• Mebuyan artist nominated for Best Music in 33rd Gawad Urian

    02Mar
    Categories: Awards Comments: 0

    Mebuyan artist Gauss L. Obenza was nominated by members of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino in the 33rd Gawad Urian for Best Music in Arnel Mardoquio’s movie “Hospital Boat.” Obenza wrote and composed the songs “Ang Kapayapaan” and “Manlilikha”, composed and co-wrote (with Arnel Mardoquio) the songs “Bituin” and “Apoy”, composed music to Don Pagusara’s lyrics of “Lawig”, made a new a capella arrangement of the song “Paglisan” by Popong Landero and Arnel Mardoquio, arranged the traditional Tausug love song “Baleleng” and composed several Mindanaoan instrumental pieces for the musical scoring of the movie.

    What follows is the complete list of nominees from Butch Francisco’s article in “The Philippine Star” dated February 27, 2010.

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  • Mebuyan nominated for Outstanding Musical Composition in annual performing arts awards

    18Feb
    Categories: Awards Comments: 0

    Mebuyan was nominated for PHILSTAGE’s Annual Gawad Buhay Awards for Outstanding Musical Composition for Tanghalang Pilipino’s (TP) “Madonna Brava,” an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage.”

    Also nominated was playwright Don Pagusara, for Outstanding Adaptation of Madonna Brava.   Madonna Brava, a collaborative undertaking initiated by TP’s Artistic Director Fernando Josef between TP, the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), and Mindanao theater artists, was directed by famed Davao director Nestor Horfilla.  Music direction was by Davao songwriter Popong Landero.  Mindanao actors in the play included Pepito Sumayan, Edmon Alfres, Onie Ecuacion, Kaikai Lamanilao, and Marili Fernandez-Ilagan (who was also Production Manager).

    Madonna Brava was also nominated for Outstanding Play, Ensemble Performance, Female Lead (Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino), and Male Featured in a Performance (Chrome Cosio).

    See the whole list of nominees below in the article forwarded through email by Elmar Ingles.

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  • MEBUYAN artists win awards at the annual World Music Competition in Davao City, Philippines

    30Aug
    Categories: Competitions Comments: 0

    MEBUYAN’s Maan Chua and Geejay Arriola won 2nd place and 3rd place, respectively, at the Tunog Mindanao Annual World Music Competition held in Davao City on August 18, 2009. Top 10 finalists included MEBUYAN’s Gauss Obenza and stalwarts of the alternative music scene in Mindanao–Popong Landero, Frank Englis and Cesar Padilla, who won first place.

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  • The Third Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival

    29Aug
    Categories: Festivals Comments: 0

    [MEBUYAN note: Dan Godston invited Geejay Arriola as Artistic Director of Mebuyan to participate in Chicago Arts Calling. Deepening discussions conducted online led to the collaboration with Renee Baker who initially chose two of Geejay's compositions but ended up choosing to work on Geejay's co-musician Paolo Sisi's award-winning "Mag-iban Kita." This "last-minute" change was not reflected in the press release below and the Chicago Arts Calling website, but Geejay mentioned this in the live phone call during Renee's performance.]

    EVENT:
    U.S. and abroad. These collaborations will be prepared or improvised, and some performances will involve live feeds between Chicago and elsewhere.

    Among the scheduled projects are: a Chicago-based musician/composer collaborating with a composer from the Philippines, and a Chicago-based musician collaborating with a British visual artist. Venues for CCAF3 include Elastic Sound & Vision Gallery, The Velvet Lounge, Black Rock Pub & Kitchen, Heaven Gallery, Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center, WNUR (Northwestern University), Peter Jones Gallery, 32nd&Urban Gallery, AV-aerie, Café Mestizo, and other locations.

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  • ‘Pagdiriwang’ wins world music fest

    21Aug
    Categories: Competitions Comments: 0

    ‘Pagdiriwang’ wins world music fest

    Cesario Padilla of Iligan City bagged the grand prize in the 2009 Kadayawan Festival’s Tunog Mindanaw World Music Festival during the final competition last August 18, Tuesday at the NCCC Mall.

    Padilla, who has won various regional and national songwriting contests, beat nine other semi-finalists with his entry “Pagdiriwang”, which he describes as “an invitation to celebrate life by love to all forms of life on Earth”. He won P100,000.

    Awards for the first and second runners up went to Marie Anathea “Maan” Chua and Ma. Cecilia “Geejay” Arriola, respectively. Both from Davao, Chua won for her entry “Itadyak”, which talks about the ancient form of worship by the tribes, praising nature, sun, the moon and other elements, and becoming one with them, while Arriola won for her entry “Iisa”, which talks about oneness in the country, in the world amid the wealth of differences and unique creations.

