July 1, 2025 - The Filipino community in Victoria got a musical treat on June 16, 2025, with the performance of :MEn, the Male Ensemble Philippines, at The United Commons (formerly the Metropolitan United Church) on Quadra St. Filipino Canadians of all ages turned out to welcome the group and enjoy their musical renditions, several of which were sweet reminders of home.
:MEn, a choral group with members coming from various award-winning choral institutions of the Philippines including the Philippine Madrigal Singers is currently on tour, visiting several cities in Canada. They were in Victoria in time for the Filipino community’s celebration of MABUHAY - a two-day festival celebrating Philippine culture and traditions and marking Philippine Independence, held at Victoria’s Centennial Square on June 14 and 15.
Filipino Canadian community members join :MEn in singing "Ikaw."
Apart from the June 16 concert held at The United Commons (formerly the Metropolitan United Church), the group performed at the MABUHAY stage and also conducted a choral clinic at the Bayanihan Community Centre on June 13. Several Victoria families hosted the singers in their homes.
The group, led by award-winning composer and singer Illy Matthew Maniano, distinguished itself in 2023 by winning 1st Prize in the Secular Category and 2nd Prize in the Sacred Category (Vocal Groups Division) at the 54th Tolosa International Choral Competition, a prestigious musical event held in Spain. Earlier that year, :MEn performed at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Ekaterininskoe Sobranie in St. Petersburg during the Universe of Sound International Music Festival. They continued to tour Asia and Europe in 2024, with performances in South Korea, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Macao.
For this year’s Canadian tour, Mariano is joined by Amiel Job Liwanagan, Zid Yarcia, John Philip Bautista, Tomas Umberto Virtucio Jr., and Paolo Panagsagan. Accompanying the group is Margarita Claudette Galura of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, who advised that :MEn is involved with the Philippine Madrigal Singers project of creating a Choral Arts and Music Performance (CAMP) Training Center, and helping to raise funds for the center.
Perhaps the most memorable numbers of the June 16 :MEn concert were the Jukebox Medley, where the audience was treated to humorous renditions karaoke-style, and “Ikaw,” when the group was joined by the Himig Filipino Choir and other attendees of the June 13 choral clinic for a rousing love song.
The Himig Filipino Choir of the Victoria Filipino Canadian (VFCA)’s Bayanihan Creative Collective was the opening act for the concert, and Rjay Garcia of Victoria sang “Bridge Over Troubled Water” during intermission.
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