UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS SINGERS

Personal Information

First Name UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
Last Name SINGERS
Gender Male

Location

Country Philippines

Musical Information

Musical Activities Singer, Conductor, Arranger, Composer, Music fan
Member of Choirs UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS SINGERS

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Website www.facebook.com/ustsingers
About Me The University of Santo Tomas Singers, founded in 1992, is the University’s premiere mixed choral ensemble composed of a select group of students and alumni representing the different colleges and faculties of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas – the oldest university in Asia, under the baton of its founder and conductor, Prof. Fidel Gener Calalang Jr..

The UST Singers has distinctively exhibited the outstanding musicality of the Filipinos, which has been made known through its performances and achievements. In the course of eighteen (18)years in the international choral music scene with nineteen (19) concert tours that brought them to GERMANY, POLAND, SLOVENIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, HUNGARY, MONACO, AUSTRIA, the NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM, SWITZERLAND, DENMARK, ENGLAND, WALES, SCOTLAND, SPAIN, FRANCE, ANDORRA, BULGARIA, ITALY, MEXICO, CANADA, the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, TAIWAN, SINGAPORE, CHINA and SOUTH KOREA, the choir has achieved both national and international recognition as one of the world’s best choirs.

The UST Singers has put together a repertoire of exceptional interpretations that cover significant parts of the choral literature of the last five centuries, paving way to the group’s triumphs in various international choral competitions. Since 1993, the group has earned more than 65 top prizes representing the Philippines in twenty one (21) international contests in GORIZIA and AREZZO, ITALY; TOURS, FRANCE; TOLOSA, CANTONIGROS and TORREVIEJA, SPAIN; LINDENHOLZHAUSEN and MILTENBERG, GERMANY; MIEDZYZDROJE and SOPOT, POLAND; SPITTAL, AUSTRIA; OLOMOUC, CZECH REPUBLIC, MONSTER, the NETHERLANDS; CORK, IRELAND; BANGOR, NORTHERN IRELAND and LLANGOLLEN, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM and SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

This year, the UST Singers has made a milestone in the oldest international choral competition in the world, the LLANGOLLEN INTERNATIONAL MUSICAL EISTEDDFOD in Wales, United Kingdom by being the only choir in the world to have won the highly-coveted CHOIR OF THE WOLRD GRAND PRIZE –LUCIANO PAVAROTTI TROPHY for he second time (1995 and 2010).

During the 2010 European Concert Tour, the UST Singers bagged twenty (20) Top Prizes at the 16th Bangor International Choral Competition, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom; 56th Cork International Choral Festival, Ireland; 6th Mundus Cantat International Choral Festival, Poland; 63rd Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Wales, United Kingdom, 28th Festival Internacional de Musica de Cantonigros, Spain and the 56th Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonia, Spain.

In 1998, the UST Singers garnered two (2) First Prizes and the Prix du Public at the 27th Florilege Vocal de Tours in Tours, France and the 1998 Gran Premio “Citta di Gorizia” together with four (4) first prizes at the 37th Concorso Internazionale di Canto Corale “C.A. Seghizzi” held in Gorizia, Italy. The choir bested 21 international entries which entitled the UST Singers to represent Gorizia to the 11th European Grand Prix for Choral Singing held at Varna , Bulgaria in May 1999.
Over the years, the choir’s wide exposure and maintained high standards have also constantly increased invitations for performances and participation in international choral festivals such as the Festival Coral Internacional de Alava and Jornadas Internacionales de Musica Coral de Caja de Burgos, Maig Coral in Spain, Festival Mundial de Coros in Puebla, Mexico, the Taipei Philharmonic Festival in Taiwan, Polyfollia International Festival for Choral Singing in France, International Festival of the Choral Art in the Czech Republic, 2000 Hannover World Expo, 2008 Zaragoza World Expo and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo among others.

Travel has become an essential part of its existence and the UST Singers has always fulfilled its noble responsibilities being Cultural Ambassadors of Goodwill of our country. The choir’s noble mission to promote the Philippines and its wondrous cultural heritage overseas has been continuously realized through its international tours. The UST Singers has sung for Pope John Paul II, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Ubolratna Rajakanya of Thailand, Luciano Pavarotti, Pope Benedict XVI, President Juan Jose Ibarretxe of the Basque Autonomous Community, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Philippine Presidents; Corazon Aquino, Joseph Estrada, Diosdao Macapagal, Fidel Ramos, Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III and has brought joy to the myriad of Filipino communities worldwide.