.

Matthew Lopez, a member of the champion group, described the recognition as a “great experience.” He said all the hard work paid off. The group only had one month to prepare.

The MHS Glee Club was formed in November 2010. In June last year, it competed in the 2011 Thespian Festival at the University of Lincoln-Nebraska.

‘Beautiful pieces of music’

According to musical director Paul Dujua, the group started its repertoire with Seasons of Love, a song from the Broadway play Rent.

“I arranged the song in a way that it begins simple, and then slowly builds up on the harmonies as the song progresses,” he said.

The group also rendered a Latin sacred piece written and arranged by Anton Bruckner for a cappella, titled Locus Iste. The third and fourth songs were taken from the Broadway musicals Les Miserables and Aida titled One Day More and Dance of the Robe. Dujua described both pieces as very powerful, moving and challenging songs that feature several soloists. Dujua said the choreography to these two songs impressed festival judges.

“As one of the judges, Mr. Mack Brandon, mentioned, he commends the Glee for pulling off a choreographed dance routine while delivering powerful solos and choruses. The judges were also impressed with the group’s theatrical ability to deliver believable and convincing characters. Their number was also noted as being the least compared to the other groups that ranged from 30 to 50 people, yet they sounded far more than twice their actual size,” said Dujua.

3 gold awards, 6 silver medals

Koblerville Elementary School principal Rizalina Purunganan told Saipan Tribune that its Umang Glee Club won nine major awards in the following categories: gold medal for command performance for choir competition; gold medal for solo performance; gold medal and command performance for small ensemble; one silver medal for small ensemble; two silver medals for jazz, rock, and beyond; and three silver medals for solo performance. All of the school’s entries placed gold and silver in the competition.

“Out of many entries from private and public schools in Guam and [the] CNMI, we are fortunate to be chosen to be included in the command performance held at The Plaza Hotel on March 10. It is truly a great experience for the students and an honor to be chosen as one of the best performers at Tumon Bay Music Festival,” said Purunganan.

Only five schools were chosen for the command performances: Koblerville Elementary School, Harvest Christian Academy, L.P. Untalan Middle School, St. John Middle School, and Marianas High School.

Karen Alla, director and adviser of the Umang Glee Club, said the students are really talented and were motivated to win.