    Chua received P50,000 while Arriola received P30,000. The seven other finalists received P20,000 each.

    Tunog Mindanaw World Music Festival is an annual pop music composition contest that incorporates significant Mindanawon indigenous and folk music traditions.

    The finalists were judged according the following criteria: Musicality (30%), Creativity (30%), Lyrics/Literary Merits (10%), Commercial Appeal (10%), and Music Performance (20%).

    –from Mindanao Daily Mirror

    http://www.dailymirror.ph/August/pep&events08202009&01.html

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  • Tunog Mindanaw bares finalists

    12Aug
    Categories: Competitions Comments: 0

    Tunog Mindanaw World Music Festival, a pop music compositions contest that incorporates significant Mindanawon indigenous and folk music traditions, bares the top ten entries that made it through the final round of the competition.

    This year’s finalists and their respective composers are: “Taluktok Ng Mt. Apo” by Francisco “Frank” Englis, “Dad-A Kos Yuta” by Felipe Velez Abrogar, “Pagdiriwang“ by Cesario Padilla, “Iisa” by Ma. Cecilia “Geejay” Arriola, “Kalikasan” by Danilo Gillesania/Mark Cutad, “Itadyak” by Marie Anathea “Maan” Chua, “Sayaw Ng Pasasalamat” by Rosario “Gauss” Obenza, “Tara Na!” by Ronolfo “Popong” Landero, “Balaanong Kinaiyahan” by Kalumon Performing Ensemble/Mario Leofer Lim, and “Tahanan” by Elenita “Boots” Dumlao.

    Criteria for judging are Musicality 50%, Creativity 30%, and Commercial Appeal 20%.

    All ten finalists will be performing their entries live during the public performance and final judging on August 18, 2009, 5:00 PM at the NCCC Mall.

    - from Kadayawan Official Website http://www.kadayawan.com/?page=news&newsID=38

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  • Tunog Mindanaw

    09Sep
    Categories: Competitions Comments: 0

    By Stella A. Estremera
    http://www.sunstar.com.ph/weekendDavao/09-07-2008/cover.html

    TWO Kadayawan Fetivals ago, I thought the compositions that made it to the 1st Tunog Mindanao World Music Festival Competition were very impressive.

    In that festival held at the NCCC Mall, the music that was distinctly Mindanao but with a lot of polish and zing took centerstage, performed by singers and artists from all over the island.

    But the 2nd Tunog Mindanaw is even more impressive, a confirmation that given the proper venue and exposure, Mindanao artists have what it takes to shine and grab the stage.

    This observation is backed up by the fact that in the eight finalists to the music festival, four were members of the Mebuyan Peace Project.

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  • “Mag-iban kita!”

    29Aug
    Categories: Competitions Comments: 0

    By Geejay Arriola

    Peace is a candle in the dark.  That’s what artists do—light candles in the dark.  In these times of war and desperation, the only thing that makes any sense is art (and babies, for their yet untarnished spirit).  Despite the horrific violence going on around us, we, being artists, never stop celebrating.

    So when Kadayawan Festival organized “Tunog Mindanaw (Mindanao Sound)—World Music Festival Competition,” I and my co-band members at Mebuyan saw it as an opportunity not only to fill up a second music album, or to win either cash or prestige or both, but an occasion to share our creative wealth at a time when our country needs it most.

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  • Reluctant composer rules Tunog Mindanao contest

    25Aug
    Categories: Competitions Comments: 0

    By Chris Te Fabian / Published : 2008-08-23
    http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/story.php?id=21469

    IT WAS a tough competition but one has to emerge as the grand champion.

    A reluctant Davao-based songwriter bagged the top prize in the 2nd Tunog Mindanao, a pop music composition that incorporates Mindanaoan flavor, with his song Mag-Iban Kita which calls people to unite.

    Emerging composer Paolo Salvador Sisi and his performing group took home the P100,000 cash prize.

    With Paolo on bass, the Dinabaw-language song about unity was performed by Raffy Donato, Mark Asiong, Joel Carbajosa, Wilson Nason, Jessalyn Mae dela Cruz,Christiane Jayzel dela Cruz, Ana Katrina Ramos and singer Janice Uy during the main presentation Wednesday night at the carpark of NCCC Mall.

    “Mag-Iban Kita” bested nine other entries, including four others from Paolo’s Mebuyan band mates.

    Fellow Mebuyan band member Geejay Arriola scored the second place with “Hohoy,” while US-trained musician Francisco Englis emerged as the third placer with “Panawagan.”

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