UP Medics August-November 2018 Issue

UP MedChoir Bags 4 Golds in BICF 7
TOP: UP MedChoir performing Abendlied (top) and Ascendit Deus in jubilatone (bottom)
at the Musica Sacra Category Competition. Photos courtesy of Iris Ditan (Class 2021)
BOTTOM: The UP MedChoir with their conductor Ms. Maryam Remoto (far left), after
their performance in the Musica Sacra category, at GYK Kuta. Photo courtesy of UP
MedChoir.
Dr. Dogs Visit UP College of
Medicine for a Day of Fun
and Stress Relief
by Lorena Osorio
Class 2021
A GROUP OF therapy dogs from the
Philippine Animal and Welfare Society
(PAWS) came to visit Calderon Hall
last September 21, 2018.
Held in the lobby from 12 noon through
3pm, the dogs were welcomed by students
and faculty and staff of the UP College of
Medicine and Philippine General Hospital
community looking for a way to de-stress
from a study- and work-filled week.
The project was organized by the
internal affairs committee of UP Medicine
Student Council, composed of Manuel
Luis Borja (Class 2024), Gabriel Roberto
Baybay (Class 2022), and Jose Mayo Viray
(Class 2021), along with Leandro Salazar
(Class 2022), Rausche Blaser Sausa (Class
2023), and Tranquil Matthew Salvador IV
(Class 2023). The event was organized with
the UPCM Office of Faculty and Student
Affairs.
“One of the taglines that our committee
has been using throughout the SY is, ‘MSC
42, here for you’, and that’s exactly what
we wanted to achieve with this project,”
says Luis Borja. “We wanted the student
body to know that their student council is
here to help them relax and destress from
all the toxicity of their academic workload,
and one fun and engaging way to do it, we
thought, was through therapy dogs.”
The furry visitors, which were Dr.
Parker, Dr. Yanyan, Dr. Dongdong, Dr.
Pachuchay, Prof. Jedi, Dr.
Leo, Dr. Argus, and Dr.
Torby, have undergone
rigorous training under
PAWS to become therapy
dogs. Once dog trainees
have undergone and passed
a medical or health test, a
temperament assessment,
and an obedience test, they
graduate to become “doctor
dogs”. PAWS’ dog therapy
program regularly caters
to sick or aged individuals
in hospital wards and
institutions for the aged.
Other advocacies of the
organization include animal
rights and welfare.
Despite class suspension
and rallies on that day,
the makeshift playpen at
Calderon Hall was filled
with people who came to
meet and play with the
dogs. Even clerks, interns,
and PGH Director Dr.
Gerardo Legaspi came for
a visit.
“We do plan on holding
another therapy dogs
session,” says Borja. “We’re
thinking of a bunch of other
options, like bringing it to
the pedia ward in PGH and
RTRing the dogs in med
classes.”
by Iris Ditan
Class 2021
AFTER A YEAR of planning and
preparation, UP Medicine Choir (UP
MedChoir) bagged 4 gold medals and
successfully ended their tour at the recently
concluded 7th Bali International
Choir Festival (BICF 7) held in Indonesia
last July 23 to 29, 2018.
With 10 participating countries and 146
participating choir or vocal groups, BICF 7
was a massive event that featured concerts,
workshops, and competitions in 16 categories.
UP MedChoir was one of three choir
groups who represented the Philippines,
specifically in the Musica Sacra and Mixed
Youth categories. Their repertoire included
“Abendlied” (arr. Josef Rheinberger),
“Ascendit Deus in jubilatone” (arr. Peter
Philips), and “Ama Namin” (arr. Fidel
Calalang, Jr) for the Musicta Sacra category,
and “Sitivit Anima Mea” (arr. Richard
Burchard), “Benggong” (arr. Ken Steven),
and “Jubilate Deo” (arr. Giovanni Gabrieli)
for the Mixed Youth category.
In each of the category competitions,
the choir sang 2 songs from their repertoire
(Mixed Youth: “Sitivit Anima Mea” and
“Benggong”; Musica Sacra: “Abendlied”
and “Ascendit Deus in jubilatone”). The
choir’s performance in the Mixed Youth
Category Competition, held on the third
day at the Prime Plaza Hotel, earned them
a Gold Medal Level VI award and a spot
in the Mixed Youth Championship, which
was held the next day. Their score (35.45)
placed them a close 2nd after the Mapua
Cardinal Singers, another Philippine choir,
who scored 35.48 in the same competition.
Their performance in the Musica Sacra
Category Competition on the fourth day
at GYK Kuta, with a score of 33.48, also
ensured their advancement to the category’s
championship round as well as a Gold
Medal Level IV award.
Advancement to the championship
round for both categories allowed the choir
to sing all six songs they prepared for the
competitions. In both categories, UP Med-
Choir was awarded a gold medal for their
performances, with scores of 87.37 and
82.67 for the Mixed Youth and Musica Sacra
Championships respectively.
Aside from the competition, UP Med-
Choir participated in the Charity Concert
held at the Cathedral of Holy Spirit on the
first day, where they performed “Kordero
ng Diyos” (arr. Lucio San Pedro) and “An
Irish Blessing” (arr. James Moore, Jr.). They
also joined the Choir Exchange and Collaboration
activity at the Prime Plaza Hotel on
the fifth day of the festival along with the
Joa Ladies Choir (Korea), Unity of Voices
(Malaysia), and Musa Vocalista Choir (Indonesia).
Here, they performed “Kapayapaan”
(arr. Armand Villanueva) and shared
their skill in creating nature and animal
sounds, and at the same time learned new
songs and techniques from the other choirs.
Despite the festival lasting only one
week, the choir’s preparation had already
started a year before. Aside from their usual
training schedule, UP MedChoir had also
held workshops and chorale clinics with
experts, and incorporated the songs in earlier
gigs and concerts to get a feel for their
performance. Their repertoire was carefully
chosen, as Choirmaster Maryam Remoto
said, “to showcase the choir’s strength [...]
but also to challenge them with different
genres, such as with “Benggong”, making
sure that we weren’t showing the same flavor,
showcasing the variety of the choir.”
While UP MedChoir has once again
brought pride to the college, their
participation in this festival yielded more
than what awards can show. BICF 7 was a
venue to grow as a choir, form friendships,
exchange cultures, and celebrate the shared
love for choral music. Recounting the
Charity Concert, the Choir Collaboration,
and spontaneous singing sessions of the
song “Sa Iyong Mga Yapak” (Cerino;
arr. Guerrero) with The Unklab Choir
(Indonesia) and Cantate Domino (arr.
Josu Elberdin) with the Achievers Choir
(Indonesia), Tour Head and Assistant
Choirmaster Ged Llanes shared, “It’s more
than the competition; [...] it’s how our love
for music brings us together, and singing
together is better.”
Photos courtesy of the UP Medicine Student Council