Nilo Alcala

Nilo Alcala
Birth name	Nilo Belarmino Alcala II
Born	February 23, 1978 (1978-02-23)
Origin	Lucena City, Philippines
Genres	classical,
Occupations	composer, arranger, singer, conductor
Instruments	voice, piano
Associated acts	Philippine Madrigal Singers Metro Manila Concert Orchestra
Website	http://nilo_alcala2.webs.com/

Nilo Alcala is a Filipino composer, arranger, and singer..

Biography

Alcala is a recipient of a number of recognitions, including the 2009 POLYPHONOS Young Composer Award given by the Seattle-based vocal ensemble, The Esoterics. He also received a Young Composer Award from the Asian Composers League, in cooperation with the Israel Composers League in 2004. He won Best Movie Theme Song and was also nominated for Best Film Score at the 34th Metro Manila Film Festival for his music in the movie "Homecoming" by renowned Filipino director Gil Portes. For the same movie, Alcala also received nominations from the Golden Screen Awards of the Entertainment Press Society and the Star Awards for Movies of the Philippine Movie Press Club. As an arranger, his work in the Sony BMG released Album Acclamation of the renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers was nominated for Best Vocal Arrangement at the 20th Awit Awards organized by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry or PARI.

Alcala was member/soloist and resident composer/arranger of the two-time European Choral Grand Prix winner and UNESCO Artist for Peace Philippine Madrigal Singers. The group has premiered Alcala's compositions in prestigious international festivals and competitions, including the Florilege Vocal de Tours in France, and the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in Arezzo, Italy.

Alcala graduated BS Development Communication from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (BSDC 1999) prior to his admission in 2001 to the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Music. Upon graduating Bachelor of Music in Composition Magna cum laude in 2007, Alcala received the Gawad Chanselor Natatanging Mag-aaral (Chancellor's Outstanding Student Award), an award conferred by University of the Philippines to students with outstanding academic and non-academic achievements. Alcala became full scholar under the Billy Joel Fellowship at Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts in upstate New York where he finished Masters in Music Composition and received the Irene Crooker Excellence in Music Award in 2009.

Alcala's teachers include Prof. Josefino Chino Toledo, Dr. Jonas Baes, Dr. Christine Muyco, Dr. Ramon P. Santos, Dr. Nicolas Scherzinger, Dr. Gregory Mertl, Dr. Daniel S. Godfrey. He also had master classes with Judith Weir.

Summary of Accomplishments

AWARDS/NOMINATIONS:

• 2009 POLYPHONOS Young Composer Award (Seattle, USA)

• 2007 Gawad Tsanselor Natatanging Mag-aaral (Outstanding Student Award), University of the Philippines

• 2006 Prix pour une ouvre de creation, Finalist, Florilege Vocal de Tours, France

• 2004 Asian Composers League Young Composer Award, 2nd Prize (Jerusalem, Israel)

• Ani ng Dangal Award - given by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

• Best Sound Design/Music Score for "Flower Trail" - INDEO Awards

• Irene Crocker Music Award - Syracuse University

• Awiting Bayan para sa Korong Pilipino (Choral Writing Competition) - "Kaisa-isa Niyan" (2006) winner in the Mga Awiting Bayan Para sa Korong Pilipino Choral Writing Competition and chosen for publication by the National Committee on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA)– Cultural Center of the Philippines, 2007.

• 24th Metro Manila FIlm Festival, Best Movie Theme Song

• 24th Metro Manila Film Festival, Best FIlm Score, nominee

• Star Awards, Original Theme Song of the Year, nominee

• Golden Screen Awards, Movie Theme Song of the Year, nominee

• 20th Awit Awards, Best Vocal Arrangement (Acclamation), nominee

FELLOWSHIPS/GRANTS:

• Billy Joel Fellowship (Syracuse University)
• National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
• Asian Cultural Council

COMMISSIONS:

• The Esoterics (Seattle, WA) - for the MYSTERIUM concert series, Ooctober 2009

• National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) - Bagong Umaga (2005) – was official contest piece for the NAMCYA youth choir category, Folk Arts Theater, 2005

• Children's Museum and Library, Inc. - "Bagbagto" was official contest piece for the VOICES IN HARMONY youth choral competition finals, Manila 2008

• St. Stephen High School (Manila, Philippines) - "Miracles of Jesus" - a mini-musical

• Anglo-Chinese Junior College Choir (Singapore) - "Papanok a Lakitan" premiered at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, 2009

• Long Island Children's Choir (New York) - "Silly Syllables" performed at Merkin Hall, New York City, 2008

• Bangkok Voices - "Song of Dawn" (2006) – commissioned by the Bangkok Voices in Thailand for the World Choir Games Musica Contemporanea Category held in Xiamen, China, 2006.

