Acknowledgements

Almighty God
Maria Makiling
Family and Friends V
The Misa Criolla, composed by Ariel Ramirez in 1963, is Vim Nadera (Director IV)
a synthesis of popular and liturgical styles. It is based Ronaldo Abuan (Director III)
on South American folk music, particularly rhythms Arjay Viray
and melodies of Argentina. Gonzalo Misa
April Misa
The opening Kyrie is in the rhythm of the vidala- Phoebe Bitoon
baguala. This music, characteristic of northern Marlee Pabico
Argentina, depicts the feeling of loneliness one has Eugene Soyosa
living on a deserted high plateau. The Gloria rhythm, Nil’s Flores
the carnavalito, is also from the same area but evokes Nicole Adri
the sense of rejoicing implicit in this part of the mass. Maintenance and Staff
The two sections of the Gloria are separated by a
recitative (Yaravi), which makes the cadence of the
carnavalito more brilliant when it returns with a full Performers
rhythmic accompaniment.
Soprano Alto
Jayya Baldo Alyssa Garcia
The chacarera trunca, a folk theme of central
Bea Cena Nikki Obmasca
Argentina, is the basis of the Credo. Its obsessive
KR Cipres Rhoxene Octaviano
rhythm accentuates the profession of faith, and the
Ivanna Cruz Jovelle Ong
section ends with the final words of the prayer, which
Faye Dinglasan Kaya Pabico
reaffirms the triumph of everlasting life.
Lizzie Estrada* Kiara Pascual
Leanne Tavita Juliana Silangcruz
One of the most beautiful and unusual Bolivian folk
rhythms, the carnaval cochabambino, is used for the Tenor Bass
Sanctus. It has subdues but marked beat. The Agnus Julian Bernal Franz Andra*
Dei is written in a typical style of the pampas (estilo Benedict Magboo* Aidan Baracol
pampeano), As in the Kyrie, a feeling of solitude and Zion Montebon Miggy Delos Santos *
distance is created. A simple recitative expresses the EJ Villarin Franz De Ramos *
universal longing for peace. Isaac Montefalcon
Bandurria Yñigo Regis
Nikki Obmasca
This work has won the unprecedented admiration of
*percussionists
the critics and public of Argentina and other South
American countries. It proves that indigenous musical
forms can communicate the highest values of life and Guest Artists
that religious beliefs can be conveyed through a Piano Guitar
April Misa Gonzalo Misa
popular medium of expression.
Marlee Pabico
 Phoebe A. Bitoon graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Music, Major in Choral Conducting from the University of the
Philippines. She recently participated in the International
Congress for Conductors 2018 held in France under the
conductor
scholarship of Noel Minet Foundation. She is currently the
conductor of Himig Roseña, the cultural ambassador for
choral singing of Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati which bagged
the championship of CMLI Voices in Harmony 2016 and had
recently won first runner up in the National Musical
Competition for Young Artists’ Equal Category 2018. She is
also the assistant conductor of Dawani Women’s Choir
She was a guest member of the Ateneo de Manila College
Glee Club from 2007-2011 that qualified for the European
Phoebe Grand Prix. Phoebe was a member of Asia Pacific Youth Choir
Bitoon 2015 that has sung in Milan and 2015 IFCM World Choral Expo
held in Macau. She is a visiting faculty in Philippine High
School for the Arts and the Assistant General Secretary of
Philippine Choral Directors Association. Phoebe also serves as
the resident singer of UP Jazz Ensemble.
Award-winning pianist, April Merced-Misa is an Assistant
Professor at the UP College of Music, and is currently pursuing
her doctoral degree at the PWU.
Ms. Misa has performed as a soloist and collaborative
artist around the Philippines, as well as in Singapore,
pianist
Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Notable performances
include playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto in C Major under
the baton of Maestro Tetsuji Honna at the Main Theater of the
Cultural Center with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra,
as well as solo and ensemble performances at the Haruki
Murakami Festival in Manila, where she shared the stage with
a variety of Japanese world-class musicians. Her composition
for voice and piano “Pag-ibig”, whose lyrics were written by April
renowned writer and poet Dr. Vim Nadera, recently won the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts' Timpalak Misa
Kundiman (Kundiman writing competition).
Gonzalo Misa has performed in festivals such as the 2014
Saigon International Guitar Festival in Vietnam, 2015, 2016 &
2017 Silpakorn International Guitar Festival in Thailand, 2016
Asia International Guitar Festival in Thailand, 2016 & 2017
guitarist
Asia Youth Guitar Camp in Hong Kong, 2018 South East Asia
Guitar Festival in Thailand, and the 2015, 2016 & 2018 Manila
Guitar Festival.
He holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of the
Philippines, and a Master of Music degree from the Philippine
Women's University, where he is currently pursuing his PhD in
Music Performance. His mentors include Jose Valdez, Lester
Demetillo, Benchito Cariño, Angelito Agcaoili, and Ivar Fojas.
He served as chairperson for the Senior Guitar category of the
Gonzalo National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in
2016, and organized the 2017 and 2018 Makiling Music Festival.
Misa
Currently, he is a full-time faculty member of the Music
Program at the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) in
Mt. Makiling, Laguna.
guitarist
Marlee Pabico is a freshman in the bachelor’s program
of the UP College of Music and an alumna of PHSA. As a
solo and ensemble guitarist, she has performed in venues
such as the National Arts Center, Cultural Center of the
Philippines, Ayala Museum, as well as on live radio and
television. She is currently under the tutelage of Sir Lester
Demetillo.
Marlee has also taken part in cultural exchange
Marlee
programs in Kolkata, India and Chang Zhou, China and has
facilitated music appreciation workshops for street
children and urban-poor communities in the Philippines. Pabico
composer
Ariel Ramirez was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, in 1921.
He has specialized in the folklore of his native country and
has made extensive studies of its history and development.
In 1950 he went to Europe to study the folklore of Central
Europe at the Academy of Vienna. He received a fellowship
to the institute of Hispanic Culture in Madrid where he
I.
studied the origins of Argentine music.
The Spanish liturgical text of Misa Criolla is by A.
Kyrie Catena, A. Mayol and J.G. Segade; the English text is by
Louise Dobbs; Padre Jesus Gabriel Segade made the choral Ariel
vidala-baguala arrangements. Ramirez
II.
Eugene holds a degree in Bachelor of Arts, Major in Economics,
Minor in Development Management at the Ateneo de Manila
University. He was the recipient of the Loyola Schools Award for
Gloria the Arts in Music when he graduated in 2009. After graduation, he
carnavalito was selected to be a member and soloist of the World Youth Choir,
which had concert tours in Belgium, France, Germany, and the
tenor
Netherlands for its 2009 summer session.
He had long been the featured tenor soloist of the Ateneo de
Manila College Glee Club, and served as its Assistant Conductor for
Choral Development from 2011 to 2013. Eugene also appeared in
III.
the opera The Magic Flute by W.A. Mozart, and the play Wayside
Cafe by Tony Perez.   
Credo Eugene
Also a creative writer, Eugene is the President of Kataga-
chacarera trunca Soyosa
Manila-South, an organization of writers in the Southern Manila
area, and has won First Prize in the 68th Don Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature for his short story.
He is currently working as a Senior Economist at the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources. He lives in
Taguig City.
IV.
bass-baritone
Sanctus Nil’s Flores graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
degree from the College of the Immaculate Conception (CIC) in
carnaval cochabambino Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija in 2008. He was a member of the
CIC Chorale under the leadership of its conductor, Philippine
Madrigal Singers alumnus, Mr. Alfred Samonte, before he
himself joined the Madz in 2010. He has since then been touring
the world, particularly Europe, Asia, Middle East and the US, as
V. part of the world-renowned semi-circle. 
He has joined in opera productions as “Horace Tabor” in
Agnus Dei Ballad of Baby Doe, “Tutor” in Medea and the recent Noli Me
Tangere The Opera as “Padre Damaso”
carnaval estilo pampeano With music becoming a huge part of his life, he is currently a
Nil's
Flores
BM Voice student of the College of Music in UP Diliman, under
the tutelage of Prof. Cecilia Ongsiako – Valeña.
He is a graduate of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in
MAPEH from the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City and is
currently pursuing his Masters in Music Education with Emphasis
on Choral Conducting at the Philippine Women’s University.
bass-baritone
He has previously worked as conductor of the Ateneo de Manila
High School Glee Club, the Ateneo de Davao University Glee Club,
and most notably, as Assistant Conductor for Choral Development of
the Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club where he was part of 2
European competition and concert tours, a tour in the US, and 4 CD
recordings. He has represented the country several times as member
and soloist of the World Youth Choir during their summer sessions
in China (2008), Canary Islands, Spain (2010), and Norway (2011).
Highlights of which were performances at the opening of the 2008
Beijing Olympics and at the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. He
was also the featured Bass-Baritone soloist at the 37th International
Phoebe Bitoon,conductor Arjay
Bamboo Organ Festival. He also sings with the Time Ensemble – a
Viray 16-member choral collective composed of the finest choristers in the
world – as its only Filipino singer. He is currently the Regional
Representative for Luzon of the NCCA Committee on Music while
also teaching at the Philippine High School for the Arts where he
serves as Adviser of the Junior High School Music Program.
