UP Manila Chorale at a glance

The UP Manila Chorale (UPMC, the Chorale) is the official performing group for choral music of the University of the Philippine – Manila.  Its aim is to produce excellent performances in order to uplift Filipino music and culture through choral music. Through the years, the group has been performing a wide repertoire: sacred, secular, folk, jazz, pop and our very own Filipino music.  Despite having no music majors in the group, the U.P. Manila Chorale has been able to mould its members coming from non-musical disciplines into well-rounded and versatile singers.

The Chorale has an established record of successful concerts and projects. Its extensive performing experience includes major concerts, benefit concerts, four European concert tours and performances for heads of state and dignitaries. The Chorale is consistently invited to choral competitions, and has garnered several awards locally and internationally.

In recent years the Chorale has performed major works and various compositions by Ginastera, Fauré, Taverner, Liberto, Mozart, Bruckner, Busto, Rutter, Rheinberger, Vivaldi, Victoria and Renaissance composers like Des Prez, Arcadelt and Farmer.  As advocate of Filipino choral music, the Chorale has in their repertoire the music of Lucio San Pedro, Ryan Cayabyab, Joel Navarro, Felipe de Leon, Francisco Feliciano and Fidel Calalang and aims to perform more Filipino compositions in the future. The Chorale has been ably led in the past by Allan Puno, Jean Velasco-Vicars and Danilo Monte. The group is presently led by their musical director, Nikos Ibarra R. Mante.

The members and leadership of the UP Manila Chorale serve as ambassadors of goodwill, both for the University and for country.  Youth, vitality, and love of music defines the choir aptly called the Voice of U.P. Manila to the World.