Choir Guest Conductor- Dinah Helgeson

Dinah Lindberg Helgeson recently retired from International School Bangkok after nine years as high school choir director and Head of the Fine Arts Division. She is invited as guest conductor, choral clinician, motivational speaker, and artist in residence throughout the U.S., Canada, and Asia. In addition she has conducted All-State, ACDA and Provincial Honor choirs.

Dinah is known for her holistic teaching method. She works with the body, mind and spirit of the singer. Often times, the word “love” is used to describe her gift. But it is more than that; it is a sense of empathy she has for the individual throughout the rehearsal at a personal level. She engages the “one to one” method of teaching and produces choirs that learn to care, love and trust one another. This creates life changing moments throughout the rehearsal and performance; music is the vehicle in which she changes the hearts of her singers.

Dinah was born in Montana and received her undergraduate degree in Music Education from Pacific Lutheran University. Her graduate studies include the University of Southern California studying with world renowned educator, Rodney Eichenberger. She considers Maurice Skones, Richard Nace, Geoffrey Boers, Mary Moore and the late John Trepp her lifelong teachers and mentors.

Dinah enjoys her home on Vashon Island overlooking Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier. Her greatest joys are her children and grandchildren.

ISM and the IASAS network have been blessed several times before to have Dinah connect with our students. She is always encouraging and inspiring.

Adjudicators

Alejandro D. Consolacion II

Alejandro D. Consolacion II enjoys a dual career as organist and composer. He studied organ with Thomas Dressler, Matthew Lewis and Peter Richard Conte. He also attended master classes with Guy Bovet, Frederic Blanc and Jeffrey Brillhart. He finished his masters in Organ Performance degree at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and received his Performance and Licentiate Diploma from the Royal School of Music in London, with distinction. He is a former Organ Scholar of the Trinity Church in Princeton, New Jersey and was Director of Music at the Episcopal Church of Princeton University. As an concert organist, he has given solo recitals at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, Las Piñas Bamboo Organ, in Manila Philippines and Taipei Cultural Center.

Presently, he is the artist-in-residence and organist at the Union Church of Manila and a member of the Pamantasan ng Lunsod ng Maynila (PLM), teaching Music Theory and Composition. He is also the organist of the Coro San Antonio at the Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati City and the Music Director – Conductor of CANTUS, a community based choir based in Manila.

He was a finalist at the Organ Improvisation Competition in Detmold, Germany (2013), and was awarded the second prize and the audience prize at the International Organ Improvisation Competition in 2015 and 2018 at the University of Michigan, sponsored by the American Guild of Organist. He was also the first place winner of the composition competition at Westminster College in 2013 and first place winner for the Timpalak Kundiman sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in 2022. In 2018 the Manila Symphony Orchestra commissioned him to write an Orchestral Suite "Dekada 70", a work in three movements for full orchestra.

His works are published worldwide by Hinshaw, GIA, Santa Barbara, Pavane, Hal Leonard, Pana Musica, Sheet Music Plus and Muziksea. His recordings are released under the Paulines Records and Diego Cera in Manila, Philippines and CPO Label in Europe.

Rachelle Gerodias

A winner of “The Outstanding Young Men” and “The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service” awards, Rachelle is also the first recipient of the “Aliw Awards Hall of Fame” for Best Female Classical Performer.

Her career has spanned for 3 decades of critically-acclaimed and award-winning performances. She has performed as soloist under internationally-renowned conductors and has been featured guest soloist with national orchestras all over the world including the China National Symphony Orchestra, Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival Orchestra, the L’Orchestra Citta di Firenze and the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

She made her European opera debut as Liu in Puccini’s Turandot at the Volksoper Wien in Vienna, Austria. In 2010, she performed the lead role with an international cast of singers in a production of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” for the Daegu International Opera Festival in South Korea, thus making her the first Filipina to perform at the Daegu Opera House. And in 2012 she essayed the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the same Festival. She has been a regular lead soloist in numerous opera productions at the Singapore Lyric Opera.

Ms. Gerodias received her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, in New York State; she holds a Professional Diploma in Opera studies from the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts; she received her bachelor’s degree in voice at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music in Manila where she became a member of the voice faculty for over 20 years. She now owns the Gerodias-Park Music Studio where she mentors and trains aspiring young singers. Ms. Gerodias can be heard on several CD recordings with renowned Filipino and International artists. In 2013 she released her first solo album, “Philippine Art Songs” with Dr. Raul Sunico on the piano.

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