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UST Singers University of Santo Tomas Singers UST, Manila, Philippines

Founded in 1992, the University of Santo Tomas Singers, under the baton of its founder and conductor, Prof. Fidel Gener Calalang Jr., is the University's premiere mixed choral ensemble composed of a select group of students and alumni representing the different colleges and faculties of Asia's oldest university, the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas. The UST Singers has distinctively exhibited the outstanding musicality of the Filipinos, which has been made known through its performances and achievements from around the globe. It was during the incumbency of the university rector, Fr. Rolando V. Dela Rosa, O.P., who has continually been at the forefront of pursuing the mission of the choir, when the Singers took on its first international sojourn.

Since 1993, the group has represented the Philippines in twenty three (23) international contests in GORIZIA and AREZZO, ITALY; TOURS, FRANCE; TOLOSA, CANTONIGROS and TORREVIEJA, SPAIN; LINDENHOLZHAUSEN and MILTENBERG, GERMANY; MIEDZYZDROJE and SOPOT, POLAND; SPITTAL, AUSTRIA; OLOMOUC, CZECH REPUBLIC; MONSTER, the NETHERLANDS; CORK, IRELAND; BANGOR, NORTHERN IRELAND; LLANGOLLEN, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM; SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; YEOSU, SOUTH KOREA; and FLORENCE, ITALY.

Over the years, the choir's wide exposure and maintained high standards have also constantly increased invitations for performances and participations in international choral festivals such as the Festival Coral Internacional de Alava and Jornadas Internacionales de Musica Coral de Caja de Burgos, Maig Coral in Barcelona, Spain; Festival Mundial de Coros in Puebla, Mexico; Choral Fetes Brive, France; the Taipei Philharmonic Festival in Taiwan; Polyfollia International Festival for Choral Singing in Normandie, France; International Festival of the Choral Art in Jihlava, Czech Republic; 2000 Hannover World Expo; 2008 Zaragoza World Expo; "STIMMEN" Llorach International Music Festival Llorach, Germany; Festival International de Canto Coral Catalunya Centre, Spain; 2nd International Choral Festival Koper, Slovenia; Daejeon International Choral Festival, South Korea; and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, among others.

Travel has become an essential part of its existence and the Singers have always fulfilled its noble responsibilities as Cultural Ambassadors of Goodwill of the Philippines. The choir's mission to promote the Philippines and its wondrous cultural heritage overseas has been continuously realized through its international tours. The UST Singers has sung for Pope John Paul II, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Ubolratna Rajakanya of Thailand, Luciano Pavarotti, Pope Benedict XVI, President Juan Jose Ibarretxe of the Basque Autonomous Community, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Polish President Lech Walesa, Philippine Presidents; Corazon Aquino, Joseph Estrada, Diosdado Macapagal, Fidel Ramos, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III, bringing joy to the myriad of Filipino communities worldwide.

A few artists that made noteworthy concert collaborations with the UST Singers are the University of Utah Singers, the APZ Tone Tomsic of Slovenia, the Suwon Civic Choir of South Korea, the Academic Choir of Adam Mickiewicz University of Poland, the Kantilena of Czech Republic, the Junges Vocal Ensemble Hannover, Cantabile Limburg, and Renner Ensemble of Germany, and the Singapore Youth Choir among others. The choir also worked with conductors Ruggiero Barbieri, Jae Joon Lee, and Robert Ryker in the Cultural Center of the Philippines' production of Rendezvous in Venice (1997), Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (2009), Karl Jenkins' Requiem (2010), La Traviata (2012), and The Barber of Seville (2012).

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