About Coro de Sta. Cecilia
Young professionals who love music make up the Coro de Sta. Cecilia (CDSC). Organized in 1996, there were initially only ten (10) founding members sans a permanent conductor. They decided to name the choir after the patron saint of music and chose the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice in UP Diliman as their base. The group then spent months going through growing pains and looking for a conductor.
At that time, they were truly blessed to have met Christopher Borela of the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers. Chris has since then patiently guided and trained the group as choirmaster, generously allowing the choir to sing his original arrangements.
As a church choir, CDSC now serves regularly during the 4 PM Sunday mass at the Our Lady of Pentecost Parish in Loyola Heights along Katipunan Avenue.
Coro (as CDSC is sometimes called), also sings in various formal and informal gatherings in and out of the parish. Furthermore, the group is fortunate to have worked with other choral conductors and performed in venues such as the PhilamLife Theater and the main hall of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The choir also had its share of television appearances, included among them were the finale of the popular soap opera "Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas" of ABS-CBN, an episode on love on "Mel and Joey" of GMA-7, and on the “Humayo’t Ihayag” Sunday TV masses aired on TV5. The choir is also privileged to have been included in the 100-voice choir led by the Philippine Madrigal Singers at President Noynoy Aquino’s inauguration last June 30, 2010.
Coro is a proud member of the Madz Et Al, a network of choirs handled by current and former members and trainees of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. In the yearly Mad Et Al festival, CDSC is known for premiering novelty songs that would later be hits in the choral music scene, such as “Boy” and “Superman Medley”.
In November 2007, the choir emerged with top prizes in the Asian Open division of the 1st Asian Choir Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The group bagged a Golden Diploma in the Musica Sacra Category and a Silver Diploma in the Mixed Vocal Ensembles Category. Coro was hailed as "Winner of the Asian Open" in Musica Sacra for having the highest gold diploma level (Gold IV) in the said category. Furthermore, the choir has the distinct honor of receiving the highest number of points in the Asian Open division.
CHRISTOPHER G. BORELA
Chris’s musical career can be traced as far back as 1984, when, as a nine-year-old child, he participated in various performing groups such as the Colegio de San Agustin’s Agustinian Larks (1984-1987) and the Manila Children’s Choir (1985-1989). He went on to become a voice scholar under Prof. Andrea Veneracion and Prof. Cecilia Valena at the Philippine High School for the Arts, where he joined the PHSA Rondalla and later became its concertmaster. He also headed the PHSA Kulintang Ensemble and sang with the HimigIbarang Choir. In many cities and town in France 1992, he performed with the Chants, DanseetMusique des Philippines group led by the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company. He also sang with the World Youth Choir in 2001 in Venezuela and Florida, USA. Eventually, he earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance, magna cum laude and his Master’s degree in Choral Conducting at the University of the Philippines, College of Music.
Chris was involved in choral workshops and choral festivals led by the Philippine Madrigal Singers. He has been a speaker in PCDA sessions. Independently, he has worked with choirs such as the Immaculate Concepcion Major Seminary’s Choir of Vigan, the UP Manila Med Choir, and the Child Development Guidance Center Choir of Kawit, Cavite. He has also worked with foreign choirs such as the Taiwan Youth Choir in 2006 and the parishioners and musicians of the Parish of Our Lady of Assumption in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
Chris is the choirmaster of Coro de Sta. Cecilia, a parish-based choir at the Our Lady of the Pentecost Parish in Quezon City, Bulacan State University SaringHimig of Malolos, Bulacan and the conductor of the VoxAngeli Children’s Choir of Santuario de San Jose, Greenhills. He was the Assistant Choirmaster and resident choral arranger of the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers (also known as MADZ). He is a faculty member of the Music Production Department, School of Design and Arts, DLS-College of Saint Benilde and Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music.
Chris has been with the MADZ since 1993, in their concerts, recordings, and tours all over the world. He performed with them when won the 1996 Tolosa International Choral Competition (Spain), the 1997 European Grand Prix, the 50th CertamenInternacional de Habaneras y Polifonia (Torrevieja, Spain in 2004), the 2006 VocaleFlorilege de Tours (Tours, France) and the 2007 European Gran Prix (Arezzo, Italy). In 2009, the MADZ released its latest recording Madz in Love Continues, where all the tracks are choral arrangements of Chris. Last February, a concert-lecture of his choral works entitled Christopher Borela:a Retrospective was held in the PhilAm Life Auditorium.
Young professionals who love music make up the Coro de Sta. Cecilia (CDSC). Organized in 1996, there were initially only ten (10) founding members sans a permanent conductor. They decided to name the choir after the patron saint of music and chose the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice in UP Diliman as their base. The group then spent months going through growing pains and looking for a conductor.
At that time, they were truly blessed to have met Christopher Borela of the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers. Chris has since then patiently guided and trained the group as choirmaster, generously allowing the choir to sing his original arrangements.
As a church choir, CDSC now serves regularly during the 4 PM Sunday mass at the Our Lady of Pentecost Parish in Loyola Heights along Katipunan Avenue.
Coro (as CDSC is sometimes called), also sings in various formal and informal gatherings in and out of the parish. Furthermore, the group is fortunate to have worked with other choral conductors and performed in venues such as the PhilamLife Theater and the main hall of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The choir also had its share of television appearances, included among them were the finale of the popular soap opera "Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas" of ABS-CBN, an episode on love on "Mel and Joey" of GMA-7, and on the “Humayo’t Ihayag” Sunday TV masses aired on TV5. The choir is also privileged to have been included in the 100-voice choir led by the Philippine Madrigal Singers at President Noynoy Aquino’s inauguration last June 30, 2010.
Coro is a proud member of the Madz Et Al, a network of choirs handled by current and former members and trainees of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. In the yearly Mad Et Al festival, CDSC is known for premiering novelty songs that would later be hits in the choral music scene, such as “Boy” and “Superman Medley”.
In November 2007, the choir emerged with top prizes in the Asian Open division of the 1st Asian Choir Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The group bagged a Golden Diploma in the Musica Sacra Category and a Silver Diploma in the Mixed Vocal Ensembles Category. Coro was hailed as "Winner of the Asian Open" in Musica Sacra for having the highest gold diploma level (Gold IV) in the said category. Furthermore, the choir has the distinct honor of receiving the highest number of points in the Asian Open division.
CHRISTOPHER G. BORELA
Chris’s musical career can be traced as far back as 1984, when, as a nine-year-old child, he participated in various performing groups such as the Colegio de San Agustin’s Agustinian Larks (1984-1987) and the Manila Children’s Choir (1985-1989). He went on to become a voice scholar under Prof. Andrea Veneracion and Prof. Cecilia Valena at the Philippine High School for the Arts, where he joined the PHSA Rondalla and later became its concertmaster. He also headed the PHSA Kulintang Ensemble and sang with the HimigIbarang Choir. In many cities and town in France 1992, he performed with the Chants, DanseetMusique des Philippines group led by the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company. He also sang with the World Youth Choir in 2001 in Venezuela and Florida, USA. Eventually, he earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance, magna cum laude and his Master’s degree in Choral Conducting at the University of the Philippines, College of Music.
Chris was involved in choral workshops and choral festivals led by the Philippine Madrigal Singers. He has been a speaker in PCDA sessions. Independently, he has worked with choirs such as the Immaculate Concepcion Major Seminary’s Choir of Vigan, the UP Manila Med Choir, and the Child Development Guidance Center Choir of Kawit, Cavite. He has also worked with foreign choirs such as the Taiwan Youth Choir in 2006 and the parishioners and musicians of the Parish of Our Lady of Assumption in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
Chris is the choirmaster of Coro de Sta. Cecilia, a parish-based choir at the Our Lady of the Pentecost Parish in Quezon City, Bulacan State University SaringHimig of Malolos, Bulacan and the conductor of the VoxAngeli Children’s Choir of Santuario de San Jose, Greenhills. He was the Assistant Choirmaster and resident choral arranger of the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers (also known as MADZ). He is a faculty member of the Music Production Department, School of Design and Arts, DLS-College of Saint Benilde and Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music.
Chris has been with the MADZ since 1993, in their concerts, recordings, and tours all over the world. He performed with them when won the 1996 Tolosa International Choral Competition (Spain), the 1997 European Grand Prix, the 50th CertamenInternacional de Habaneras y Polifonia (Torrevieja, Spain in 2004), the 2006 VocaleFlorilege de Tours (Tours, France) and the 2007 European Gran Prix (Arezzo, Italy). In 2009, the MADZ released its latest recording Madz in Love Continues, where all the tracks are choral arrangements of Chris. Last February, a concert-lecture of his choral works entitled Christopher Borela:a Retrospective was held in the PhilAm Life Auditorium.
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