Musician Profiles

Francis

Francis is best known as a film composer and has been scoring films since 2010. He attended the UCLA Extension Film Scoring Program from 2012 to 2013.

Awards & recognitions:

2015 Winner FAMAS Award - Best Musical Score for "She's Dating the Gangster"

2016 Winner FAMAS Award - Best Musical Score for "The Love Affair"

2022 Winner Eddys - Best Musical Score for "Love is Color Blind"

2024 Winner Star Award - Movie Musical Scorer of The Year for "Rewind"

Music Arranger

Badji

Violinist

Braderick Pineda, better known as Badji, has been playing violin professionally for over two decades, and has been part of different musical productions like broadway, pop concerts, and classical concerts, among others.

He was a violinist at the former ABS CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, and has played in different orchestras in the country.

Some of the more notable artists he's performed with are Martin Nievera, Gary V, Lani Misalucha, Ogie Alcasid, Juris, and Sharon Cuneta.

He has also performed with international artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, and Lea Salonga.

Badji also enjoys sharing his love for the violin by teaching privately.

Denise

Violinist

Vanessa

Violist

Shiho

Paul

Violinist

Cellist

Shiho Takashima is a Japanese violinist. She started playing the violin when she was only 5, and to this day, plays on a violin made by her father, Kenjiro Takashima, in 2005.

In 2012, she performed concerts with cellist Mischa Maisky as a 1st violin member of vbw-Festivalorchester in Bad Wörishofen, Germany.

In the summer of 2017, she was part of a World Tour as the Concertmaster of the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO), followed by an Asian Tour in 2018 again as the Concertmaster of AYO.

She performed 20 Concerts and all repertoires with artists such as Sarah Chang and Vadim Repin, among others.

The World Tour covered Asia, the US and Europe, in cities such as Tokyo, New York, Ravello, Lucerne, Berlin, and Brussels. In both Hong Kong and at the Berlin Concert, there were world premiere performances of “As the Heart Soars” by composer Wong Chun-Wai, where she performed solo as well.

Since 2018, she started playing for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and in 2019 she was appointed as a guest 2nd violin principal.

In 2023 she joined the International Bamboo Organ Festival as a Concertmaster in the Chamber Ensemble, which features the works of the great Baroque era composers.

Paul is a well established cellist in the Philippines, he is best known as an orchestra and chamber musician. He finished his undergraduate degree at St. Scholastica's College in 2018 under Anjo Inacay.

Notable Accomplishments:

2012 - 2022 - Member and Assistant Principal of MSO (Manila Symphony Orchestra).

2015 - Finalist at NAMCYA(National Arts and Music Competition for Young Artists).

2016 - Founded the Emanon String Quartet.

2018 - 1st Place with Outstanding Honors with Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra at Summa Cum Laude Festival in Vienna, Austria.

2017 - 1st Place and Best Interpretation of the Contest Piece at NAMCYA.

2019 - Delegate at AYO (Asian Youth Orchestra) and Assistant Principal.

2023 - 4th Place with Outstanding Honors with De La Salle Zobel Strings at Summa Cum Laude Festival in Vienna, Austria. (Visiting Faculty/Alumni)

Vanessa Santos is an accomplished musician who has  worked with a variety of local and foreign artists and conductors with the Manila Symphony Orchestra and other esteemed ensembles.

She also participated in masterclasses with Tanya Cornejo, Yusuke Kinoshita, and Frank Shaw.

Vanessa currently plays as a guest musician in the Concert Series of the Phlippine Philaharmonic Orchestra.