UPDATE
8 November 2024
Vocal Pizzest Sings For Gold in The World Choral Cup
Vocal Pizzest Show Choir clinched two GOLD Awards in Sing For Gold which was held in Calella & Barcelona on 24-28 October 2024. With 51 choirs from 33 nations, we were proud to represent Malaysia in this prestigious event by INTERKULTUR, the world’s leading organiser of international choir competitions and festivals. The participating choirs are from Great Britain, USA, Mexico, Korea, Zimbabwe, Peru and European countries such as Finland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Denmark.
Led by Choir Conductor, Ms Melinda Sik, our show choir competed in two out of seven categories – Children’s Choir and Pop, Jazz & Gospel. In the Children’s Choir category, the age requirement is 6 – 16 years old. We performed a medley of Malaysian Folk Songs and a medley from CPAC’s Alice’s Wonderland, the Musical. The folk songs include Wau Bulan, Lenggang Kangkung, Rasa Sayang, Sayang Kinabalu and more.
In the Pop, Jazz & Gospel category, we performed songs from Spooks, the Musical, composed by Nick Choo. The songs were curated from “Spooks” because of the contrasting styles fitting the genres required.
Vocal Pizzest was the youngest choir in terms of average age in this event for all categories.
While the choir has been rehearsing weekly and performing regularly, they had to go through two months of intensive rehearsals prior to the event. They also performed in Cempaka Voices in Concert as a build-up, two weeks before the competition.
On the first day (Thursday) of the festival, there was a Choir Parade and all participating countries lined up in alphabetical order to parade through the inner city of Calella. It was a heart-warming sight as folks all around witnessed different countries coming together, sharing the same enthusiasm with open eyes and hearts for friendship. Upon reaching Parc Dalmau, the venue for the Opening Ceremony, the event was formally officiated in the presence of all choirs.
The next day (Friday), the competitions and concerts commenced. Vocal Pizzest was scheduled to perform in the “Friendship Concert”, sharing the stage with other choirs and singing for the local crowd.
It was the following day (Saturday) that we wore our Malaysian costume and travelled to Barcelona to compete in the Children’s Choir category at the Liceu Conservatory of Music. We made friends with the choir from Zimbabwe and Lithuania who were also performing in the same category. In our next competition, the Pop, Jazz & Gospel, which was held on the final day, there were 10 other choirs competing. They were from Peru, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland, to name a few. In the style of a show choir, we put up our best performance for the Spooks Medley.
The competition ended and results were announced during the Awards Ceremony. Everyone was elated when it was revealed that Vocal Pizzest clinched the Gold Award for both categories. We are proud to bring home two Gold Awards for Cempaka and for our country.
The trip was not over. We had a few days tour in Barcelona and visited the CosmoCaixa Museum of Science, Palau de la Musica Catalana, Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, Poble Espanyol, the Spanish village and watched a Flamenco Dance performance.
We learned so much and it was exceedingly worthwhile. From rehearsals, hard work, commitment, sacrifices and competing on a world stage with so many choirs around the globe, the experience was priceless. We are glad we took part and look forward to more opportunities in the future.
Press Highlights
- Membanggakan Malaysia, Vocal Pizzest menang dua emas di The World Choral Cup! - by Utusan
- Vocal Pizzest raih 2 emas di The World Choral Cup - by KOSMO
- M’sian show choir bags gold awards at international competition - by FMT
- Membanggakan Malaysia! Vocal Pizzest Menang Dua Emas Di The World Choral Cup! - by Oh Bulan!
- Hebat! Pelajar Malaysia harumkan nama negara menerusi nyanyian, menang dua emas di Sepanyol - by MStar
- Wau Bulan,Lenggang Kangkung, Rasa Sayang Berkumandang Di Sepanyol! Vocal Pizzest menang dua anugerah emas di The World Choral Cup - by GEMPAK
- Vocal Pizzest menang dua anugerah emas di The World Choral Cup - by My Metro
- Membanggakan Malaysia, Vocal Pizzest menang dua emas di The World Choral Cup! - by Lady Bosz
- Kebanggaan Malaysia: Vocal Pizzet menang dua emas di The World Choral Cup - by Bebas News
- Membanggakan Malaysia, Vocal Pizzest menang dua emas di The World Choral Cup! - by UtusanTV
- Vocal Pizzest Banggakan Malaysia Menang 2 Emas Di The World Choral Cup Dengan Lagu Rakyat Termasuklah ‘Wau Bulan’ & ‘Rasa Sayang’ - by Remaja
- 18 pelajar sekolah harumkan nama negara dalam pertandingan koir dunia - by Malaysia Gazette
- Vocal Pizzest menang dua emas sempena The World Choral Cup… ‘Ia bukan sesuatu yang mudah’ – Mawar Mikaila - by Wilayahku
