UST Singers wow audiences in Madrid concert

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Singers brought honor to the Philippines anew after wowing audiences during their concert in Madrid, Spain. A report from the Philippine embassy in Madrid said the October 2 concert was held at the Basilica Parroquia de la Virgen de la Milagrosa. "Their renditions of 'El Bodeguero' and 'Eres Tu' were widely applauded especially by the Spanish members of the audience. The popular 'Kailangan Kita,' composed by Ogie Alcasid and arranged by the UST Singers' own director, was also a crowd favorite," the embassy reported. It added the group performed before some 500 people, including the Diplomatic Corps, clergy, and members of the Filipino community and the Spanish public. Choir´s director Fidel Calalang said the concert in Madrid has so far attracted the most number of persons in attendance for this year´s edition of their European Concert Tour. The choir's repertoire included religious music mixed with their versions of popular music from Spain, the Philippines, Sweden, and the United States. Organized by the UST Alumni Association Madrid Chapter (USTAA) in coordination with the Embassy, the concert's is the USTAA´s contribution to the year-long celebration of UST's Quadricentennial Anniversary. Philippine Ambassador Carlos Salinas, a UST alumnus himself, thanked the UST Singers for including Spain in their tour of Europe. He congratulated the group on its many successes, which he said brought much honor and pride to Filipinos all over the world. The Madrid concert capped off the Spanish leg of the UST Singers´ European Concert Tour, which included memorable performances in Barcelona, San Quirze de las Valles, Carrion de los Condes, and Segovia. During the UST Singers´ concert at the Teatro Municipal Sarabia in Carrion de los Condes on September 30, Mayor Javier Villafruela Fierro awarded the group with a plaque containing the town´s seal as sign of friendship between the choir and the people of Carrion de los Condes. The choir's performed for a standing-room only audience that included pilgrims of the Way of Saint James. "One Dutch pilgrim was so thoroughly impressed with and moved by the group´s performance that he had to personally thank the Embassy for giving him the opportunity to listen to such beautiful music," the embassy said. — LBG, GMA News