U.P. Cherubim & Seraphim Music Staff
Elena R. Mirano, Director Emeritus
Elena Rivera Mirano is a Professor Emeritus of Art Studies at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. She has an A.B. in English, cum laude, an M.A in Comparative Literature and a Ph.D in Philippine Studies from the same university, as well as a Master of Arts in Humanities from Stanford University. She served as Chair of the U.P. Department of Art Studies from 2006-2009, and Dean of the U.P. College of Arts and Letters from 2009-2015. She has served as Assistant Director of the U.P. Cherubim and Seraphim from its founding in 1971 until 1996, and Director from 1996 to present.
Anna Patricia Rodriguez-Carranza,
Faculty Adviser
Anna Patricia Rodriguez-Carranza is currently an assistant professor of Music Education at the University of the Philippines. As an early career academic, it is in her philosophy to pursue equitable and sustainable access to music education. Serving as artistic director/outgoing adviser of U.P. Junior Music Educators’ Guild (UP JMEG) and the artistic director of UP JMEG Chorale, she has guided the group towards multi- and interdisciplinary creative work with and for pre-service and in-service music teachers, government and non-government organizations for Pre-K, basic, and tertiary education, cultural masters, and artists. Under her advisory, UP JMEG has won the I.B. Gimenez Award for Student Organizations’ Social Innovation Projects Excellence for music education projects under the categories Social Justice and Peacebuilding Category (2024), Health, Sports, and Wellness (2025), and Culture and Arts (2026).
Rodriguez-Carranza currently sits on the board of the Philippine Society for Music Education (as president), Society for Strategic Education Studies, and the Asia Pacific Symposium for Music Education Research (Philippine representative).
As Teacher/Tita Pat, she patiently mentors the latest batch of U.P. Cherubim & Seraphim apprentices.
Alyssa Liyana S. Dioquino,
Associate Director (on study leave)
Alyssa Liyana “Liya” Dioquino is a choral conductor and music educator whose work focuses on children’s choral music and Asian music traditions and cultures. She served as Associate Director of the UP Cherubim and Seraphim for nearly a decade, with a commitment to developing young Filipino choral musicians.
She earned her Diploma in Creative and Performing Musical Arts in Asian Music and Bachelor of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of the Philippines Diliman, studying under Aga Mayo Butocan, Eudenice Palaruan, and Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng. She has had the opportunity to participate in masterclasses with the UP Symphony Orchestra and intensives with Simon Carrington and Bart Naessens. In 2025, she was selected for the International Conductors Exchange Program, a partnership between the Philippine Choral Directors Association and the American Choral Directors Association.
She is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Choral Conducting at Florida State University, where she serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Prior to her graduate studies, she was a lecturer in the Department of Art Studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Her work centers on creating musical experiences that foster curiosity, musicianship, and lifelong learning.
Noel M. Gajete, Assistant Conductor
Noel M. Gajete is a graduating student, finishing his Bachelor of Music, Major in Choral Conducting at the U.P. College of Music. Although he first entered the college as a piano major in 2018, his growing passion and interest in choral music led him to shift to choral conducting right after finishing his Associate in Arts degree in 2021. In 2024, he won 1st Honorable Mention in the first Kaleidoscope: Conducting Competition held by the U.P. Junior Philippine Conductors Association. Through this event, he was selected to be a part of a conducting masterclass by renowned South Korean conductor Jae-Joon Lee.
He is currently the assistant conductor of the UPCS, is serving and leading the music ministry of a local Bible Baptist church in Quezon City, and is also an active member of the Ateneo Chamber Singers.
Samuel A. Silvestre, Pianist
Samuel A. Silvestre is a piano graduate of the U.P. College of Music's Bachelor of Music program under the tutelage of Prof. Mita Antonia Fernandez. He has been a pianist of the U.P. Cherubim & Seraphim since 2023 and has accompanied the choir in several performances and concerts such as their first face-to-face post-pandemic concert, "Undaunted," and "Triumphs of Andrea," the MADZ ET AL Choral Festival in October 2023.
Caleb Charles V. Noroña,
Student Assistant Conductor
Caleb Charles V. Noroña is an alumnus of the UPCS from the batch Jeunes Voix. He performed with the group from 2010 until late 2017, participating in major performances such as On Angels Wings (2012), Out of the Box (2013), Handel's Messiah (2012, 2013, 2014), and Awit ni Pulau (2016). He is currently finishing his bachelor's degree in Music Education at the U.P. College of Music. He now serves the UPCS as a percussionist, assistant conductor and music teacher.