Silliman University Culture and Arts Council

presents

Echoes of You

JANUARY 18, 2026, 7:00PM

Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium, Silliman University
1 Hibbard Avenue, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, 6200 Philippines

Featuring

California’s San Francisco Bay Chorale
Conducted by Dr. Mark Sumner and Timothy Echavez Salaver

with the

Silliman University Campus Choristers
and
Silliman University Concert Band
Conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez

and Special Guests
Alexandra Bernas, MD, Soprano
Nathaniel Bicoy, MM, piano

Performing the works of
Tin, Walker, Diemer, Ballard, Garret, Maddux, Nepomoceno, Obispo, Schwartz, Talaroc, Salaver, Clydesdale, Cloninger and Lauridsen

REPERTOIRE FOLDER

Part 1 – Community

Three Madrigals………………………………………………………………………….. Emma Lou Diemer
White Horses………………………………………………………………………………. Gwyneth Walker
I Know a Bird………………………………………………………………………….. Emma Lou Diemer
San Francisco Bay Chorale
Dr. Mark Sumner, conductor
Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, piano
Nathaniel Bicoy, keyboard strings

Baba Yetu…………………………………………………………………………………….. Christopher Tin
Soloists: Julia Faith Joaquin, soprano; James Alkene Lamuna, tenor
O Sifuni Mungu (All Creatures of Our God and King)………………………. David Maddux
Soloists: Julia Faith Joaquin, soprano; Dominique Orito, tenor
Man in the Mirror……………………………………… Michael Jackson (arr. A. Nepomuceno)
Soloists: Quin Marie Quidet, soprano; Christine Joy Daclan, alto; James Alkene Lamuna, tenor
Silliman University Campus Choristers
Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, conductor
Nathaniel Bicoy, piano

Dahil Sa Iyo (Because of You)………………Music by M. Velarde, Jr. (Arr. F. Obispo, Jr.)
Sure On This Shining Night………………………………………………………. Morten Lauridsen
San Francisco Bay Chorale
Silliman University Campus Choristers
Dr. Mark Sumner, conductor
Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, piano
Nathaniel Bicoy, keyboard

INTERMISSION

Part 2 – Remembering

O luce di quest’anima……………………………………………………………… Gaetano Donizetti
Hymne a L’Amour………………………………………………………………..……..Marguerite Monnot
Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln……………………………………………………… W.A. Mozart
Alexandra Bernas
Nathaniel Bicoy, piano

Dedicated to
Ronni Kordell Gravitz (1944-2004) University of California, Berkeley, Alumna (1963-1966)
Founder, University of California Alumni Chorus

The Road Goes Ever On and On………………………………………………….. Gwyneth Walker

World Premieres

Dedicated to
Estrella Macute Echavez (1920-1999) SU Alumna 1938-1942, 1948, 1949
and Manuela “Elang” Regalado Macute Echavez (1893-1971) SU Alumna 1913

Fly Away With Me……………………….. Mackenzie Boysen, Timothy Echavez Salaver &
Connor Warren Smith
Soloist: Christine Joy Daclan, alto
Jules Josol, percussion

Echoes of You……………………………………………………………….. Timothy Echavez Salaver
Soloist: Nasahuni Uriarte, soprano
San Francisco Bay Chorale
Silliman University Campus Choristers
Timothy Echavez Salaver, conductor
Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, piano
Nathaniel Bicoy, keyboard strings

Part 3 – Joy

When You Believe w/ Now Unto…………………………………… H. Zimmer & S. Schwartz
(arranged by Jem Talaroc)
Silliman University Campus Choristers
Silliman University Concert Band

Lift Up the Lamb…………………………………….. David T. Clydesdale & Claire Cloninger
San Francisco Bay Chorale
Silliman University Campus Choristers
Silliman University Concert Band
Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, conductor
Nathaniel Bicoy, piano

ENCORE

How Can I Keep From Singing………………………………………….. arranged by Ron Staheli
Soloists: Alexandra Bernas & Beatrice Manalili, sopranos;
Cheryl Lynn Antonio, Quin Marie Quidet, Hisano Tsukane, Margery Lackman & Akane Ota, altos
Silliman University Choristers
San Francisco Bay Chorale
Timothy Echavez Salaver, conductor

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY CULTURE AND THE ARTS COUNCIL
Dr. Diomar Abrio, SUCAC Chair
Asst. Prof. Juni Jay Tinambacan, Sound Engineer
Dr. Mark Sumner, Philippine Tour Manager
Atty. Felipe Antonio B. Remollo
Joseph Albert Basa
Cleofe Gama
Alvin Mamauag, Catering

SAN FRANCISCO BAY CHORALE
Mark Sumner, Music Director

SOPRANO
Christine Dukey
Claudine Jones
Marian Kohlstedt
Christine Trishka
Hisako Tsugane
Doreen Yen

ALTO
Margery Lackman
Cathy Less
Elizabeth Macera
Akane Ota

TENOR
David Kittams
Monte Meyers
Jeffrey Niedleman
Timothy Echavez Salaver

BASS
Matthew Anderson
Phil Buonadonna
Benjamin Gale
Eric Shackleford
Dan Smith
Mark Sumner

Dr. Mark Sumner is a renowned choral conductor, educator, and vocalist whose career spans over five decades, marked by artistic excellence and dedication to choral music in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

Mark Sumner has directed singers for fifty-three years and has sung professionally with the Dallas Civic, Tulsa Civic, and Los Angeles Opera companies; Los Angeles Master Chorale, Cappella SF, Volti, eXindigo, American Bach Soloists, Areté Singers, and was featured in the Los Angeles Chamber Singers’ Cappella ensemble Grammy Award-winning recording (2007) Padilla: Sun of Justice. He earned his DMA from the University of Southern California after matriculating at Oklahoma State and Southern Methodist Universities. He has also performed in and directed numerous plays and musicals with various community theatre groups in Texas, Oklahoma, and California.

A graduate of Oklahoma State University (BME, Secondary School Education and Voice, 1975), the University of Southern California (MM, Choral Conducting, 1976; DMA, Choral Music, Music History and Literature, Vocal Pedagogy, and Stage Directing, 1992), Dr. Sumner has built an illustrious career blending performance, teaching, and leadership. Early in his career, he directed award-winning high school choirs in Texas and Oklahoma, earning consistent sweepstakes honors and producing hundreds of All-State singers.

From 1996 to 2022, he served as Director of UC Choral Ensembles at the University of California, Berkeley, leading the University Chorus, UC Men’s and Women’s Octets, and Perfect Fifth, while fostering international tours and national accolades. Since 1997, he has been Director of Music at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, shaping a vibrant adult choir program. He is also Associate Conductor of Volti (formerly San Francisco Chamber Singers) and has guest-conducted ensembles like Cappella SF.

He has been a guest adjudicator of choruses and soloists; served as Chairperson of the Oklahoma Music Educators Association; and recently returned to Oklahoma to conduct the 220-voice All-State Chorus. Non-singing joys have come from leading dozens of tours around the world; competing as a NABC Master Bridge player; frequent competitive tennis player; being crowned a trivia winner over 300 others by Alex Trebek; being listed as a celebrity at a Turner Classic Film Festival; playing first chair saxophone in the All-State Band; and, finally, at age 70 getting married for the first time.

A sought-after clinician and accompanist, Dr. Sumner has influenced generations through workshops, church music leadership, and mentorship. His passion for choral artistry continues to inspire audiences and singers alike in the Bay Area’s rich musical landscape.

Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista Suarez is a distinguished educator, music professional, visual artist, and cultural administrator whose career reflects a lifelong commitment to teaching, artistic excellence, and service. She is a Full Professor at Silliman University and currently serves as Dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts, where she continues to shape artistic education through leadership grounded in both scholarship and practice.

A passionate teacher and mentor, Dr. Suarez has devoted her career to nurturing young artists and scholars, integrating academic rigor with creative exploration. Her work as a choral conductor and trainer has left a lasting mark on Philippine choral music.

Under her direction, the Silliman University Campus Choristers earned numerous awards and undertook concert tours in the United States in 1999 and 2001. She also founded and led Ating Pamana, Inc., which toured the U.S. in 2003. In addition the SUGGA Choir, under her tutelage represented Silliman University at an alumni gathering in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2011. Today, the SU Choristers and the SU Covenant Choir continue to serve the University’s sacred and secular functions under her guidance.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to music education and cultural development, Dr. Suarez received the Gawad Nicanor Abelardo Most Outstanding Music Educator in the Philippines Award in 2018. In 2021, she was honored with the KISLAP Award under the Kaisa sa Sining (KSS) program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, recognizing her exemplary service and significant role in the promotion of culture and the arts in the Visayas and throughout the country.

Her service to Silliman University spans more than three decades. She served as Director of the School of Music and Fine Arts (1990–2000), Dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts (2010–2016), Chair of the Cultural Affairs Committee, and Cultural Officer during two terms (1990–2000; 2008–2016). She currently chairs the Advisory Council of the Silliman University Culture and Arts Council and has been a member of the Dumaguete City Arts Council.

In 2016, Dr. Suarez completed a post-doctoral engagement in Music Therapy at Eastern Michigan University, USA. This training enabled her to spearhead the establishment of the Bachelor of Music Therapy degree at Silliman University, expanding the institution’s engagement with music as a tool for healing and human development.

An accomplished author and researcher, Dr. Suarez has written extensively in both academic and creative fields. Her publications include Progressive Work-Text Material for Elementary Children, Born to Make a Difference: If My Hands Can Sing, Vol. 1, and Choral Conducting Exercise Techniques. Her research on piano pedagogy, Practice Before Theory, was published in The Silliman Journal (Vol. 53, No. 1, 2012). Her painting Susan’s Symphony appeared in the Journal of Art and Aesthetics in Nursing and Health Sciences (Florida State University, Vol. 1, No. 1, Fall 2013). More recent works include the children’s book Julia and the Music of the Light and her autoethnographic study, “Why Do I Do What I Do? And For What and For Whom?”, published in the Philippine Social Science Journal. Beyond music, Dr. Suarez is also a visual artist, expressing creativity through fine art that reflects her deep sensitivity to form, color, and meaning. As a pianist, her musicianship informs her work as a conductor and educator, allowing her to communicate musical ideas with clarity, depth, and nuance.

With over thirty years of experience as an academic leader and administrator, Dr. Suarez brings strong organizational skills, collaborative leadership, and a vision rooted in service. At the heart of her work—especially in the choral setting—is the belief that music is a shared space where discipline is cultivated, harmony is achieved, and sensitivity to others is formed. It is a space where diverse personalities come together, united by sound and purpose, creating a collective energy that inspires artistic growth and human connection.

Dr. Suarez has Bachelors degree in Piano Performance, cum laude and a Masters degree in Choral Conducting Performance from the Combs College of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Timothy Echavez Salaver is a distinguished Filipino-American music director, conductor, producer, arranger, vocalist, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over five decades of experience in choral, operatic and symphonic music, he serves as Music Director and Founder of Areté Singers and the Mistletoe Carolers, where he leads innovative performances and community outreach initiatives, including the acclaimed “Caroling for a Cause” series that supports music education and local non-profits.

Since founding Areté Singers in 2016, Tim has led the ensemble to numerous high-profile performances, including collaborations with prestigious organizations and participation in notable events. The group has performed for productions such as “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses” and “National Geographic Symphony for Our World.” Additionally, Areté Singers provide choral leadership for the Pacific Chamber Orchestra, enhancing the ensemble’s versatility and reach. His choirs have graced iconic venues including the White House, Kennedy Center, Disneyland, National Cathedral, Bruton Parish Episcopal Church (Williamsburg), the National Gallery of Art, The U.S. Capitol, Davies Symphony Hall, and Carnegie Hall.

Salaver is a board member and a chorus manager with the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, contributing to its programming and administration. His conducting highlights include his symphony debut leading a holiday concert featuring American Idol Season 2025 finalist Filo Ebid, as well as collaborations with ensembles such as the Pacific Chamber Orchestra and Zephyr Orchestra and Chorus. A versatile performer with a background spanning bass to soprano roles in opera, oratorio, and musical theater—from San Francisco Opera productions in his youth to recent solos in works like Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla—Salaver has performed at prestigious venues with renowned artists, including Andrea Bocelli in concert and Sarah Brightman on her world tour. He is a longtime member of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus (2013-present and 1993-1995), including performing on their Grammy-winning recording (1995) of Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem.

