Oggayam Ti Panangabak | A Song of Welcome (Nilo Alcala) | Yale Glee Club

OGGAYAM TI PANANGABAK (A Song of Welcome) - original work by Nilo Alcala with text adapted from a Tingguian/Itneg chant). Yale Glee Club - Yale University Dr. Jeffrey Douma, Director English Translation: Honorable brothers/ sisters, We greet you with a warm welcome On this special day of gathering Let us thank the Lord For allowing us to gather together Though we’ve come from different lands Let us bond and get to know one another Salidumay __________________ Nilo Alcala’s “Oggayam ti Panganabak (A Song of Welcome)” is an original choral work inspired by a traditional Tingguian/Itneg chant from the Cordillera region of the Philippines. Drawing from the indigenous oggayam—a form of traditional Cordilleran oral poetry—Alcala weaves rhythms, vocal inflections, and percussive patterns reminiscent of gongs, bamboo instruments, and the expressive vocal style of oggayam chanters. The text, a heartfelt welcome to guests and strangers, celebrates gratitude, fellowship, and the breaking of boundaries. In a time marked by division and exclusion, this piece resounds as a timely call to human solidarity and shared belonging—an echo of the enduring Filipino spirit of hospitality and unity.