Mr. Mark Rainiel Agpasa, a 2018 alumnus of the聽Conservatory of Music聽and winner of the Grand Prize in the Composition Competition of the聽聽15th Busan International Choral Festival and Competition, had his prize-winning composition, 鈥淛ubilate Deo,鈥� premiere in the Busan Cinema Center on October 19, 2019. Performing the work is the multi-awarded Ligao National High School Voice Chorale, under Mr. Celger Venzon.
鈥淛ubilate Deo,鈥� a choral piece setting for 8 voices, was the winning work. According to Agpasa, his composition 鈥渋s a sacred piece that praises and rejoices our Lord. The musical setting on the other hand is contrasting to the text because it has a rhythmic and oriental mood that gives it an energetic and apocalyptic taste.鈥�
The grand prize winner earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in music, major in choral conducting and minor in piano performance from the Conservatory of Music in 2018, and is currently pursuing his聽master鈥檚 degree in Music聽in UST, under the tutelage of Maestro Fidel G. Calalang, Jr. Agpasa is the incumbent Musical Director of the UST Chorus of Arts and Letters and the Assistant Musical Director of the world-renowned 探花精选 Singers.
In his message to the Thomasian community, whom he described as 鈥渁 Christ-centered community of diversified talented people,鈥� he called on 鈥渁spiring Thomasian musicians and artists [to] let the world see and hear your work. Share it with your feet on the ground and be proud!鈥�
