CYO Unit 26 Chorale is a sub-group of a church based youth organization of Sta. Clara de Montefalco Parish in Pasay City. It also started when this CYO Unit was revived in 1980 with the objective of developing the cultural talents of its members through singing. Its main role then is to serve every Sunday during the 9AM Mass by leading the congregation in praising God through songs. Drawn by the passion of its musical trainor, Eric Laya, the group participated in the Handog Himig Concerts 1 & 2 of the Parish for its renovation in 1985. Greater passion for music pushed the chorale’s limits to hold its First Major Concert in CCP little theater dubbed as :SYMPHONIACI” in 1986 under the tutelage of Prof. Rodolfo “Boy” Delarmente.
True to developing the cultural dimension of its members, it joined choral competitions where it bagged 2nd place in the Casa Manila’s Christmas Carol Contest for three consecutive years. It also represented Pasay City in the Inter-Municipality Chorale Contest taking home also the 2nd place, both under Vicente Libaste as Choir trainor. Though the organization as a whole became inactive sometime in the 90’s, it came back in 2002 with much determination to serve the church and the community by slowly reorganizing the group including the choir.
At present, Francis Libaste, a CYO Alumni, exposes the chorale to rigid trainings and rehearsals to further strengthen its musical skills. The choir became visible again in the church’s special occasions such as Palm Sunday, Domingo de Panis, Salubong, Taize. The chorale, raving good feedback, was invited to sing in ABS-CBN’s Sunday TV Mass in Dec 2005. During this silver anniversary (2005) also, it performed Christmas Carols in GMA Channel 7’s Unang Hirit and BPI’s sponsored concert in Greenbelt, Makati. For two consecutive years also, it became a part of the fund raising caroling project of San Ildefonso Parish Church of Navotas, Manila being held in Ayala, Alabang Village.
It was also in 2005 when the chorale started its career in rendering choral services during weddings. At present, the CYO Unit 26 Chorale had several satisfied clients who voluntarily recommends the group to “to-be” wed couples.. It will continue its quest to serve the Lord and the community by properly utilizing these talents in fruitful activities.
F.A.Q.
1. What does C.Y.O. 26 stand for? Catholic Youth Organization Unit 26 (We are basically an organization,
the choir is part of its cultural functions)
2. How long have you been performing? The group is composed of new & old members, but the chorale group is
almost 20 yrs na po, incidentally we are celebrating our silver anniv this year
3. How many members are there in the chorale, female: male ratio (and
their age range too)? Complete group is about 25-30 with 16 female and 12 male age range: 14 to 25 yrs old
Note: We can adjust the number of Headcount based on your preference
4. Is the group from Batangas? Our group is based in Pasay City
5. Will you be bringing your own instruments if there are any? Organist?
We forgot to inquire about the facilities in the chapel. Would you know if
they'll provide for us? The chapel has its own organ. we usually sing in acapella, (soloist can
sing with an organist or with a minus one)
6. The mass will be in Tagalog and we prefer to have Tagalog songs too.
Can you help us in selecting good songs? We can help you in selecting good tagalog songs. We have also an
available tagalog set of songs for the mass.
7. How much is your rate? Terms of payment? Do you perform in receptions
too? Will there be an additional rate? Our Standard Rate : with minimum headcount of 12 we usually require down
payment for out of town functions for the transportation.
8. How can we get in contact with you? You can text Rose Zapanta at 0917-8038739 for further inquiries.
