Jurists

María Guinand (Venezuela)

María Guinand is a choral conductor, university professor and leader of many choral projects both nationally and internationally. She has specialized in Latin-American Choral Music of the 20th and 21st centuries and has won many awards including the 'Kulturpreis' of the InterNationes Foundation in 1998, the Robert Edler Preis für Chormusik in 2000,  the Helmuth Rilling Preis in 2009, and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Federation for Choral Music in 2019.

Ms. Guinand is the Artistic Director of the Schola Cantorum of Venezuela Foundation, and founded the 'Academia Bach de Venezuela' in close relationship with the International Bachakademie Stuttgart and the 'Academia Nacional de Canto Gregoriano.' She served for 12 years as Latin American Vice-President of the IFCM and she is currently Advisor to the Board. For over 30 years Ms. Guinand has served as the Associate Conductor and Advisor of Choral Symphonic Performances and Activities of 'El Sistema.' She teaches in the Masters Degree Program for Choral Conductors at the Universidad Simón Bolívar.

In recent years she has conducted concerts at the Sydney Opera House, the Barbican (London), Casa de Musica (Porto), Royal Carre Theater (Amsterdam) Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Lincoln Center (New York/White Light Festival), Liederhalle (Stuttgart/Europeanmusikfest), and Hult Center (Oregon Bach Festival), among others.

Dr. Maria Theresa “Tikya” Vizconde-Roldan (Philippines)

Conductor ▪ Music Educator ▪ Arranger

Dr. Maria Theresa Vizconde-Roldan is an accomplished choral pedagogue and children's choir conductor. She achieved Summa Cum Laude honors when she earned her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Music Education from Saint Paul University Manila. Additionally, she holds a bachelor's degree in music education, where she graduated Cum Laude, and a master's degree in choral conducting from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, where she is currently a faculty member.

Theresa has been invited to serve as a guest conductor, choral clinician, and adjudicator and has held lectures and workshops on conducting, choral performance, and music education at various events in countries such as the Philippines, Australia, China, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Macau, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States of America. Furthermore, she has served as the chairman of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists Foundation's choir competition (NAMCYA) and as a music teacher and coordinator of the Arts Subject Area at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) High School Department.

Theresa and her husband Jude founded the Treble Choir Association of the Philippines to promote Filipino choral music and enhance children's choir performance and music education. They led the Young Voices of the Philippines (YVP) under this choral program and had a remarkable achievement of winning four first-prize trophies in the Youth Choir Historical, Folk, Gospel/Spiritual, and Contemporary Categories at the 12th Golden Gate International Choral Festival in the USA. YVP created history by becoming the first choir from the Philippines to perform at Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage in New York City and at the Dekelboum Concert Hall of The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in Maryland, USA. The choir has received several prestigious awards, including ANI NG DANGAL (Harvest of Honors) and AWIT AWARDS for Best Recording by a Child or Children.

In line with their advocacy, Theresa and Jude arranged Filipino folk songs, wrote choral music and books for children’s choirs, and contributed articles to the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) Choral Magazine. They organized a series of workshops for conductors titled Groundwork for Choirs and championed the choral method GESTAPHOR, for which Theresa is known. The Roldans and Muziksea produced the Maria Theresa Vizconde-Roldan Choral Adventures Series to promote Philippine choral music and Southeast Asian composers with new choral literature. Dr. Vizconde-Roldan co-founded and is the artistic director of Kantabella, Young Voices of the World, Young Voices of Asia, and the Young Voices of the Philippines Festival Choir, which she artistically directs and cofounded. She is also the founding conductor of the Hail Mary the Queen Children's Choir, which she led to choral competitions, winning the first-ever Children's Choir of the World title at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in North Wales, United Kingdom, and Choir Olympic Champion at the World Choir Games in Bremen, Germany.

Theresa has been the Vice President for Projects of the Philippine Choral Directors Association since 2016 and President of the Treble Choir Association of the Philippines since 2019. She teaches conducting, large ensemble, and music education at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music and Graduate School.

Jude B. Roldan (Philippines)

Pianist ▪ Composer ▪ Arranger

Internationally-published composer Jude Bautista Roldan graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano and choral conducting. He also holds a master's degree in music education and composition.

Jude also holds the multifaceted position of artistic director, pianist, resident composer, and arranger for the Young Voices of the Philippines. He and his wife, Dr. Maria Theresa Vizconde-Roldan, founded YVP as part of their advocacy to support and strengthen the children and youth's choral movement in the Philippines.

His works have been recorded, premiered, and performed in festivals and competitions, including the Pacific International Choral Festival and the Oregon Bach Festival in the USA, Tolosa Choral Competitions, Seghizzi Choral Competitions and Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in Vienna, Cantemus International Choral Festival in Hungary, Bali International Choral Festival, Saint Angela Children and Youth Choir Festival in Indonesia, Taipei Philharmonic Children's Choir Festival in Taiwan, and at the International Kodaly Symposium in Kuching, Malaysia, and Golden Gate International Festival in the USA. Hal Leonard, Pavane Music, and Muziksea publish his works.

In 2023, his extended work for choir and orchestra, Missa Virtutum, had its premiere at the historic Carnegie Hall Isaac Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage conducted by Dr. Janet Hostetter with the Children's Chorus of Washington, Saint Genevieve Valiant Voices, Shenandoah Valley Children's Chorus, Toronto Children's Chorus, Virginia Children’s Chorus, the Young Voices of the Philippines, and the Children's Orchestra Society. The piece was also premiered in December of the same year at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada.

He has served as chairman at the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in the Philippines. He has guest-conducted and adjudicated in choral competitions and festivals internationally. He has given composition and choral workshops in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, and the United States of America. Jude is the co-founder and artistic director of the Young Voices of the Philippines and Kantabella. He teaches Composition and Music Technology, Piano, Music Theory, and Analysis at Centro Escolar University.