CANTUS (USA)

The “intellectually, emotionally and musically rich” (Star Tribune) nine-member men’s vocal ensemble Cantus is known worldwide for its trademark warmth and blend and its engaging performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century. Working without a conductor, the members of Cantus rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing to the entirety of the artistic process. The Washington Post hails the ensemble’s sound as having both “exalting finesse” and “expressive power” and refers to their music-making as “spontaneous grace.” Cantus performs more than 60 concerts each year both in national and international touring, as well as in its home of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota and has released 17 albums on its own self-titled label. Past performances have brought Cantus to the stages of Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, UCLA, San Francisco Performances, Atlanta’s Spivey Hall and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. The 2015-2016 season sees Cantus perform twice in New York with the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts and Music Mondays, and in Denver, Tucson, Detroit and Washington D.C. at the National Gallery of Art among numerous other North American engagements. The ensemble will make its first visit to Colombia, South America in September 2015. Each year the artists of Cantus share their own love of singing with thousands of students through workshops and master classes to ensure the future of choral arts.

ALERON (PHILIPPINES)

ALERON first came into existence in 2006 as the alumni ensemble of the Ateneo de Manila High School Glee Club under the musical direction of Christopher Ong Arceo. Today, the group is composed of male choristers from different backgrounds. ALERON has recently been making waves in the Philippine choral scene, most notably with its First Prize distinction in the Vocal Ensemble Category of the 1st Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival, Manila in August 2013, serving as the group's very first win in an international choral competition. In the following year, on the occasion of its maiden voyage overseas, it won the Gold Prize for the Classical Equal Voices Category and was declared over-all Grand Prix winner of the 10th Busan Choral Festival & Competition held in Busan, South Korea in October 2014. In 2015, ALERON participated in its first masterclass conducted by the world-renowned King’s Singers from the United Kingdom. Following this, ALERON travelled to Takarazuka, Japan to compete at the 31st Takarazuka International Chamber Chorus Contest where it was declared Overall Winner of the competition, also bagging Gold Prizes in both the Folklore and Contemporary Categories. It is the first Filipino choir in the history of this competition to be declared overall winner. In August of the same year, ALERON performed as the male chorus in the concert-format production of Gioacchino Rossini’s La Cenerentola held at the Meralco Theater, under the baton of Maestro Darrell Ang. ALERON was invited as a featured choir at the 11th World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona, Spain in July 2017.

Uangel Voice(KOREA)

Uangel Voice is a fresh classical music group that was formed with hopes of moving the hearts of people worldwide. As a result of their hard work, Uangel Voice was awarded 4 stars by the Herald for their dazzling performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe International Concert in 2010. In August 2015, Uangel Voice held a concert to celebarte the launching of the National Unification Advisory Council Africa and Middle East Chapter and a classical music concert to improve friendship between Korea and Cambodia through invitation by the Cambodian Royal Family. Inaddition, under the theme of 'Spirit of Korea', a fantastic male fan dance was presented to the audience during Korea Fantasy performance with LAKMA Choral & Orchestra and Yong Angeles Choral held in a celebratory music concert for the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Liberation of the Republic of Korea at Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA. Uangel Voice also participated in the reception performance for a national holiday event for 2015 in Singapore by representing Korea. It received praises from the audience by singing the national anthems of Singapore and Korea. In 2016, Uangel Voice appeared at a KBS TV show, 'The Concert' and also performed in Malaysia. In July, during a tour in the US, they performed again at Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA as its first steps towards entering the US stage.