Los Angeles, California—Four Filipina singers have a chance to become the next Grand Champion Performer of the World, the title bagged by Aria Clemente during last year's "Hollywood Olympics."
Picked from hundreds of solo vocalists competing at this year's World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), Filipina junior contestants Tippy dos Santos, Catherine Loria, Rachel Razon (all 13 years old), and senior contestant Marielle Corpuz, 22, made it to the final round that will be recorded for U.S. and international television release on July 25, Friday, 7:30 p.m. at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.
Contestants come from the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa.
The Philippines' junior finalists will compete among each other, and with Courtney Mary Janssen of New Zealand, and Oleksandr Chernenko of Ukraine in the junior solo vocal category.
Meanwhile, the Philippines' sole senior finalist will compete with Noryn Aziz of Malaysia, and Andrew Clarke of Jamaica in the senior solo vocal category.
All vocal finalists will vie for WCOPA's major titles: the Grand Champion Vocalist of the World, and the Grand Champion Performer of the World (previously won by Jed Madela in 2005 and Aria in 2007).
Included in the competition categories are dance, vocal, modeling, acting, instrumental, and variety acts.
Team Philippines' Panky Trinidad, Dex De Rosa, Abegail Dorado, Glee Nette Gaddi, and the Sison brothers (Marek, Enzo, Ruiz) made it to the semi-final round. They will receive semi-final round medals.
The rest of Team Philippines' contestants this year failed to get ahead of the preliminary round. Contestants in this round will receive gold, silver, and bronze medals, etc. as special awards, depending on the scores given by the judges.
The other representatives of the Philippines in the WCOPA were junior contestant Cherry Palad as well as senior contestants CJ Concepcion, Paolo Ledesma, and Star Records artist King.
The finals night of the 12th WCOPA will take place at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Bonaventure, downtown Los Angeles on July 25.