Apalit, Pampanga -- The A Song of Praise Music Festival Finals Night last July 13, 2010 gathered once more the composers, lyricists, and song interpreters of Members Church of God International for a night of divinely inspired Christian music.
There were 18 entries that came from Europe, Latin America, Middle East, and Asia with Church Leaders lauding the recent crop of songs as an improvement from all those entered in the past.
This edition of ASOP, which stands for A Song of Praise Music Festival, scores the most number of honors given to finalists than anytime in its history. Total cash prizes amounted to PhP535,000 (US$11,630).
The Song of the Mid-Year came from Quezon-Marinduque, Philippines, which was interpreted by Sis. Geraldine Moje, who was also a runner-up in the Best Interpreter award. The four first runners-up included entries from Bulacan, NorthEastern Mindanao, Singapore, and Hongkong.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region and South America bagged the second and third runner-up awards, respectively.
Interpreters for the entries from the National Capital Region and South America, namely Bros. Ronald Calpis, Bro. Anton Estrella Jr., and Sis. Yuan Rabago tied for the Best Interpreter award.
MCGI Presiding Minister Bro. Eli Soriano challenged the future participants to the contest to devote more time to compose songs that are more convincing and evoking to the soul. He also reminded the attendees to “work further [in creating songs] because it is God who inspires us. We must not rely on our abilities."
Bro. Eli said he appreciated and is well-pleased with the efforts of the contestants to come up with songs that praise God.
Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel Razon gave their remarks and impressions of the songs interpreted that night. Their observations served as pointers and learning hints which both participants and the audience listened to with great interest.
Bro. Daniel advised, “Kneel, fast, and call upon God whenever you are working on a song. With God's help, we are now seeing a level-up of the quality of our work. But then, let us continue to strive for better results in the future festivals to come.”
The next A Song of Praise Music Festival comes around December.