Janet Sabas Aracama, mezzo soprano

Prof. Janet Sabas Aracama studied at the St. Theresa's College in Quezon City for her elementary and secondary education. She has earned her Bachelor's and Master's degree in Music at the University of the Philippines College of Music as a Choral Conducting major and minor in Voice and Ethnomusicology.

Some of her mentors include, Dean Rey T. Paguio in conducting, Josie Bailen, Fides Asensio and Elmo Makil in Voice. She has started teaching as a lecturer and served the University of the Philippines System through the Conducting and Voice department since 1986. She is Associate Professor III, full time and Chairman of the Conducting Department.

Her first experience on stage was as a dancer of Radaic's Dance Theatre Philippines, and at a young age of 15 was selected to represent the Philippines in the 1975 Aberdeen Youth Festival for the Performing Arts in Aberdeen, Scotland.

She has brought honor to the Conducting Department of the College of Music through her leadership by training College of Music Chorus Classes into a major performing group now sought after by many local and international conductors to perform large works as Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Handel's "Messiah", Orff's "Carmina Burana", Rossini's "Stabat Mater", Stravinsky's "Les Noces" and other major choral works produced by the National Commission in Culture the Arts in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

She was an alto soloist and assistant conductor, one-time choreographer of the UP Concert Chorus from 1976 - 1986, a veteran of six (6) world tours of which they won First, and Third Prizes in international competitions in Spittal, Austria; Polheim, Germany; The Hague, Netherlands, Mainhausen, Germany; Arezzo, Italy; Llangollen, Wales; and Cantonigros, Spain.
As a Vocal Soloist, she has been a regular guest of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the Las Piñas Bamboo Festival for their concert seasons.

In 1982, she won as "Best Alto Soloist" in the Manila Symphony Society sponsored vocal competition performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony," Ode To Joy". She is also a versatile singer, performing with ease, a varied repertoire of opera, art songs to broadway, gospel, soul and jazz and Original Pilipino Music (O.P.M.).

Her debut in opera stage was opera chorus in "Tosca" at the Cultural Center of the Philippines with no less than Placido Domingo, Eva Marton and Justino Diaz as leads with the famous San Francisco Opera Chorus and Orchestra conducted by Kurt Adler.

As Vocal Instructor, sought after by the local and foreign music theatre scene as a performer and vocal coach to many famous theatre and pop artists. She has played the roles of Suzuki in Puccini's Madame Butterfly, Katisha in Gilbert Sullivan's Mikado, Bloody Mary in Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific and many more.

She has coached and trained many musicals for Repertory Philippines, New Voice Company and Chase's International's tribute to Boublil and Schonberg (composers of Miss Saigon and Les Miserables) concert at the CCP featuring the cast performers of Miss Saigon in London, Germany and Australia.

She was also a Christian Worker serving at the Greenhills Christian Fellowship Worship and Music Ministry as Conductor of the Chancel Choir and Harvest Evangelistic Music Team. She also directs the Learning Treets Children's Choir of the Learning Tree Grade School.

In November 26,1999, she was elected and appointed by the University to be conductor of the famous University of the Philippines Concert Chorus, filling the shoes of the late Dean Rey T. Paguio.

Since then led the UP Concert Chorus with great determination, authority, leadership and with high choral musicianship, bringing honor and pride to the university and our country in their Millennium International Tour 2000 to the USA and Europe and the 15th International Tour "Hinabing Himig", 2003 winning 3 golds at the Mainhausen Choral Competition, Germany and Premio Publicco in Arezzo, Italy.