Eudenice Palaruan
Eudenice V. Palaruan is a Filipino conductor, composer, music educator. Palaruan is one of the Philippines' most esteemed church musician in the area of choral music. As a choral artist, he has worked with the Philippines' top groups. His compositions and arrangements are highly sought after. He taught at the University of the Philippines College of Music in Diliman, Quezon City, and at St. Paul University Manila, and served as the music director at the Union Church of Manila. He was also involved in early music performance practice as a countertenor with the Berlin Monteverdi Chor in Germany  and the Villancico Vocal Ensemble at the International Bamboo Organ Festival in the Philippines. As a conductor he was a music director of the Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club, assistant choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers under Andrea Veneracion, principal conductor of the San Miguel Master Chorale and the Union Church of Manila Chancel Choir. He was the resident conductor of the International Bamboo Organ Festival where he directed Philippines’ leading choirs in the performance of early European music and the revival of Latin American baroque music. As a composer and arranger, Palaruan writes contest pieces for choral competitions  including the 2019 Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Competition in Manila. His composition style uses vocal tapestry by incorporating Asian speech sounds. Some of his widely used works are Gapas (Harvest), Koyu No Tebulul (Bird Song), Pasigin (Fishing Song). Eudenice is the Choral Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 2017 and is concurrently an associate professor at the School of Church Music in the Singapore Bible College. Early life and education. Palaruan was born July 3, 1968, in his mother's home town in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, in the Philippines. He grew up in his father's home town  in Lawig, Lamut, Ifugao, Philippines. His training in music formally began at the Philippine High School for the Arts where he majored in voice and piano. He studied composition under the National Artist - Dr. Ramon Santos, voice under National Artist - Andrea O. Veneracion, and conducting under Joel Navarro at the University of the Philippines College of Music, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in choral conducting. From 1994 to 1997, he took further studies in conducting pedagogy at the Berliner Kirchenmusikschule in Germany under Prof. Martin Behrmann. Career. Palaruan started taking his first major steps in his career at  an early age. In his teenage years, he joined the Philippine Madrigal Singers where he eventually became assistant choirmaster. He also performed under Dr. Joel Navarro with the Ateneo College Glee Club where he also became assistant conductor and, from 1991 to 1994, served as music director. From 1991 to 1993, he taught at the music department at Sta Isabel College. He became faculty member at the Asian Institute of Liturgy and Music (AILM) from 1990 to 1993, and 1998 to 2004 when he also handled the AILM Chorale – Asian Ensemble. In 1992, he joined the World Youth Choir when  the group performed in an Olympic Gala at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. During his years in Germany, he also served as music director at the Baptist Church in Spandau Berlin, Germany (1995 to 1998). From 1999 to 2004, he served as the choir director of the Chancel Choir of the 7000-member Greenhills Christian Fellowship in Ortigas Center, Pasig. In 2004, he was appointed as principal conductor of the San Miguel Master Chorale, the Philippines' first professional choir. Under his direction, the choir performed at the 7th World Symposium on Choral Music (2005) in Kyoto, Japan. In  the same critically acclaimed performance, the San Miguel Master Chorale also premiered Palaruan's compositions "Gapas" and "Infaag" of a "Pundayaw" (Praise) series. Personal life. Eudenice Palaruan is married to Emily Ann Palaruan with whom he has three children.