Costanilla: Cebu Pop: A chance for every songwriter

QUESTIONS. There are questions coming from some neophyte songwriters here as to why the Cebu Arts Foundation Inc. is allowing professional composers to take part in the annual Cebu Popular Music Festival which is staged every third Friday of January.

The amateur composers think this is unfair on their part because they are up against their professional counterparts whose compositions are presumably much better than theirs. The neophyte songwriters are even suggesting the categorization of entries—one for them and a separate category for their professional counterparts.

Open. As the festival’s publicity officer, this writer would like to emphasize that the annual songwriting competition, which started in 1980, has always been open to all composers—both amateurs and professionals—in order to give a chance to all interested songwriters to share their God-given talent with the rest of the general public. The inclusion of professional composers as contestants should not worry their neophyte counterparts for the simple reason that it is not always a guarantee that the former would lord it over the latter.

Screening. In fact, in the many instances that we have been screening festival entries, several songs submitted by professional composers didn’t make it to the magic 12 for a variety of reasons. Neophyte composers should not feel threatened or intimidated by the inclusion of their professional counterparts. They simply have to believe in themselves and make sure that their compositions are well crafted and perfectly sung by their demo singers. As composers, how could they grow and become better songwriters if there is no challenge courtesy of their professional counterparts?

Deadline. And so, let me now remind all interested composers to start writing their Cebuano entries which should be original or unpublished. Aug. 31 this year is the deadline for the submission of entries which should not be more than four minutes in total running time. Competition mechanics and entry forms may be obtained by checking gloria_soundtraxx@yahoo.com.ph or calling cellphone number 0922-280-0567. Prizes at stake are P150,000 for the grand prize winner and P100,000 and P50,000 for the second and third placers, respectively. Those whose entries could make it to the top 12 will each get P15,000 and the best interpreter will win P10,000.

Singing. Some employees of the Bureau of Internal Revenue want to prove to the general public that they also have the talent in singing just like professional artists do.

This afternoon, they will take part in the BIR Singing Idol competition at the bureau’s regional office on Archbishop Reyes Ave. in Banilad.

Performers. It was another wonderful evening of music and laughter last Wednesday at Handuraw Pizza on Gorordo Ave. Singing realtor Herbert Buot rendered six standard songs the Perry Como way while guitarist Max Sabequil and Adeline Talam a.k.a. Cebu’s Joni James did a lot of Cebuano love songs. The Dos Gwapos comic duo, as usual, brought the house down with their standup comedy. The weekly show is a presentation of the Movement for a Liveable Cebu and Handuraw Pizza owner Becky Smith.