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Choral Reviewsviews
Choral R e

Túntun Balágon (Firefl y) When the layers of Filipi- There are ways and tricks to break
Nilo Alcala (b. 1978) no-American composer Nilo Alca- down and simplify my work.”
Text Joey Gianan Vargas la are peeled away there is genius One of Nilo’s passions is to men-
SSAATTBB, a cappella upon genius. His music has been tor and help educate emerging
Diffi culty: Diffi cult compared in power to Carmina Bu- composers, a trait that is sometimes
Self-published: rana while the intricate delicacy of hard to fi nd in a world that is char-
www.niloalcala.com his Túntun Balágon is stunning. This acterized by a podium. His journey
clear audio: SSAATTBB piece requires an en- has not always been easy, and it is
https://www.youtube.com/ semble that has extreme range and refreshing how freely and humbly
watch?v=pmkzAzA-NXY rhythmic prowess and viewing the he shares his story. He began his ca-
live video performance: score may disuade some conduc- reer later than most and what could
https://www.youtube.com/ tors from programming it without have been a disadvantage, he turned

watch?v=p8Z90ixQPfw fir st analyzing. Nilo says he would into a plus. With a degree in com-
“encourage conductors and per- munications and experience with a

formers when perusing my works for non-profi t in Manila, he began his

advanced level groups to withhold career in music possessing the tools
judgment regarding its diffi culty. to brand, network, budget and mar-

ket his music. After receiving a de-
gree in music composition from the
University of the Philippines (and
later a masters degree from Syracuse
University in New York) and with his
ability to identify his vision as well as
some fortunate opportunities in his
path, his choral journey took fl ight.
Nilo’s accolades and accomplish-
ments are lengthy. His work has been
performed in Asia, Europe, Africa
and the Americas. He received the
Copland House Residency Award,
the first Philippine-born compos-

er to receive it. His awards include
The Choral Composer/Conductor
Collective, POLYPHONOS Young
Composer Award from The Eso-
The University of Arizona graduate choral program embodies its commitment to
and value of diversity and equity through an innovative curriculum, intentional terics, Asian Composers League
programming, and recruitment, support and inclusion of a diverse population Young Composers Award and from
in each conducting cohort.
the Philippine president the Ani ng
· MM and DMA degrees Dangal (Harvest of Honor) award.
· Regular podium time and private lessons for all students
· Opportunities to safely sing together He was the composer in residence
· Graduate teaching assistantships and scholarships for the Philippine Madrigal Sing-
· Professional choral leadership opportunities in the Greater Tucson area ers and released an album entitled
· A successful track record of job placement
ONOMATOPOEIA: The Choral
For more information, please go to choral.music.arizona.edu
or contact Dr. Elizabeth Schauer at erschaue@arizona.edu Works of Nilo Alcala and is the Bil-
ly Joel Fellow at Syracuse Univer-

86 CHORAL JOURNAL April 2021 Volume 61 Number 9