The Filharmonic - Singing Group
Members:
Jules Cruz - Vocal Bass @JulesECruz
Joe Calgoy - Tenor @Joegoy18
Trace Gaynor - Tenor @TraceGaynor
Niko Del Rey - Beat Boxer @niko_del_rey
VJ Rosales - Tenor @vromusic
Website: thefilharmonic.com
youtube.com/thefilharmonic
The Filharmonic is a Filipino American a cappella group based in Los Angeles. The 5 member vocal group’s style of pop, hip hop, 90’s nostalgia is cool and smooth. They have been featured on NBC’s Sing Off, Universal Pictures’ “Pitch Perfect 2”, and James Corden, performed at Golden State Warriors and San Diego Padres games, and they recently toured the US this Spring & Summer. The Filharmonic is a group that exemplifies talent and cultural diversity.
This interview was written by member Jules Cruz.
Where are you based?
We all live around the Los Angeles area. We're as East as San Dimas and as South as Norwalk, but we are all generally around the area!
When did each member begin singing/performing? And how did you form The Filharmonic?
We all have had such different paths leading into joining the group. VJ remembers doing karaoke as a 4-year-old and Trace grew up as a violinist, only to start joining choirs in college. Joe, Niko, and I all ended up doing music at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA together so that's where the roots of the group were formed. Then we auditioned for a TV called The Sing-Off and it changed everything for us.
Who are your musical influences?
We like to reference some other famous groups like Boyz II Men, Take 6, and Pentatonix a lot in terms of arrangement, but we're always listening to JT, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, and others to find inspiration.
Please describe your musical style.
I would consider our style kind of a combination of pop and r&b, but we also try to add a little jazz influences when we can. I think it's easy to just consider us "a cappella," but that's really just a style of instrumentation and we like to throw in different genres within it!
How do you choose the songs you preform?
Choosing the right song isn't always easy for us since there are 5 of us and we all want to make sure we feel inspired by it. But when we find the right one, you can immediately tell that it's gonna work. We all kinda hear a new song and then will automatically start jamming to it because the tune just basically arranges itself.
What is your favorite song to perform together?
Man, our very first song we EVER did together was Treasure by Bruno Mars and honestly, it just never gets old.
Where is your favorite venue?
We did The Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines a few years back and that was incredible just being able to perform in such large venue around where our families were originally from.
How has the Filipino American community come out and supported you?
They've come out in remarkable ways for us. Success really takes a village and the support from the Fil-Am community continues to constantly inspire us to keep going.
What is your dream gig?
Our dream gig is probably headlining a world tour. That's just uncharted territory for a Fil-Am group.
Do you have any upcoming shows, events, or music you're excited about?
We're constantly having different shows come up so stayed tuned with our social media @TheFilharmonic and www.TheFilharmonic.com. We've also been releasing new videos/collabs on Youtube this whole summer so check it out!
Photos courtesy of The Filharmonic
