More Pinoy achievers in international competitions

A few issues ago, Funfare featured the Filipino achievers in the international scene in 2017. Here are more of them who won in 2017 international competitions in the field of music, dance and film also compiled by Funfare’s “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas:

•Sarah Geronimo — Best Filipino Act in the 10th daf Bama Music Awards in Hamburg, Germany. The daf Bama Music Awards is an international multi-media music award show presented by daf Entertainment which immortalizes creativity, unity and enjoyment among the global music lovers.

•Julie Anne San Jose — Silver Global Sound for her self-composed Tidal Wave in the 12th International Song Contest.

•Nadine Lustre — Favorite Pinoy Star in the 30th Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

•Lesha Litonjua and Leo Malli — Grand Prize winner of YouTube’s “Best Cover Ever” in Los Angeles, California. The duo known as Lesha x ELM were the only Asian finalists from among the tens of thousands entries worldwide. Lesha x ELM are slated to participate in the 11th Ibiza Music Festival Summit this May in Spain as part of their prize package. Hosted by Grammy award-winning artist Ludacris and produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions and Endemol Shine North America, “Best Cover Ever” is the first YouTube talent competition which features talented musicians from around the world, competing to win the chance to perform alongside their idols.

•Lance Busa — Champion in the first  Michael Bolton’s Bolt of Talent in Malaysia. Lance, 22, a native of Butuan City, won for his cover of Bolton’s How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.

•Darlin Joy Baje — First Prize in the first ASEAN+3 Song Contest in Vietnam. Darlin is an OFW in Vietnam. Her winning number was One Night Only from the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls.  She bested 22 singers from ASEAN nations and five from Japan, Korea and China. Another OFW, Alvir Anthony Subrado, won third prize for his rendition of Guy Sebastian’s Angels Brought Me Here. 

•Jun Espinosa — First Prize for his rendition of Burning Love in the first Elvis Asia Contest in Manila. Twenty-three Elvis sound-and-look-alikes from Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines performed in the competition.

•Krissha Viaje — Champion in the Asian leg of the I Can Sing Japanese competition hosted by GEM TV Asia in Singapore. Krissha won for her soulful rendition of Precious by Yuna Ito, the theme song of the movie Limit of Love Umizaru. She beat 11 other finalists from Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia.

•Nathaniel Cabanero and Judie Alegarme — Grand Prize in the 35th Tipperary International Song of Peace in Ireland. Only When was their winning piece composed by Nathaniel based on his thoughts about human rights.

•Kenichi Go Uang — Best Performer for his rendition of Uroko by Motohiro Hata in the seventh International Red White Singing Festival in Japan. An associate software engineer from Cebu City, 27-year-old Kenichi defeated nine other non-Japanese singers.

•Ian Gabriel Corpuz — First Place for his composition Domino Deus Meus (God My Savior) in the fourth Busan Choral Composition Competition in South Korea.

•Cipriano de Guzman Jr. — First Place, Classical Repertoire in the College Students and Professional Singers category in the ninth American Protégé International Vocal Competition in Carnegie Hall, New York. De Guzman is a graduate of the UST Conservatory of Music with double major, Music Education and Voice. In the same event, UST Prof. Irma Ponce Enrile-Potenciano was awarded a certificate of recognition for “the extraordinary dedication and achievement to the field of teaching music and presenting students to perform at Carnegie Hall.”

•UP Los Baños Choral Ensemble — Grand Prize in the 10th Oriental Concentus International Choral Festival in Singapore. The 26-member choir also won in the Mixed Choir Category and Sacred Music Category. Roijin Suarez received the Special Jury Prize for the Most Promising Young Conductor.

•Acapellago — Ward Swingle Award (Overall Champion), Gold Award (Pop Category) and Audience Award in the 19th Vokal Total International A Cappella Competition in Austria. Formed in 2012, the group from Bulacan is composed of Michelle Pascual (soprano), Almond Bolante (counter-tenor), Joshua Cadeliña (tenor), Ronnel Allen Laderas (bass) and Ricky Gavin Laderas (beatbox).

•University of Mindanao Chorale — Grand Prix and Gold Prize each for Classical Mixed and Ethnic categories in the 13th Busan Chorale Festival & Competition in South Korea.

•Minstrels of St. La Salle of De La Salle University-Dasmariñas — Gold (Mixed Voices Open category) and Silver each for (Folklore and Musica Sacra categories) in the fourth Singapore International Choral Festival.

• Ligao National High School Voice Chorale of Albay — Gold Prize (Youth), Silver Prize (Ethnic) and Best Presentation; and Mapua Cardinal Singers — Silver Prize (Classical Mixed) in the 13th Busan Chorale Festival & Competition in South Korea.

•Tribu Lumad Basakanon — First Prize, International Category and Third Overall among the Top 15 from 200 participating teams in the seventh Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival in Wonju, South Korea. From Barangay Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City, the team is composed of 40 dancers including 2017 Sinulog Festival Queen Marla Alforque.

•Durian Dance Team of Davao — Gold Prize in the sixth International Youth Fellowship World Cultural Dance Festival in South Korea.

•MAG Dancers of Iriga City, Camarines Sur — Gold Medal (Cheer Dance Doubles Senior) and Gold Medal (Cheer Dance Senior) in the ninth Cheerleading World Championship in Japan.

•UPeepz — Gold (First Place) in the MegaCrew Division of the 16th World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

•Enciende Dance Team of Saint Pedro Poveda College — Champion in the 14th US Open World Championships (or Dance Worlds) and second runner-up, Cheer Hip Hop Category in the 44th International Cheer Union Worlds, both in Orlando, Florida, USA.

•Team Philippines — Fifty-eight Gold, 99 Silver, 48 Bronze, 22 division plaques, seven industry awards including Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World (for Cristiani Rebada), Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World (Nhikzy Calma) and Grand Champion Vocalist of the World (Hannah Korin Castillo) in the 21st World Championships of Performing Arts in Long Beach, California.

•Dance Theater Arts — (Twenty-four Gold, 12 Silver and five Bronze medals) and Saint Benilde Romancon Dance Company (five Golds and two Silvers) in the 29th Hong Kong Challenge Cup Dance Competition.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)