History of UPCC

With the creation of the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus (UPCC), the official choir of the State University, choral singing has been taken to new heights, to places others have not been before.

In 1962, then President Carlos P. Romulo wrote an order to have an official UP choir established in order to have a group to sing for various university functions and events. Thus, the UP Mixed Choir was born. When the late Rey T. Paguio assumed his role as the next conductor of the choir in 1969, the UP Concert Chorus, as we know it, was born.

From its humble beginnings as a small school choir in the 1960s, UPCC has enthralled the nation and the world concert stage. From unique costumes to lively choreography, the UPCC never runs out of ways to make the group stand out from its contemporaries. The Concert Chorus is not just a horde of talented university students--it is a group with the passion to perform.

The Concert Chorus, aside form being versatile, brings in a certain freshness to the sometimes dreary choral scene. While UPCC performs admirably in classical choral pieces, it does not limit itself to a particular genre. UPCC's vast repertoire includes various pieces from Broadway musicals, grand classical operas, Filipino zarzuelas and even contemporary pop and rock songs. This versatility is what made the UPCC a favorite of many famous composers such as the late Philippine National Artist for Music, Lucio San Pedro, who arranged a number of songs especially for the group. Many internationally renowned composers and conductors (many of whom were former Concert chorus members) have since followed suit, and have provided a number of compositions and arrangements for the group to sing.

After forty-nine years, nineteen world tours and hundreds of members, The UP Concert Chorus has indeed planted its seeds throughout the world. Many UPCC alumni have started choirs of their own, some of which have also become world famous. These include UP Saring-Himig, led by George Hernandez; the AFP-DFA Choral Groups, under Danny Bernabe; the UP Singing Ambassadors with Ed Manguiat; the Ateneo Glee Club under Joel Navarro; Koionia, led by Boyet Palisoc and Kontra-Gapi with Edu Abraham, just to name a few. Aside from those groups, many members have also gone on to become respected solo artists in the local and international music industry.

The University of the Philippines Concert Chorus has, indeed, done more than showcase exceptional talent in music and dance--it has created generations of Filipino artists, all with the mission to serenade the world with the music they create.

 

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