World Alliance of Children's Choirs
Uniting Voices of Children Around The World
Young Voices of the Philippines
Philippines
The Young Voices of the Philippines (YVP) is one of the choirs currently performing under the Treble Choir Association of the Philippines (TCAP), Inc., notably featuring young Filipino choristers from a variety of social backgrounds. Serving as both a church and community choir, YVP was organized in order to assist in TCAP’s commitment to the progress of Philippine choral music. The children’s growth as choir singers is regularly supplemented with training in musicianship and performance to further promote local repertoire. YVP is conducted and trained by internationally recognized children's choir experts Dr. Maria Theresa Vizconde-Roldan and Professor Jude B. Roldan.
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The heart of the Young Voices of the Philippines lies in their unity despite their differences; these children who would not have otherwise met are given the opportunity to have their lives intersect with the beauty of music-making. Their diversity also serves as their strength as their choral performances are able to, in turn, inspire a love for music among other Filipino children regardless of social class. Against all odds, YVP has proven their skill is a result of effort and dedication, as they have been accepted to participate in prestigious choral festivals such as the International Choral Kathaumixw in Canada, the Pacific International Choral Festival and the International Children's Choir Festival in the historic concert hall, The Carnegie Hall in New York City.
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Despite the limitations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, YVP upholds their mission by continuing to perform on virtual platforms. Shifting to more online methods of performance has also provided the choir with the opportunity to collaborate with other choirs internationally. This has resulted in the release of a performance entitled “Sing as One” by the Young Voices of the Philippines Festival Choir, , the Young Voices of Asia, and the Young Voices of the World featuring more than 30 choirs from 20 countries. This collaboration, with Kantabella and the Young Voices of the Philippines as the leading choirs, was featured in an article in two publications: Dirigo, a renowned Italian magazine, and the International Choral Bulletin, a prestigious choral magazine by the International Federation for Choral Music.
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Dr. Maria Theresa Vizconde-Roldan
Artistic Director
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Dr. Maria Theresa Vizconde-Roldan is an accomplished choral pedagogue and children’s choir conductor who graduated as a Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education from Saint Paul University Manila Graduate School, finishing summa cum laude. She has also obtained a bachelor’s degree in music education (cum laude) and a master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music.
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In recognition of her expertise, Theresa has been invited to participate as a guest conductor, choral clinician, and adjudicator at events in the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Australia, and the United States of America. Additionally, she has led master classes in conducting and held lectures and workshops on choral performance and music education. She also once served as chairman for choir competition of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists Foundation (NAMCYA) in the Philippines.
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Theresa, together with her husband Jude, founded the Treble Choir Association of the Philippines in order to propagate Filipino choral music and strengthen the movement of children’s choir performance and choral music education in the Philippines. Under this association are the Young Voices of the Philippines and Kantabella, the scholar choirs conducted by Theresa who also serves as their artistic director. She is also the artistic director of the Young Voices of the World and the Young Voices of Asia festival choirs.
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In line with their advocacy, Theresa and Jude arrange Filipino folk songs and write choral music for children’s choirs. They have organized a series of choral workshops for conductors around Southeast Asia titled “Groundwork for Choirs.” They have also launched a book, “Groundwork for Part-Singing,” that contains a collection of short pieces to aid in the development of foundational part-singing skills.
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She is the founding conductor of the Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir. Under her direction, the choir won the first ever Children’s Choir of the World title at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in the United Kingdom and a Choir Olympic Champion title at the World Choir Games in Germany and participated in national and international choral festivals.
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At present, Theresa is the Vice President for Projects of the Philippine Choral Directors Association. She currently teaches subjects in conducting, large ensemble, and music education at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music and Centro Escolar University Graduate School.
Prof. Jude B. Roldan
Artistic Director
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Internationally-Published composer and arranger Jude Bautista Roldan graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music where he studied piano and choral conducting. He also has a master's degree in music education.
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His works are published by Hal Leonard and Pavane Music Publishing USA. Some of which have been named Editor's Choice in JW Pepper. These works have been recorded, premiered and performed in festivals and competitions including the Pacific International Choral Festival and the Oregon Bach Festival in USA, Tolosa Choral Competitions and Seghizzi Choral Competitions, Cantemus International Choral Festival in Hungary and recently, at the International Kodaly Symposium in Kuching, Malaysia
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Jude has served as chairman at the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in the Philippines and has been invited as guest conductor and adjudicator in choral competitions and festivals abroad.
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He has given composition and choral workshops in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea and the United States of America.
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Together with his wife, Maria Theresa, they led the Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir to choral competitions winning the first-ever Children’s Choir of the World title at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in North Wales, United Kingdom and Choir Olympic Champions at the World Choir Games in Bremen, Germany.
Jude teaches Piano, Music Theory and Analysis, Arranging, Score Reading, and Counterpoint at the Centro Escolar University Conservatory of Music.