Gawad Parangal sa Natatanging Pasigueño 2024
by Mike Baños
Opera singer and music educator Cipriano Mercado de Guzman, Jr. has been awarded the Gawad Parangal sa Natatanging Pasigueño 2024 for Culture and the Arts-Music.
Originally hailing from Barangay Bambang in Pasig, De Guzman is now based in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg but actively tours Europe, Asia and the USA as an opera singer and teaches choral and vocal workshops in the Philippines.
In a message broadcast during the awarding ceremonies held 27 August 2024, De Guzman expressed his appreciation for being recognized by his native city.
Cipriano M. De Guzman, Jr. – Gawad Parangal sa Natatanging Pasigueño 2024, Culture and Arts-Music
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“Matapos ang halos dalawang dekada, ng pagsumikap at pagpupunyagi gamit ang pangalang Filipino Baritone, at ihayag sa buong mundo ang galling ng Pilipino sa larangan ng musika at opera, at magwagi sa sampung patimpalak sa Europa, Asya, at America, isang karangalan ang kilalangin sa larangan ng musika at iba’t ibang panig ng mundo, nguni’t lubos kong iganagalak ang kilalanin sa aking bayang sinilangan. Ang Lungsod ng Pasig.”
(After almost two decades, of working hard and striving as the Filipino Baritone, and revealing to the whole world the Filipino excellence in the field of music and opera, and winning ten competitions in Europe, Asia, and America, it is an honor to be recognized in the field of music in different parts of the world, but I am most happy to be recognized in my own hometown. The City of Pasig.)
“Maraming salamat din po sa nagnominate sa akin, my former English teacher Ma’am Bessie Austria,” he added.
Zip’s mom Sofia (beside Mayor Vico Sotto) and his sister Marites (holding the award) receive the Gawad Parangal 2024 for Culture & Arts-Music in his behalf since he is currently in rehearsals for Il Barbiere di Siviglia since August 25 in Luxembourg.
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De Guzmán Jr. has topped ten International Vocal Competitions in New York, London, Rome, Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, and Lugano. He is the first Filipino to win twice at the 2016 and 2017 American Protégé International Music Competition at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, New York City.
Most recently, he won First Prize in the Professional/Senior Category of the International Music Competition Barcelona “Grand Prize Virtuoso” held July 27, 2024 at Petit Palau – UNESCO’s Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, Spain, along with Israeli Soprano Shiri Magar, and also won First Prize in the Professional/Senior Category at the Solitär Mozarteum Salzburg, Austria, on July 31, 2024.
De Guzman, fondly known as Zip to close friends, also won the Best Male Performance in a Concert at the 35th Aliw Awards 2022 and was nominated in the 16th BOH Cameronian Arts Award in Kuala Lumpur (2019, Malaysia) in the Best Male Classical Soloist Category.
He is a two-time recipient of “Ani Ng Dangal in Music” in 2018 and 2019 from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (Office of the President) which recognizes Filipinos and Filipino works in the arts field who brought glory to the country in the past year.
Pasig Councilor Angelu De Leon-Rivera, Chairperson of the Committee on Culture and Spiritual Affairs noted that the Gawad Parangal sa Mga Natatanging Pasigueño has long recognized outstanding Pasigueños since the 421st Araw ng Pasig in 1994. She added that since its inception, this award has evolved through decades as a source of great pride and inspiration for Pasigueños everywhere.
“This year’s awardees represent the very best of our city, exemplifying the spirit of innovation, compassion and commitment that we hold dear,” she noted.
The eight Awardees for the Gawad Parangal para sa Natatanging Paisgueño 2024.
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The seven other awardees for 2024 includes Dr. Nestor T. Castro (Education and the Academe), William I. Sidayon, Jr. (Civic Involvement and Volunteerism), Francis Gabriel O. Santos (Youth Leadership), Nika Juris D. Nicolas (Sports and Sports Development), Stephen T. Viñas (Culture and the Arts -Theatre), Christopher Simoun C. Andres (Culture and the Arts – Fashion Design) and Victor Francesco C. Cham (Culture and the Arts – Painting).
The awardees were chosen by the Selection Committee composed of Aljon Patrick Acupan, Jared Carlo L. Echevarria, Randy Carlos Guevarra, Wensley M. Reyes, Noel T. Rivera, Maria Victoria L. Santiago, and Jesus Rodrigo F. Torres.
The committee held the initial screening on August 13, 2024 and on August 16, 2024 for the final deliberation, selecting the final eight awardees from the 28 nominees.
Gawad Parangal ng Natatanging Pasigueño
The Gawad Parangal is an award conferred by the Pasig City government to recognize the “lives and achievements of accomplished Pasigueños in various fields, while they are still alive, in the hope that they may inspire younger generations,” according to the city’s Public Information Office (PIO).
Exemplary individuals from the fields of business, economics, and entrepreneurship; civic involvement or volunteerism; law; medicine and health; public service or governance; science and technology; sports and sports development; youth leadership; education and the academe; environmental protection, architecture, literature, writing, music, dance, sculpture, theatre and dramatic arts; and film and television can be nominated by the public.
The search for the Gawad Parangal nominees is part of the city government’s activities in the year-long celebration of Pasig’s 451st founding anniversary.
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