In recognition of the Filipinos’ innate love for music, the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) was formally organized in 1973 under Presidential Proclamation 1173, and amended in November 1988 as a response to the “Imperative need to preserve, develop and promote Philippine music as an art and as a handmaid of cultural development. PP1173 designated the last week of November of each year as National Music Week, with the NAMCYA Competitions as the main highlights of the celebration. In 2001 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Presidential Proclamation No. 80 which affirms NAMCYA’s mission for the nation’s young artists. This proclamation further designates the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) as the primary supporting agency of this endeavor.

NAMCYA has been a principal instrument in discovering major music talents from all over the country. Its projects have involved and continue to involve countless musicians, trainers and administrators, all serving in the difficult but fulfilling process of selecting the best artists from all seventeen regions of the nation annually.

NAMCYA carries out a three-fold program: discovering outstanding young Filipino musicians from every region of the country through annual competitions; developing these musicians through Workshops and Training Programs; and enhancing and expanding the appreciation for and performance of Filipino music by way of mandated competition repertoire programs and commissioning of new works.

Photo credit: namcya.com