Artistic Council
He graduated BA Theater Arts and Master of Public Administration from the University of the Philippines and has served on the faculty of various universities and colleges. He has held management positions in government agencies and cultural organizations, including Technical Director, Theater Operations Manager, Associate Artistic Director and Assistant Vice President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP); Executive Director of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB); Artistic Director of Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), the CCP’s resident theater company; and President of the Philippine Legitimate Artists Group (PHILSTAGE).
He observed theater and film practices in Russia, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Canada, including attachments and residencies at the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, Royal Opera House, English National Opera, The Banff Centre, the Shaw Festival Theatre, the Harbourfront Centre, and the National Film Board of Canada. He was awarded the Gawad Buhay for Outstanding Direction of a Play for “Ang Pag-uusig.” He served as Festival Director for Virgin Labfest 3 and 4 and directed Reuel Molina Aguila’s “Isa Pang Soap Opera” for VLF 8 and Raymund Reyes’s
“Ang Naghihingalo” for VLF 10 and 11, as well as various stage readings through the years. Currently, he is the Adviser of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company and Mapua Tekno Teatro, and the Program Head for Theater Arts of the Meridian International (MINT) College of Business, Arts and Technology. With over 800 credits in theater and other live events, film and television, he continues to mentor young artists while finding time for his creative pursuits.
Dennis Marasigan
Artistic Director
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 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.
Mark Anthony A. Carpio
Artistic Director
Joey G. Vargas finished his bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts, major in Writing, at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and later gained some units under the MA Theater Arts program of the University of the Philippines in Diliman. He taught speech, writing, and theater subjects in the university. He has given various lectures and workshops on communication, teaching, literature, music, and theater. An alumnus of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, he also mentors various choristers in the country. Some of his poems have been made into songs performed during significant events such as the AOV International Choral Festival, the Asia Choral Grand Prix, the National Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA), the Cultural Center of the Philippines Golden Anniversary celebration, among others. He has managed a number of groups and companies and directed various concerts and festivals. He currently sits as the Creative Director of the Philippine Madrigal Singers.