AKAPELA OPEN: Catch the 2014 Finals Show

MANILA, Philippines – This Saturday, October 25, AKAPELA OPEN will once again showcase the finest contemporary a capella groups in the Philippines.

AKAPELA OPEN is a competition spearheaded by The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab in cooperation with the PLDT-Smart Foundation and One Meralco Foundation.

The championship night happens this Saturday, 7pm at the Meralco Theater.

Leading this year’s roster of finalists is 2013 champion, Acapellago. The Malolos-based group won the P250,000 grand prize with their medley of OPM classics, including Ryan Cayabyab’s very own “Limang Dipang Tao”.

Last year’s 1st runner-up, Pinopela, an eight-member group from Baguio City, is also back in the fold.

There’s also the Diliman-based group, named 1415, who was 2013’s 2nd runner-up. 1415 also won the award for best arrangement for their rendition of Eraserheads’ “Alapaap.”

These experienced finalists will be singing off against 7 other worthy contenders: 10,000, D’Mortal Instruments, Dynamix, Los Cantantes De Manila, Mouthfools, Negative Four, and Pop Acappella League of Singers.

Launched in June 2013, AKAPELA OPEN aims to promote contemporary a cappella singing and an appreciation for vocal harmony performance.

It also seeks to be a venue for new arrangements of Philippine and international contemporary vocal music, to provide growth experiences for singers and arrangers and to cultivate a community of contemporary a cappella singers.

To gather participants, the organizers embarked on a national contemporary a capella singing and writing workshop tour that reached Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao in 2013. This year, workshops were held at Baler, Angeles, Dumaguete, Davao, and Metro Manila.

Tickets are still on sale at The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab, Basement Level, Robinsons Galleria. Tickets are priced at P200 each. Call +637-9840 or +63914-5055 for inquiries. – Rappler.com