The Las Piñas Boys Choir, a well-known group of young singing boys proud to be identified as one of the few surviving “Boys Choir” in the Philippines, was founded in 1969 by Fr. Leo Reiner for the purpose of having a group of young voices sing at church services. Composed of young boys between the ages of 8 and 15, they are enrolled at St. Joseph’s Academy where they enjoy academic scholarships and are directly exposed to the cultural activities offered in and out of the institution. The group has established themselves not only in the cultural and musical inheritance of our country but also in the local and international music scenes.
In 1974, the group earned first place in the Third National Competition of Children’s Choir and received regular invitations at Malacañang Palace. They joined in performances and productions at the Cultural Center of the Philippines such as Berstein’s Mass (1976), Brahms’ Requiem (1978), Puccini’s La Tosca with the San Francisco Opera (1979), Mozart’s Magic Flute with the Opera Company of Boston (1983), Bizet’s Carmen (1985) and Britten’s War Requiem (1992). In 1989, 3 members of the choir were selected to join “The World’s Little Singers” in Paris.
Several former members have chosen a career in music here and abroad. Among them is Cealwyn Tagle, the first and only pipe organ builder in the Philippines, and Professor Armando Salarza, who became the conductor and musical director of the Las Piñas Boys Choir in 2003. Under his guidance, the choir bagged first place in the Vivere Choral Competition in 2005 and got nominated twice as Best Chorale Group in 2005, 2006 & 2007 Aliw Awards. They were also declared World Champions in the 5thWorld Choir Games held at Graz, Austria in 2008 for the Children’s Choir Category and was awarded a Silver Medal for the Musica Sacra. In November 2015, the choir performed during the concluding rites of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation held at the Philippine International Convention Center and was invited to perform at the Gala Dinner of the ASEAN 50 last November 2017.
In 2019, as part of the choir’s 50th anniversary, they were invited to perform in Samar, as well as in a series of outreach concerts in Dumaguete and other Negros Oriental provinces.
The existence of the choir is also closely connected with the presence of the world-famous Bamboo Organ in Las Piñas. The group has been regular performers in the International Bamboo Organ Festival, an annual event where music comes to life, promoting music culture and heritage.