Joel Magus P. Navarro (born 1955) is a Filipino-American conductor and music educator. He is one of the Philippines' most esteemed choral conductors. He is also a composer, singer, arranger, choral clinician, writer, producer, music minister,  and book editor. Joel Navarro's training as a choral artist began in his grade school years when he sang as a choir boy, first with Prof. Flora Zarco Rivera, who conducted his grade school choir; and then with Dr. Romulo Pizaña, his maternal uncle, who conducted his church choir. He attributes his musical inclinations to the nurture of very musical parents and relatives who were members of the church choir . Joel Navarro moved to the United States of America in 2001 to do his doctoral studies in music conducting at Michigan State University. He was subsequently hired by Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2002. He became tenured in 2007, and was promoted to full professor in September 2012. Concurrent with his teaching post at the College, he served part-time as Music Minister at Hope Reformed Church, Grand Rapids from 2002-2008. He served part-time as Music Minister of the Basic English Service at Church of the Servant Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan from 2012-2014. He moved to Singapore in June 2014 to teach and administer the graduate choral conducting program in church music at Singapore Bible College. He is presently Lecturer and Professor of Music . Personal life He is married to the former Maria Divina Amor Pascual (Amy). They have three children: Katrina Rachel, a former English teacher, and works currently as a writer and content specialist in the Philippines; Paolo Emmanuel, an environmental graphic arts designer based in Calgary, Alberta (Canada); and Jerome David, a Civil and Environmental Engineering major at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan (U.S.A.). He has two grandchildren, Lucia Eliana and Penelope June . He has also earned honor with The Capella of Calvin College . Under his direction, The Capella gave many acclaimed performances regionally and internationally. In 2008, he led the choir to two 3rd prizes at the Florilège Vocal de Tours international choral competition in Tours, France. Since The Capella's inception in 1935, Navarro is only the fourth in the succession of full-time conductors of The Capella after Seymour Swets, Howard Slenk, and Merle Mustert. Dr. Pearl Shangkuan succeeded him in the Fall of 2014 as the fifth conductor and the first female conductor of The Capella. At Calvin College , Navarro also directed the Campus Choir which partners yearly with The Women's Chorale of Calvin College (Pearl Shangkuan, director) in the Advent Service of Lessons and Carols held at the La Grave Christian Reformed Church in downtown Grand Rapids. The third choir he directed was the Calvin Oratorio Society, a community choir composed of students, faculty, alumni, and friends of Calvin College. From 2003-2014, Navarro conducted the annual Handel's Messiah, accompanied by the Calvin Orchestra and which featured professional soloists. He is succeeded by composer-conductor Sean Ivory in both choirs. He currently directs the SBC Canticorum (a community choir) and the SBC Chorale, succeeding his predecessors Rev. Lee Chong Min and Dr. Virginia Tsai.  Educator Joel was an assistant professor and a former chair of the Conducting and Choral Ensemble Department at the University of the Philippines College of Music. He served there from 1985-2001. He was also vice-chairman of the Philippine Federation for Choral Music, and was main consultant for the College Choir Category of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists  . He also had brief several teaching stints at Santa Isabel University, FEBIAS College of Bible, and at the International School Manila. There, he conducted choirs and taught conducting, music theory, and I.B. Music subjects. He is regularly invited in Southeast Asia to give workshops and seminars in choral conducting, church music and hymnody, Philippine choral music, and choral music in general. In August 2002, he gave a lecture at the World Symposium of Choral Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His article The State of Philippine Choral Music Today has been published on the International Choral Bulletin. He contributed a chapter in Dr. Anne Kwantes' book Chapters in Philippine Church History.  At Calvin College , Navarro was tenured in 2007 and was promoted to Full Professor of Music in 2012. There he has taught choirs, conducting, and Vocal-Choral Pedagogy. At Singapore Bible College where his current post began in July 2014, Joel is currently a Professor and Lecturer and conducts the SBC Chorale and SBC Canticorum. He also teaches graduate courses in advanced conducting, instrumental conducting, rehearsal technique,  choral literature,  choral methods, vocal-choral pedagogy, score study and interpretation, and conducting  recital. Navarro also teaches for the Bandung Theological Seminary which, in cooperation with SBC, offers the Master of Ministry in Worship and Music Leadership.
