Kinder- und Jugendchor Baao, Philippines
Philippine choirs are known for their high quality. Inspired by these successes, the Children and Youth Choir from the city of Baao also aims to promote and preserve Philippine choral culture. As a result, the ensemble is one of the best youth choirs in the country. The choir that exists today was founded in 2014, combining the Baao Children’s Choir and the Baao Youth Choir. The young singers regularly experience great success on their long and far-flung concert tours. These have taken the choir to Mexico, South Korea, Great Britain, and the USA, among other places. There they won numerous prizes at competitions and festivals and enchanted the audience with Filipino choral music. In 2022, the choir was awarded the HIYAS Award, which supports cultural workers on the largest Philippine island of Luzon. Since the re-formation of the choir in 2014, it has been under the direction of Hermelino Briones, who was working as an assistant and voice coach for the choir beforehand. In addition to the Baao Children’s and Youth Choir, he also directs the Camarines Sur Province Teachers’ Choir.