The U.P. Cherubim and Seraphim is the official children’s choir of the University of the Philippines. Established on September 21, 1971 by Prof. Flora Zarco Rivera of the UP College of Music, the group has been training elementary and high school-aged children in musical theory, performance and social engagement. Over the past 53 years, the members of the choir have performed a wide repertoire of songs and musical forms from all over the world. The group has also created a repertoire for Filipino children by commissioning and singing original works for children’s choirs by Filipino composers, such as National Artists Ramon P. Santos, Lucio San Pedro, and Ryan Cayabyab. The choir has also shared their gift of singing with children all over the country through singing camps and workshops.

“The special children’s chorus is not only a singing group - it is a handclasp of many pairs of small hands bound together with those of their choral leader. The choral conductor must love children and understand their small thoughts and big hearts. He must respect their little minds and their great decisions. He must have the longest string of patience with them that must never be allowed to snap. If the children think of their leader as a great conductor, it is because the conductor thinks of each of them as a great artist. Without this trust and confidence, the group cannot remain in existence.” - FLORA ZARCO RIVERA, Founder