In 2023, Pope Francis announced the Church’s first World Children’s Day, which will be held on May 25. This grand event is anticipating some 70,000 kids from at least 101 nations for a celebration of children so large that it will require Italy’s Olympic Stadium, the largest arena in the nation, to fit them all.
The event’s festivities will include live performances from children’s choirs that will travel to Rome from all over the world.
While there are many fine performances scheduled, one of the most anticipated will come from the Young Voices of the Philippines (YVP). This award winning choir previously took home all the awards at the 12th Golden Gate International Choral Festival in San Francisco, and it is the first Filipino children’s choir to ever perform at Carnegie Hall’s iconic Isaac Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage in New York.
In 2023, the YVP released a recording of “Salve Regina” that perfectly displays just what makes this choir such a powerhouse. This treble choir – a choir that utilizes the higher voices of women or boys who have yet to go through their voice changes – creates a sound that is far beyond the years of these young singers.
The group’s performance of “Salve Regina” is exquisite, with members paying special attention to dynamics to create such a gentle atmosphere that a pin-drop could still be heard during the song. The cascading harmonies of the piece are much harder to produce than these kids make it sound, and the overtones they achieve are simply marvelous.
The group is so eager to sing that they intend to make a mini-tour of their Italy trip. Along with the Olympic Stadium, the choir will perform at the Basilica di Sant’Antonio al Laterano on May 24, at the Basilica di Santa Pudenziana on May 26, and at the Parrocchia Santi Antonio e Annibale Maria – Piazza Asti on May 27. What an opportunity for such an adept group of young singers.
The YouTube channel of Young Voices of the Philippines is just brimming with more excellent recordings from the current choir and years past. Visit them today to hear more.
And today we celebrate...