This are the Visayan Music Awards finalists, who were presented during the Listening Night last July 18 at the Asmara Urban Villega in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City. | Michell Joy Padayhag
CEBU CITY, Philippines — “It is really going to be a show.”
This is the assurance of the organizers of the Visayan Music Awards (VizMA) for the finals night slated on July 27, Saturday at the Oakridge Pavilion, Mandaue City.
“From visual performances to the arrangement (nindot gyud siya). Lain lain nga level ang makit-an,” Barney Borja, the project chairperson for VizMA told reporters in an interview.
(They will witness a good show from visual performances to the arrangement. They will see a different level of performances.)
Kenneth Cobonpue, VizMA creative director, also confirmed that they would be inviting Asia’s Phoenix and Cebuana singer, Morisette Amon, to attend the finals night.
Cebuano artists like Karen Ann Cabrera or known on stage as Karencitta and Max Surban are also expected to attend the event.
The event will be hosted by Cebuana singer and comedian Giselle Sanchez.
Promoting Visayan music
VizMA is an annual event organized by the Sacred Heart School for Boys Batch 1985 Foundation Inc., the same organization behind Binibining Cebu.
Cobonpue said that promoting arts and culture had been part of their advocacy.
“We want to honor the men and women who contributed a lot in the Visayan music industry. Part of that is a songwriting competition,” he said.
The organizers received 500 entries across Visayan speaking regions in the country.
From 500, they have come up with 10 finalists, who are competing for the finals night and will be performing live together with the Cebu Philharmonic Orchestra.
Last July 18, VizMA organizers presented the 10 finalists to Cebu media and bloggers during the VizMA Listening Night held at the Asmara Urban Village in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City.
This year’s finalists are “Alu” (Hakeem Duazo), “Ayaw Sa Karon” (Ramon Christopher Calam), “Balitaw” (Yana Durado), “Hit & Run” (Neil Salarda), “Kalimtan Na Ka Karon” (Ruel Cerino), “Lingi-a” (Melay Libres), “Matag Piraso” (Ferdinand Aragon), “Natulog Mong Kasing-Kasing” (John Stephen Cadeliña), “Nganu” (Fritz Baguio), and “Sama Lang Kanimo” (Fr. Reymund Quito.)
Cobonpue said that they had chosen the finalists with different genres.
“We want to explore a different range for sounds for different markets because this is what Visayan music should be. We choose from everything — from music that common people understand down to the artistic ones,” Cobonpue said.
Song genres in this year’s VizMA are pop, jazz, alternative rhythm and blues, electronic dance music, and ballad.
The prizes that await the VizMa winners are P100, 000 ( first place), P75,000 (second place), and P50,000 (third place) while fourth to tenth placers will also take home P10,000 each.
The finalists will also receive a scholarship worth P150,000 fro a school based in Quezon City. /dbs