Filipino music group Banda Kawayan Pilipinas took home the Gold Award and the prestigious Grand Prix title at the 14th International Youth Music Festival held in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The all-Filipino bamboo orchestra clinched the Gold Award in the Adult Orchestras and Ensembles with Free Instrumentation category. The group emerged as the festival’s overall champion after earning an impressive 97 percent score from an international panel of judges.
Banda Kawayan Pilipinas bested competitors from the countries of Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Ireland, the United States, and the Slovak Republic.
Founded on the use of indigenous bamboo instruments, the group is known for combining traditional Filipino musicality with contemporary arrangements.