The Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club - Jesuitenmission

The Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club
established 1921
The Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club (ACGC) has distinguished itself as the oldest university chorale
in the Philippines. It has then grown to establish itself as a world-renowned and multi-awarded choir. The
ACGC has also accomplished the release of several albums boasting a wide repertoire of songs from
Classical to OPM (Original Pinoy Music) and Sacred to Folk Music. The ACGC strives for choral
excellence for the glory of God and to serve the nation through their songs.
Tracing its beginnings to the year 1921, the ACGC was formed to answer the need for liturgical music in
San Ignacio Church, in Manila. And ever since the Ateneo de Manila University became co-educational
in 1974, the choir has been lead by able conductors to evolve into a mixed-choir and to expand their
repertoire.
The choir has pioneered many firsts as a Filipino chorale group and as a student organization. Locally,
they have triumphed in numerous competitions, including the National Music Competitions for Young
Artists (NAMCYA). The ACGC has then on proudly carried the name of the Philippines during their
International Tours in Europe, Asia, and North America.
At the turn of the new millennium (2000), long-time conductor Joel Navarro and guest conductor
Jonathan Velasco, both distinguished in the choral community as top-notch conductors, shared the baton.
The ACGC raised the Philippine flag in Europe by bagging the top prizes in Maribor, Slovenia (2000);
Riva del Garda, Italy (2000); Cork, Ireland (2000); Tolosa, Spain (2000), and Tours, France (2000). Their
success in Tours, France gave them eligibility to participate in the European Grand Prix for Choral
Singing at Debrecen, Hungary in 2001.
Professor Maria Lourdes V. Hermo now leads the ACGC as the group’s first female conductor. Under her
leadership, the group has released two commercial recordings. This includes the album Tayo’y Mga
Pinoy, which features Filipino heritage and culture with Philippine folk and pop music. Representing the
Philippines in Europe, the group participated in numerous European competitions in 2006, where they
swept all prizes in Miltenberg, Germany and garnered high awards in Arezzo, Italy. Two other
accomplishments under Professor Hermo are the successful Journey to the Cross tour of Guam in the
summer of 2009, and the recent Magis tour of Davao, in the Philippine Island of Mindanao.
In light of the ACGC’s upcoming 90th season, the group reflects on its past accomplishments and looks
towards its future plans on its role in building the nation. The ACGC hopes to continue raising awareness
about Philippine culture through choral excellence and to also be relevant to the audience by capturing
their hearts and by adapting to the changing times.

Prof. Maria Lourdes Venida-Hermo
Choirmaster
Maria Lourdes Venida-Hermo is a professor of music at the St. Scholastica’s College, Manila (SSC). She
handles Choral Conducting, Music Theory, and Chorus classes, both in the undergraduate and graduate
programs therein. Formerly, she was a faculty member of the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music for
almost fifteen years.
Professor Hermo completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Choral Conducting at the University
of the Philippines in 1983 and 1998, respectively. She will forever be grateful to Professors A.O.
Veneracion and the late R. T. Paguio, Dr. F.F. Feliciano, and Mr. M. Behrman for their unselfish
mentoring.
In between her academic calendar and conducting responsibilities, Professor Hermo is often called upon
to adjudicate regularly in choir competitions of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists
(NAMCYA) and conduct choral clinics in its outreach programs, including workshops for the Kodaly
Society of the Philippines and the Philippine Society of Music Educators. Currently, she sits as the Vice-
President of the newly established Philippine Choral Directors Association (PCDA).
Often referred to as the “first woman choirmaster” of the Ateneo College Glee Club (ACGC), Professor
Hermo has worked with the undergraduate choir since 2002. Her direction of the group, where she is
known more comfortably as “Ma’am Malou,” has produced its own share of happy successes in the
choir’s long history. Most memorable among these are the much-applauded U.S. concert tour of 2004 and
the European competition and concert tour of 2006, where the ACGC garnered major awards in
Miltenberg, Germany and Arezzo, Italy.

Journey to the Cross and the Resurrection
Guam Concert Tour 2009
List of Achievements and Awards
Tayo’y Mga Pinoy: A Tribute to the Filipino Artist (Self-Produced)
CD Recording 2008
Tagumpay Nating Lahat (JB-Music)
Tour CD Recording 2006
Lux Oriens
European Concert and Competition Tour 2006
6. Internationalen Chorwettbewerb 2006 – Miltenberg, Germany
o Gold Diploma and First Place, Polyphonic Category
o Best Interpretation of the Compulsory Piece
o Public's Prize - Folklore, Spiritual and Jazz Category
54th International Guido d'Arezzo Polyphonic Competition – Arrezo, Italy
o 1 st Prize, Romantic Category
o 2 nd Prize, Polyphonic Category
o Public’s Prize, Folk Category
Muling Pag-awit
United States of America Concert Tour 2004
ALIW Awards – Manila, Philippines (2001)
Best Choral Group
Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club (JB-Music)
Tour CD Recording 2001
European Concert and Competition Tour 2001
European Grand Prix for Choral Singing – Debrecen, Hungary
International Chamber Choir Competition – Marktoberdorf, Germany
o 1 st Prize, Mixed Choir Category
o Best Interpretation of a Religious Piece
Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club (JB-Music)
Tour CD Recording 2000
European Concert and Competition Tour 2000
Tolosa Choral Contest – Tolosa, Spain
o 1 st Prize, Mixed Choirs Polyphony
o 2 nd Prize, Mixed Choirs Polyphony
o 2 nd Prize, Vocal Groups Sacred Music
o 2 nd Prize, Vocal Groups Profane
o Public’s Prize

29ème Florilège Vocal de Tours – Tours, France
o Grand Prize
o 1 st Prize, Mixed Choirs Category
o 1 st Prize, Programe Libre
o Special Prize
47th Cork International Choral Festival – Cork, Ireland
o Grand Prize
6 th Concorso Corale Internazionale – Riva del Garda, Italy
o Best in Sacred Music
o Best in Mixed Choirs Category
Mednarodno Zborovsko Tekmovanje – Maribor, Slovenia
o 1 st Prize and Gold Medal, Choral Singing Category
o 1 st Prize and Gold Medal, Folkloric Category
An Offering: The Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club (Self-Produced)
CD Recording 1999
Guam Tour 1999
National Tour 1998
Guam & North American Concert Tour 1997
Katha Awards – Manila, Philippines (1996)
Best Rendition of a Traditional Song (Lagi Kitang Naaalala)
Best Traditional Music Album (Lahi: The Filipino Sings from the Heart)
Lahi: The Filipino Sings from the Heart (Bookmark, Inc.)
CD Recording 1995
Langit: The Filipino Sings of Faith (Bookmark, Inc.)
CD Recording 1994
European Concert and Competition Tour 1989
Best Choir at International Chant Chorale – Nancy, France
Best Choir at Ente Ressegne Musicale – Loreto, Italy
First non-Italian choir to sing at the General Assembly of the Pope John Paul II – Rome, Italy
European Concert and Competition Tour 1983
Fifth Prize at Olympics of Choral Singing – Arezzo, Italy
Fourth Prize at Festiva de Musica – Cantonigros, Spain
1 st Prize, National Music Competition for Young Artists – Manila, Philippines (1980)