By Gloria Jane Baylon
The Las Piñas Boys Choir (LPBC), all students of the sectarian St. Joseph’s Academy (SJA), won the world championship at the recently-concluded 5th World Choir Games held in the European city of Graz, Austria.
The competitions were conducted from July 9 to 14.
LPBC, which joined the competitions for the first time, earned the Gold Medal with the highest score in the Children’s Choir category, besting 70 mostly professional competitors from such repeat countries as the USA, Greece, Estonia, Great Britain, Russia and South Africa.
The LPBC also got the Silver Medal in the Musica Sacra (Sacred Music) category.
LPBC is composed of 20 boys aged 9 to 16 and had been training for the competitions for more than a year. The team was conducted by Prof. Armando Salarza.
Msgr. Albert Venus, parish priest of St. Joseph’s Parish church and School Director of the St. Joseph’s Academy, headed the team and Alejandro Consolacion II served as accompanist.
Albert was assisted by Rev. Fr. Benjamin Molina, Asst. School Director of SJA, and LPBC founder Leo Renier.
Others in the team were Donna Ofrasio, January Hernandez and Norie Salarza.
Most of the competitors in the Musica Sacra are professional choirs and consist of at least 40 members each, unlike LPBC whose members are just 20 teenagers and are full-time students.
The 5th World Choir Games is touted as the largest and most successful world choirs competitions.
Graz is the capital city of the Austrian province of Styria and is a world cultural heritage site of UNESCO.
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