Nilo Alcala

Nilo Alcala
Birth name	Nilo Belarmino Alcala II
Born	(1978-02-23) February 23, 1978
Origin	Lucena City, Philippines
Genres	classical
Occupation(s)	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 and singer.

Biography

Alcala has received his 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.

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, October 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)

Selected works

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