Timothy is proud to premiere Fly Away With Me and Echoes of You at Silliman University, where his family legacy continues to make an impact—a heartfelt tribute to his mother and grandmother, both alumnae, whose musical journeys began on that campus.Deeply committed to cultural preservation and education, Salaver’s work honors his Filipino heritage, inspired by his mother, Estrella Echavez, a pioneering Filipina organist and founder of the Philippine American Cultural Foundation. He produces international projects, including concerts in the Philippines celebrating family legacy and promoting global choral exchange.

Salaver holds an MBA in Executive Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Golden Gate University. His multifaceted career bridges artistic excellence with community impact, making him a vital figure in the Bay Area’s vibrant music scene.

Alexandra Bernas lives a double life as a soprano and a physician. Her 2025 season highlights include winning Third Prize at the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) and passing the Philippine Physician Licensure Examination.

In between hospital rotations, Ms. Bernas sang Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. Prior to this, she performed as Zerlina in Don Giovanni (abridged) and Fortuna in L’incoronazione di Poppea, both at the New York Lyric Opera Theatre. Opera scene work includes Manon (Manon) and Miss Silverpeal (The Impresario).

Ms. Bernas holds an MD–MBA at the Ateneo School of Medicine, where she serenaded newborn babies and gave impromptu concerts in the operating room. She holds a B.A. Music from Haverford College, where she won the Bi-College Concerto Competition and received the E. Clyde Lutton 1966 Memorial Fund Award for Performance.

Ms. Bernas will perform Gilda (Rigoletto) for Italy on July 2026.

Estrella Macute Echavez (1920–1999) was a pioneering Filipino-American musician, organist, educator, and cultural leader whose life embodied resilience, artistry, and unwavering commitment to her heritage.

The years she spent at Silliman University (SU) in the Philippines (1938–1942, 1948–1949) were life-defining and affirming. She was a shy, naive 17-year-old when she entered SU and graduated a fierce, determined woman warrior 10 years later. There, she met her first love, Wilfred “Fred” Encarnacion, who joined the Philippine Army during their senior year, became a POW during WWII, and later rose to General under the Marcos administration. At SU, Estrella taught herself to play the organ, leading the church choir and performing at services and campus events—a skill that would shape her future.

When the Japanese invaded Dumaguete, she fled with University President Dr. Arthur Carson, his wife, her aunt Maria de la Paz Macute, and her husband Dr. Santiago Calo. Returning to her hometown of Dipolog, she found the family home occupied by Japanese forces, with her relatives having fled to the mountains. Estrella remained in Dipolog, courageously supporting the Philippine guerrillas until the war’s end, earning recognition from the Philippine government for her efforts. Dr. Calo introduced her to her husband, Alvin Gubisch; they married during the war, and their union produced four children: Patrick (1945-2019), Dorothy (1947), Edna (1948), and Vinella (1952).

Estrella returned to SU in 1948 to complete her education degree and pursue graduate courses, enabling her to teach at the college level—first at Bonifacio Institute in Dipolog, then Bacolod College. Her profound love of music and teaching carried her and her family to the United States in 1953. In 1956, she became the first Filipina organist in the United States at Wesley United Methodist Church (known as the “Filipino Methodist Church”) in San Francisco. Over two decades, she served as choir director and organist for multiple San Francisco churches, producing recitals and concerts that celebrated Filipino heritage. Her marriage to Canuto Salaver in 1956 produced three children: Luna (1956), Timothy (1961), and David (1963).

In the 1960s–1970s, she founded and presided over the Philippine American Cultural Foundation, collaborating with the City of San Francisco and the SF Arts Commission to host touring Filipino artists and organize cultural festivals. These efforts were recognized by the California Senate and the City of San Francisco for fostering community pride and cross-cultural exchange during an era when Filipinos were often overlooked.

A gifted pianist who played by ear—taught by her mother, Manuela Regalado Macute, also a Silliman alumna (1913)—Estrella passed on her passion for music to her son, Timothy, leaving a lasting legacy of artistic and cultural empowerment.

She passed away in 1999, but her memory lives on in her children and grandchildren. The original composition “Echoes of You” is dedicated to this diminutive (all 5 feet of her) woman who tirelessly promoted Philippine dance, art, and music in San Francisco during a time when Filipinos were barely recognized and suffered discrimination in the United States.