UP Singing Ambassadors Wow Audience with Sterling Performance in Belgium

University of the Philippines Singing Ambassadors founder and conductor Ed Lumbera Manguiat presents his chorale. (Brussels PE photo)

BRUSSELS 05 July 2018 – The University of the Philippines Singing Ambassadors (UPSA) gave a sterling performance during their concert at the Auditorium René de Cooman–C.H.U. André Vésale at Montigny-le-Tilleul, a municipality located about 100 kilometers south of Brussels on 01 July 2018.

The event was organized in cooperation with the Filipino Nurses‘ Group in the neighboring city of Charleroi, where the first exodus of Filipino nurses in Belgium arrived in the 1960s.

Philippine Ambassador to Belgium Eduardo José A. de Vega, personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Brussels, and Filipino and Belgian audience were entertained by the chorale’s performance of classical compositions and popular English and French hits, as well as traditional and modern Filipino music. 

UPSA founder and conductor Ed Lumbera Manguiat is leading his team on a three-month European competition and concert tour entitled, “Musique Sans Frontières” (Music Without Borders).

UPSA will be representing the Philippines in four European choral competitions in Germany (Berlin), Spain (Alicante), Italy (Florence), and the prestigious competition in Arezzo (also in Italy) that will take place between July and August.

In its 38 years of existence, UPSA has earned five grand prizes and 23 top prizes from its past European tours. It has also been recognized as an effective champion of North-South solidarity, at the level of music, culture, and beyond.

Under its social and developmental arm known as the UPSA Outreach Program, the group conducts activities such as conducting chorale workshops in schools, and serenading the elderly in homes. The need to promote cultural diversity and human development in this continent, which is presently affected by issues of migration, continues to be a core objective of the UPSA. 

After the concert, Ambassador de Vega said that “the success of the UP Singing Ambassadors in Europe is not only an indication of their status as a world-class choir, but is also a reflection of the unique mix of Eastern and Western influences in Filipino culture. This makes all Filipinos true global citizens, and we can always be proud of how the best of Filipino musicians, dancers and other artists will always be so appreciated in places like Europe and other parts of the entire world.” END

The UPSA showcases Filipino music. (Brussels PE photo)

Ambassador to Belgium Eduardo José A. de Vega with Embassy officials and Concert Organizers (from left) UPSA Coordinator-Belgium Mary Madeleine Denopra, UPSA’s Founder and Conductor Ed Lumbera Manguiat, Filipino Nurses’ Group in Charleroi Coordinator Enrie Pimentel, Protocol Officer Eric Rubas, Cultural Officer Liza Jane Estalilla, and Secretary to the Ambassador Rosenia Centeno. (Brussels PE photo)

For more information, visit www.brusselspe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinBelgium.