Pinoy teams win a cappella competition in Russia

MANILA, Philippines — Two Filipino a cappella teams took home top awards at the recently concluded Moscow Spring A Cappella Festival in Russia.

AcapellaGo and Pinopela won the first and third prizes, respectively, in the 5 to 8 singers category during the festival from May 1 to 12.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said this is the first time that Filipino a cappella groups participated in the annual festival.

“These two groups showcased Filipino talent and made all of us proud of their achievement. It was a tough competition with talents from all over the world,” said Philippine ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta.

“We hope there will be more opportunities for them to return to Russia in the near future,” he added.

Sorreta said he was grateful to those who watched the two groups during their performances and voted for them online.

The two teams separately visited the Philippine embassy in Moscow and gave impromptu performances for embassy staff and Filipinos who were at the embassy to cast their votes for the midterm elections.

In its profile on the festival’s website, AcapellaGo is described as one of the most influential pop a cappella groups in the Philippines.

“They are the only Philippine pop a cappella group to interpret at the Philippine Popular Music Festival twice and to produce a physical and digital CD under Viva Records,” it read.

“They believe in the magic of harmony, they continue to be ambassadors of contemporary pop a cappella music, spreading the genre all over the world,” it added.

Pinopela, meanwhile, is described as a group of young musicians “brought together by their shared love and talent for a cappella music.”

“It started with a simple wish to sing together but year after year of accomplishment and victory has turned pastime into profession. Now, Pinopela is recognized on the international a cappella stage as a powerhouse group that is representative of pure Filipino talent,” it added.

This year, the festival received 114 applications from 21 countries, with groups performing in select tourist venues located all throughout Moscow.

Results of the contest were determined by a jury decision and online voting.