COMPOSER/ARRANGER RESIDENCIES:

• Philippine Madrigal Singers

• Sole Voce Los Angeles

PERFORMANCES:

• Metro Manila Community Orchestra (now Metro Manila Concert Orchestra)- his works "Diary of a Synaesthete" and "Speak to me my love/You are the evening cloud" were chosen for premiere during the Music UnderKonstruction concerts at Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

• Syracuse University Singers

• Taipei Philharmonic Youth Choir

• University of the Philippines Los Banos Choral Ensemble

• various choirs from the Philippines, in Asia and the USA

READINGS:

• Cassat String Quartet

• daCapo Chamber Ensemble

HONOR SOCIETIES

• Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Students

• Phi Kappa Phi

• Pi Kappa Lambda (music honor society)

Selective List of Works by Category

CHORAL

• Pater Noster (treble choir) 2003
• Dayo Dayo Kupita (mixed choir) 2005
• Song of Dawn (mixed choir) 2006
• Kaisa-isa Niyan (mixed choir) 2006
• La Noche De Mil Noches (mixed choir) 2007
• Silly Syllables (children’s choir, 2 violins, piano) 2008
• Bagbagto (mixed choir, also in treble and male choir version, with optional wood percussion) 2009
• Papanok A Lakitan (mixed choir, optional wood percussion) 2009
• Song of the Night (mixed choir) 2009

VOCAL

• Then Finish The Last Song (soprano, piano) 2008
• Tell Me If All This Be True (soprano, piano) 2009
• A Day Like This (tenor, piano) 2009
• The Sick Rose (soprano, piano) 2009
• A Burning (tenor, mezzo-soprano, piano) 2009
• Tell Me If All This Be True (soprano, piano) 2009

ORCHESTRAL

• Diary of a Synaesthete (orchestra) 2005
• Speak To Me My Love/You Are The Evening Cloud (soprano, tenor, orchestra) 2007

CHAMBER/SOLO INSTRUMENTAL

• Freudian Id (string quartet) 2003
• chuck d’ cheeky chat (instrumental chamber ensemble) 2004
• Dancing Delusions (instrumental chamber ensemble) 2005
• Stream of Consciousness (instrumental chamber ensemble) 2008
• The Tyranny of Distractions (cello) 2009

MUSICAL THEATER

• Miracles of Jesus (children’s choir, soloists, rock band) 2007

FILM/ANIMATION

• Motion picture soundtrack for “Homecoming” (directed by Gil Portes) 2003
• Animation soundtrack for “Flower Trail” 2004

References

• Alcala, Nilo. Dayo Dayo Kupita. All Together Now! Inc., 2006.

• Alcala, Nilo. Kaisa-isa Niyan. Mga Awiting Bayan Para sa Korong Pilipino. National Commission on Culture and the Arts and National Music Competitions for young Artists, 2007.

• Alcala, Nilo. Dancing Delusions. I’mPulse 1st Asia-Europe Music Camp. DVD and CD. Conducted by Josefino Chino Toledo. Asia-Europe Foundation, 2005.

• Asian Composers League. “Winners of ACL Young Composers Awards.” Asian Composers League. http://www.asiancomposersleague.com/ACLawards.html

• European Grand Prix for Choral Singing Association. http://www.gpeuropa.com/gpe/gpe2007/gpe2007_sound.htm

• Kasilag, Lucresia. “Santos, Ramon Pagayon.” Grove Music Online, http://www.grovemusic.com/shared/views/article.html?section=music.24558>

• Philippine Madrigal Singers. “The Philippine Madrigal Singers…Now.” Google.com. http://www.thephilippinemadrigalsingers.blogspot.com

• Santos, Ramon. “Toledo, Josefino Chino.” Grove Music Online, http://www.grovemusic.com/shared/views/article.html?section=music.49223

External links

• Official website
• Excerpts of compositions
• Official Youtube Channel
• facebook page