Vox Anima Cebu wins at B-Pop: The Acapella Challenge

CEBU, Philippines — Five acapella groups battled it out at the Convention Hall of J Centre Mall last August 11, each of them proving the power of the Cebuano voice at the B-Pop Acapella Challenge Grand Finals.

The competition was presented by the Primary Group of Builders in benefit of the School of Knowledge, Industrial Labor, Leadership and Services (SKILLS) of the Primary Structured Educational Foundation, Inc. – the Primary Group of Builders’ non-stock, non-profit corporate foundation.

For the strictly acapella and strictly Bisaya challenge, the Primary Group of Builders gathered Cebu’s most daring singing groups as they performed Bisaya music solely with their voices, without accompaniment, showing just how talented Cebuanos are when it comes to music.

The competing groups – Primiero, The Sync Singers, Vox Anima Cebu, The Technical Department and the UP Serenata – made up of church choirs, barkadas and university chorales performed two pieces. One was their rendition of a purely Bisaya song, the other their choice song.

They imitated all sorts of sounds apart from singing the words, rearranging the song to fit a certain feel, and performing with an incredible amount of presence.

The performances – judged according to tonal quality, harmony, overall performance and choreography and costume – were scored by conductors, professional songwriters, and music experts such as Niño James Bañares, Jude Gitamondoc, Gani Villarojo, Dennis Sugarol and Roberto del Rosario.

Hailed as the first B-Pop Acapella Challenge Grand Champion, Vox Anima Cebu is now P50,000 richer. Apart from the cash prize, the 16-member chorale group will have the opportunity to record a Bisaya Christmas album care of the Primary Group of Builders, and perform at corporate events and gigs set up by the company.

Rodolfo Denolan, conductor for Vox Anima Cebu, said they did not see the win coming, what with their trouble coming together for practice because of work and studies.

“We did not expect because we were nervous with our competitors since we knew how capable they were. We just really gave our best. We sacrificed our schedules and work,” says Denolan.

The group prepared for about a month, meeting up after all their other commitments, coming home late at night or during the early hours of dawn after rehearsals.

The ensemble performed Jerika Teodorico’s Vispop 2.0 entry “Labyu Langga,” which won the top prize in the songwriting competition. They followed it up with “Gikumot-kumot.” Looking both innocent and goofy in pink school uniforms, headbands and backpacks, Vox Anima Cebu’s performance was inspired by the kids they advocate for. They will be sharing their prize money with the charities they support.

“We will strive even harder since we now have responsibilities to maintain. One of the reasons we joined B-Pop is for the charities we are supporting,” says Denolan. “We are inspired by the kids of San Roque, Mambaling.”

The church group, which serves at San Roque, Mambaling and at the Pedro Calungsod Chapel, was born out of different set of friends gathering together. Some are still studying while others are already employed.

Members of Vox Anima say that if one wants to give chorale and acapella singing a shot, it pays to take the risk.

“For those who want to join, don’t be afraid to try. It’s only difficult in the beginning, but once you start, everything else will follow,” Denolan encourages.

Placing first runner-up were The Sync Singers, made up of University of the Visayas alumni choir members. The nine-member team were the first to perform, giving a haunting rendition of “Duyog” by Jewel Villaflores which won top prize at the first Vispop staging. They also performed a well-layered version of the BisRock hit “Chinita.”

“The experience was amazing. First of all, it was our first time mic-singing,” says Barret Oliver E. Richards. “As a choir, it was our first time to hold a microphone individually. It’s a new experience. It was a learning curve for us, it was a new thing, really amazing.”

They also did not expect to win, saying they had only finished polishing their second song just the morning of the competition.

“This is so unexpected because with the limited time that we had rehearsing…we were busy with jobs, most of us are working but we pulled it together. We were just having fun, enjoying the camaraderie,” Richards shares.

The Sync Singers mainly joined the competition because “we missed singing together.”

“We missed performing excellent music together,” adds Richards. “I think that’s the inspiration behind tonight’s performance. We missed the camaraderie we have as we’re singing and performing.”

The Technical Department nabbed the second runner-up spot along with a P20,000 cash prize. The all-male group sang Hey Joe Show’s “My Morena Girl” and Luz Loreto’s “Kinsa Siya.” The group signed up not only for the challenge and the fun, but because they also wanted to promote Cebuano music when they performed new bops and well-loved classics with a hint of hip-hop and even spoken poetry.

“We see to it that we are not focused solely on work. We also have fun and make sure we enjoy what we’re doing,” says Christian Paulo Cabo. “We joined because it was a great opportunity to show our talent and challenge us. Now our plan is to continue with our music. You don’t stop learning.”

The college barkada – made up of Cabo, Karl Allanic, Emmanuel Casquejo, Athanasius Barlam, and Erik Dave Calzada – were also members of University of San Carlos’ choir. Having only five members, the group admitted there was a bit of pressure knowing that they were competing against larger groups.

“The pressure was huge. But it was actually a better thing because we were challenged to step up our game and find a way to compensate that we had lesser members,” Allanic shares.

The evening also featured performances from Pilipinas Got Talent semi-finalist Maka Girls, breakout Cebuano band Mandaue Nights, Sinulog Idol Jacky Chang, and Swede cover artist Caloy Juapo as a celebration of Bisaya music from Cebu’s up and coming and celebrated artists for the new generation.

The B-Pop Acapella Challenge also doubled as a fund-raising event with the proceeds going to 50 to 200 SKILLS scholars.

Starting their senior high program three years ago, PSEFI is accredited by the DSWD, DepEd, TESDA, PCNC and CWB with the goal of providing free skills training, competency assessment and employment.

SKILLS hopes to create a meaningful recruitment process, as well as alleviate the skills gap between those seeking work and the requirements demanded by the industry.

The school provides education and opportunities for marginalized out of school youth and adults, abused and battered women, unemployed and displaced workers, as well as for persons with disabilities, all the while bundling their skills through technical vocational programs. The program has also trained women to thrive in the male-dominated building and construction industry. The project likewise aims to raise the morale of construction workers by reinventing their job in what they now call as builder assistant.

PSEFI SKILLS chief operating officer Paulette D. Liu was very pleased with the turnout. She says that while they used to do a fun run to raise funds for SKILLS scholars, the acapella challenge was a fresh and fun way of not only expressing the Primary Group of Builders’ virtue of synergy, teamwork, and love for local, but also one way of shining a light on Cebu’s unique talent.

“There has been no acapella contest so far. We hope to be the first. We hope to do it annually. I would like it to be a tradition because very often, we have singing contests but with music and always in English,” says Liu. “We want to encourage cultural heritage, to strengthen culture consistent to the Primary Group’s intention of letting the Cebuano culture and hospitality be known to the world.”

“It was very nice, very inspiring. I did not expect that we have such talent in Cebu. Just the power of the voice alone… It’s really amazing. I hope we can encourage more groups to join. To let the world know that Cebu is full of talent,” says Liu.