The Choirmaster

Mark graduated from the University of the Philippines where he earned his Master’s degree in Choral Conducting and his Bachelor’s degree in Piano. 

In 2001, Prof. Andrea O. Veneracion, founder of the Philippine Madrigal Singers and Philippine National Artist for Music, chose him to succeed her as choirmaster of the group. Since then, he has continuously led the already much-awarded choir to even greater heights, including placing first in several prestigious choral competitions, such as the Certámen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonia (Torrevieja, Spain, 2004), the 35th Florilege Vocal de Tours, France (2006), the 19th European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (Arrezo, Italy, 2007), and recently, the 64th Concorso Polifonico Guido d’Arezzo (Arezzo, Italy, 2016), making them qualify for the 29th European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (Tolosa, Spain, 2017).

Mark has been frequently invited to give keynote addresses by prestigious international choral organizations such as the Singapore International Choral Festival, Satya Dharma Gita Choir Festival (Indonesia), Busan Choral Festival & Competition (Korea), Taiwan Choral Association, St. Angela Children and Youth Choir Festival (Indonesia), Belt and Road World Choir Festival (Hong Kong), The National Collegiate Choral Organization National Conference (Louisiana, USA), Festival 500 Sharing The Voices (Canada), Lithuanian Conductors Summer Academy (Latvia), and the Cantus Angelicus, Festival of Choirs (Malaysia). Mark has given online workshops for the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra, the University of Arizona ACDA Chapter, the Coral Brahms Colombia, Bridge Choral Collective Canada, and the University of Minnesota Duluth.

In the Philippines, he regularly collaborates with the Philippine Choral Directors Association, the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, for music and choral education programs. He heads the Andrea O. Veneracion Sing Philippines Foundation, which  spearheads choral music development initiatives including the Sing Philippines Youth Choir, whose singers come from all over the country.

Mark has adjudicated in different choral festivals and competitions around the world, including Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Italy and Latvia. Locally, he has been the chairman of the board of jurors of the biennial Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival and
the 1st Asia Choral Grand Prix (2019). He has also been invited as  guest conductor of the Crystal Children’s Choir (Taiwan), Taipei Ladies Singers, Taipei Philharmonic Youth Choir and the 1st Indonesia Youth Choir. Most recently, he conducted the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra with a chorus of 200 singers in a performance of Handel’s Messiah 

He also directs the Pansol Choir, a community and church-based choral group who is the resident choir of the Parish of Sta. Maria Della Strada in Quezon City. In addition, he is also the Artistic Director of the Consortium of Voices, a choral society of young choristers, consisting of the Kilyawan Boys Choir, Kilyawan Male Choir and the Voces Auroræ Girls Choir.