 Acknowledgements
Almighty God
Maria Makiling
Family and Friends V
The Misa Criolla, composed by Ariel Ramirez in 1963, is Vim Nadera (Director IV)
a synthesis of popular and liturgical styles. It is based Ronaldo Abuan (Director III)
on South American folk music, particularly rhythms Arjay Viray
and melodies of Argentina. Gonzalo Misa
April Misa
The opening Kyrie is in the rhythm of the vidala- Phoebe Bitoon
baguala. This music, characteristic of northern Marlee Pabico
Argentina, depicts the feeling of loneliness one has Eugene Soyosa
living on a deserted high plateau. The Gloria rhythm, Nil’s Flores
the carnavalito, is also from the same area but evokes Nicole Adri
the sense of rejoicing implicit in this part of the mass. Maintenance and Staff
The two sections of the Gloria are separated by a
recitative (Yaravi), which makes the cadence of the
carnavalito more brilliant when it returns with a full Performers
rhythmic accompaniment.
Soprano Alto
Jayya Baldo Alyssa Garcia
The chacarera trunca, a folk theme of central
Bea Cena Nikki Obmasca
Argentina, is the basis of the Credo. Its obsessive
KR Cipres Rhoxene Octaviano
rhythm accentuates the profession of faith, and the
Ivanna Cruz Jovelle Ong
section ends with the final words of the prayer, which
Faye Dinglasan Kaya Pabico
reaffirms the triumph of everlasting life.
Lizzie Estrada* Kiara Pascual
Leanne Tavita Juliana Silangcruz
One of the most beautiful and unusual Bolivian folk
rhythms, the carnaval cochabambino, is used for the Tenor Bass
Sanctus. It has subdues but marked beat. The Agnus Julian Bernal Franz Andra*
Dei is written in a typical style of the pampas (estilo Benedict Magboo* Aidan Baracol
pampeano), As in the Kyrie, a feeling of solitude and Zion Montebon Miggy Delos Santos *
distance is created. A simple recitative expresses the EJ Villarin Franz De Ramos *
universal longing for peace. Isaac Montefalcon
Bandurria Yñigo Regis
Nikki Obmasca
This work has won the unprecedented admiration of
*percussionists
the critics and public of Argentina and other South
American countries. It proves that indigenous musical
forms can communicate the highest values of life and Guest Artists
that religious beliefs can be conveyed through a Piano Guitar
April Misa Gonzalo Misa
popular medium of expression.
Marlee Pabico
 Phoebe A. Bitoon graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Music, Major in Choral Conducting from the University of the
Philippines. She recently participated in the International
Congress for Conductors 2018 held in France under the
conductor
scholarship of Noel Minet Foundation. She is currently the
conductor of Himig Roseña, the cultural ambassador for
choral singing of Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati which bagged
the championship of CMLI Voices in Harmony 2016 and had
recently won first runner up in the National Musical
Competition for Young Artists’ Equal Category 2018. She is
also the assistant conductor of Dawani Women’s Choir
She was a guest member of the Ateneo de Manila College
Glee Club from 2007-2011 that qualified for the European
Phoebe Grand Prix. Phoebe was a member of Asia Pacific Youth Choir
Bitoon 2015 that has sung in Milan and 2015 IFCM World Choral Expo
held in Macau. She is a visiting faculty in Philippine High
School for the Arts and the Assistant General Secretary of
Philippine Choral Directors Association. Phoebe also serves as
the resident singer of UP Jazz Ensemble.
Award-winning pianist, April Merced-Misa is an Assistant
Professor at the UP College of Music, and is currently pursuing
her doctoral degree at the PWU.
Ms. Misa has performed as a soloist and collaborative
artist around the Philippines, as well as in Singapore,
pianist
Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Notable performances
include playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto in C Major under
the baton of Maestro Tetsuji Honna at the Main Theater of the
Cultural Center with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra,
as well as solo and ensemble performances at the Haruki
Murakami Festival in Manila, where she shared the stage with
a variety of Japanese world-class musicians. Her composition
for voice and piano “Pag-ibig”, whose lyrics were written by April
renowned writer and poet Dr. Vim Nadera, recently won the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts' Timpalak Misa
Kundiman (Kundiman writing competition).
Gonzalo Misa has performed in festivals such as the 2014
Saigon International Guitar Festival in Vietnam, 2015, 2016 &
2017 Silpakorn International Guitar Festival in Thailand, 2016
Asia International Guitar Festival in Thailand, 2016 & 2017
guitarist
Asia Youth Guitar Camp in Hong Kong, 2018 South East Asia
Guitar Festival in Thailand, and the 2015, 2016 & 2018 Manila
Guitar Festival.
He holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of the
Philippines, and a Master of Music degree from the Philippine
Women's University, where he is currently pursuing his PhD in
Music Performance. His mentors include Jose Valdez, Lester
Demetillo, Benchito Cariño, Angelito Agcaoili, and Ivar Fojas.
He served as chairperson for the Senior Guitar category of the
Gonzalo National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in
2016, and organized the 2017 and 2018 Makiling Music Festival.
Misa
Currently, he is a full-time faculty member of the Music
Program at the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) in
Mt. Makiling, Laguna.
guitarist
Marlee Pabico is a freshman in the bachelor’s program
of the UP College of Music and an alumna of PHSA. As a
solo and ensemble guitarist, she has performed in venues
such as the National Arts Center, Cultural Center of the
Philippines, Ayala Museum, as well as on live radio and
television. She is currently under the tutelage of Sir Lester
Demetillo.
Marlee has also taken part in cultural exchange
Marlee
programs in Kolkata, India and Chang Zhou, China and has
facilitated music appreciation workshops for street
children and urban-poor communities in the Philippines. Pabico
composer
Ariel Ramirez was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, in 1921.
He has specialized in the folklore of his native country and
has made extensive studies of its history and development.
In 1950 he went to Europe to study the folklore of Central
Europe at the Academy of Vienna. He received a fellowship
to the institute of Hispanic Culture in Madrid where he
I.
studied the origins of Argentine music.
The Spanish liturgical text of Misa Criolla is by A.
Kyrie Catena, A. Mayol and J.G. Segade; the English text is by
Louise Dobbs; Padre Jesus Gabriel Segade made the choral Ariel
vidala-baguala arrangements. Ramirez
II.
Eugene holds a degree in Bachelor of Arts, Major in Economics,
Minor in Development Management at the Ateneo de Manila
University. He was the recipient of the Loyola Schools Award for
Gloria the Arts in Music when he graduated in 2009. After graduation, he
carnavalito was selected to be a member and soloist of the World Youth Choir,
which had concert tours in Belgium, France, Germany, and the
tenor
Netherlands for its 2009 summer session.
He had long been the featured tenor soloist of the Ateneo de
Manila College Glee Club, and served as its Assistant Conductor for
Choral Development from 2011 to 2013. Eugene also appeared in
III.
the opera The Magic Flute by W.A. Mozart, and the play Wayside
Cafe by Tony Perez.   
Credo Eugene
Also a creative writer, Eugene is the President of Kataga-
chacarera trunca Soyosa
Manila-South, an organization of writers in the Southern Manila
area, and has won First Prize in the 68th Don Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature for his short story.
He is currently working as a Senior Economist at the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources. He lives in
Taguig City.
IV.
bass-baritone
Sanctus Nil’s Flores graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
degree from the College of the Immaculate Conception (CIC) in
carnaval cochabambino Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija in 2008. He was a member of the
CIC Chorale under the leadership of its conductor, Philippine
Madrigal Singers alumnus, Mr. Alfred Samonte, before he
himself joined the Madz in 2010. He has since then been touring
the world, particularly Europe, Asia, Middle East and the US, as
V. part of the world-renowned semi-circle. 
He has joined in opera productions as “Horace Tabor” in
Agnus Dei Ballad of Baby Doe, “Tutor” in Medea and the recent Noli Me
Tangere The Opera as “Padre Damaso”
carnaval estilo pampeano With music becoming a huge part of his life, he is currently a
Nil's
Flores
BM Voice student of the College of Music in UP Diliman, under
the tutelage of Prof. Cecilia Ongsiako – Valeña.
He is a graduate of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in
MAPEH from the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City and is
currently pursuing his Masters in Music Education with Emphasis
on Choral Conducting at the Philippine Women’s University.
bass-baritone
He has previously worked as conductor of the Ateneo de Manila
High School Glee Club, the Ateneo de Davao University Glee Club,
and most notably, as Assistant Conductor for Choral Development of
the Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club where he was part of 2
European competition and concert tours, a tour in the US, and 4 CD
recordings. He has represented the country several times as member
and soloist of the World Youth Choir during their summer sessions
in China (2008), Canary Islands, Spain (2010), and Norway (2011).
Highlights of which were performances at the opening of the 2008
Beijing Olympics and at the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. He
was also the featured Bass-Baritone soloist at the 37th International
Phoebe Bitoon,conductor Arjay
Bamboo Organ Festival. He also sings with the Time Ensemble – a
Viray 16-member choral collective composed of the finest choristers in the
world – as its only Filipino singer. He is currently the Regional
Representative for Luzon of the NCCA Committee on Music while
also teaching at the Philippine High School for the Arts where he
serves as Adviser of the Junior High School Music Program.