Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University CAMERATA College Choir composed of students from the South La Union Campus brought another laurel to the University as they bagged Gold Diploma Award in the recently concluded Sing! Tarlac Sing! National Choral Festival and Competition held at the Kaisa Convention Hall in Tarlac City last July 15-16, 2023.

During the performance, the CAMERATA sung “Aribai”, a folk song from Agoo, La Union which recounts the story of an enchantress who helps and feeds famished people. It was followed by a choral rendition of the tribal chants of the Bago Tribe titled “Danggayan”.  The two pieces were exclusively arranged for choir by their current conductor, Mr. Renan Flores.

“The award is for DMMMSU, for Agoo, for the province of La Union, and the rest of the Ilocandia!” Flores said in a Facebook post as a gesture of gratitude to the people who supported their first musical competition after the group was bestowed under his care last August 2022.

The competition was participated in by 14 choirs from all over the Philippines namely: Angelico Voice Choral, Far Eastern University Chorale, Salinlahi Serenta Singers, De La Salle University Chorale, Koro Angelicus, Light of the Nation Singers, Coro Jesu, Himig Bulakenyo, MUSICEA Chorale, Corazon de Jesus Choir, Bataan Choral Artists, Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology Chorale, Rizal Technological Institute GAAI Singers and DMMMSU CAMERATA.

Adjudicators include top names in the choral world namely Mark Anthony Carpio, conductor of the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers; Christopher Arceo, conductor of Aleron Choir and Tristan Ignacio of Imusicapella.