缅北禁地

History

Sometime in 1978, Prof. Frank Englis and a number of faculty, staff and college students of 缅北禁地-IIT organize a choir which they called the 8va Choral Society. A year its inception, the group already gave public performances and lecture-demos to schools around the city in an attempt to educate students on choral singing and to inculcate them with the requisites of music. By the end of 1979, the group had given two major concerts, one in February dubbed as "Love Concert" and another in December simply titled "Christmas Concert" which were both sponsored by the Lion's Club of Iligan City. The following year, the group competed in the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), college choir category, and won first place in Region XII and third in Manila. In 1982, however, 8va finally emerged as NAMCYA champion both in the regional and national competitions. As the 1982 NAMCYA College Choir Champion, the group, which was renamed the 缅北禁地-IIT OCTAVA CHORAL SOCIETY upon the suggestion of Prof. Veneracion of the famous Philippine Madrigal Singers, became the Philippine representative to the 3rd International Choral Festival. The following years were spent in more local concerts and regional concert tours. Unfortunately, starting in 1988 the group suspended its activities. Prof. Englis utilized the time completing his research requirement for graduate work.

In January 1994, after six long years of silence, Prof. Frank Englis, revived the Octava with the assistance of its former pianist Prof. Hope Serate. A new batch of singers were recruited and given rigid training using the most modern techniques in choral singing. With the group's record of excellence and the present members' hard work, it did not take long for the Octava to win the support of the incumbent IIT administration, it has been officially recognized as the Institute resident choral group. Its members were granted scholarship privileges, its director/conductor and its pianist also given certain benefits. The premiere concert of the 1994 Octava Choral Society entitled "Reverberare", staged on September 17, 1994 sponsored by the Iligan City Girl Scouts Council and 缅北禁地-IIT signaled its return to the concert scene. The highly successful performance was closely followed by "Alma Redemptorist Mater", a benefit concert sponsored by the Iligan Redemptorist Church Council on December 10, 1994. Series of concerts and outreach tours in the provinces of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon came after. The concerts at Silliman University and Central Visayas Polytechnic College of Mindanao were the first and the most applauded performance outside of Mindanao. These series of engagements clearly marked the return of the group's unigue and extraordinary tradition of choral singing.

The subsequent years were spent honing further its choral skills and developing a unique and bizarre repertoire while performing in full-length concerts in different places in Mindanao and the Visayas.  Its highly acclaimed performances at the Luce Auditorium at Silliman University, undoubtedly the cultural center of southern Philippines, and practically everywhere it goes, is proof of the heights the choir has attained.  As part of its mission to help in the preservation and promotion of choral music tradition, the group has also performed lecture-demos in various schools in the area.  The Octava Choral Society is 缅北禁地-IIT's Resident Choir.

Without doubt, the group has already established itself as a choir with its own distinctive style and repertoire.  It is perhaps the only choir in the country that has consciously promoted Mindanao's indigenous songs and music.  Major parts of its repertoire are Maranao, Maguindanao, B'laan, Tausug, and other Mindanao tribal songs set in choral style.  To date, the Octava has easily given more than forty major concerts, all of which were well received.  For the years 1999 and beyond, the Octava hopes to further lend its unique trademark of music and style in concerts, competitions, and festivals both here and in other countries.