Joel Magus P. Navarro (born 1955) is a Filipino-American conductor and music educator. He is one of the Philippines' most esteemed choral conductors. He is also a composer, singer, arranger, choral clinician, writer, producer, music minister, author, and book editor. Joel Navarro's training as a choral artist began in his grade school years when he sang as a choir boy, first with Prof. Flora Zarco Rivera, who conducted his grade school choir; and then with Dr. Romulo Pizaña, his maternal uncle, who conducted their church choir. He attributes his musical inclinations to the nurture of very musical parents and relatives . Joel Navarro moved to the United States of America in 2001 to do his doctoral studies in music conducting at Michigan State University. He was subsequently hired by Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2002. He became tenured in 2007, and was promoted to full professor in September 2012. Concurrent with his teaching post at the College, he served part-time as Music Minister at Hope Reformed Church, Grand Rapids from 2002-2008. He served part-time as Music Minister of the Basic English Service at Church of the Servant Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan from 2012-2014. He moved to Singapore in June 2014 to teach and administer the graduate choral conducting program in church music at Singapore Bible College. He retired from full-time teaching at S.B.C. last November 30, 2020 and moved back to Manila, Philippines where he will teach online courses as an adjunct lecturer . Personal life He is married to the former Maria Divina Amor Pascual (Amy). They have three children: Katrina Rachel, a former English teacher, and works currently as a writer and content specialist in the Philippines; Paolo Emmanuel, an environmental graphic arts designer based in Calgary, Alberta (Canada); and Jerome David, a Civil and Environmental Engineering major at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan (U.S.A.). He has three grandchildren, Lucia Eliana , Penelope June, and Lily May . He has also earned honor with The Capella of Calvin University . Under his direction, The Capella gave many acclaimed performances regionally and internationally. In 2008, he led the choir to two 3rd prizes at the Florilège Vocal de Tours international choral competition in Tours, France. Since The Capella's inception in 1935, Navarro is only the fourth in the succession of full-time conductors of The Capella after Seymour Swets, Howard Slenk, and Merle Mustert. Dr. Pearl Shangkuan succeeded him in the Fall of 2014 as the fifth conductor and the first female conductor of The Capella. At Calvin University , Navarro also directed the Campus Choir which partners yearly with The Women's Chorale (Pearl Shangkuan, director) in the Advent Service of Lessons and Carols held at the La Grave Christian Reformed Church in downtown Grand Rapids. The third choir he directed was the Calvin Oratorio Society, a community choir composed of students, faculty, alumni, and friends of Calvin College. From 2003-2014, Navarro conducted the annual Handel's Messiah, accompanied by the Calvin Orchestra and which featured professional soloists. He was succeeded by composer-conductor Sean Ivory in both choirs. At S.B.C. he directed the SBC Canticorum (a community choir) and the SBC Chorale, succeeding his predecessors Rev. Lee Chong Min and Dr. Virginia Tsai. While at Singapore, he also conducted the PsalmiDeo Chorale, a choir of Filipino professionals. In 2017, he was selected to be the choirmaster of the Bandung Philharmonic under Maestro Robert Nordling. Educator Joel was an assistant professor and a former chair of the Conducting and Choral Ensemble Department at the University of the Philippines College of Music. He served there from 1985-2001. He was also vice-chairman of the Philippine Federation for Choral Music, and was main consultant for the College Choir Category of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists Foundation, National Music Competitions for Young Artists . He also had brief several teaching stints at Santa Isabel University, FEBIAS College of Bible, and at the International School Manila. There, he conducted choirs and taught conducting, music theory, and I.B. Music subjects. He is regularly invited in Southeast Asia to give workshops and seminars in choral conducting, church music and hymnody, Philippine choral music, and choral music in general. In August 2002, he gave a lecture at the World Symposium of Choral Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His article The State of Philippine Choral Music Today has been published on the International Choral Bulletin. He contributed a chapter in Dr. Anne Kwantes' book Chapters in Philippine Church History. In August 2020, his book, INSPIRARE: Breathing Life Into Our Music, A Manual for Church Choir Conductors in Asia, was published by Sonata Music of Singapore. At Calvin University , Navarro was tenured in 2007 and was promoted to Full Professor of Music in 2012. There he has taught choirs, conducting, and Vocal-Choral Pedagogy. At Singapore Bible College where his current post began in July 2014, Joel was Professor and Lecturer and conducted the SBC Chorale and SBC Canticorum. He also taught graduate courses in advanced conducting, instrumental conducting, rehearsal technique, diction, choral literature, vocal literature, choral methods, vocal-choral pedagogy, score study and interpretation, and conducting studio, and conducting recital. Navarro also taught for the Bandung Theological Seminary which, in cooperation with SBC, offers the Master of Ministry in Worship and Music Leadership.
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