Gerphil Flores

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Gerphil Flores
Birth name Gerphil-Geraldine Flores
Also known as Fame Flores
Born (1990-09-29) September 29, 1990 (age 33)
Hamburg, Germany
Origin Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
Genres Classical crossover, classical
Instruments Vocals (soprano)
Years active 2001–present
Associated acts David Foster

Gerphil-Geraldine Flores (born September 29, 1990)[1][2] is a German Filipino classical/classical crossover singer/performer.

In 2010, she auditioned for the inaugural season of Pilipinas Got Talent as "Fame" Flores, where she was eliminated in the fourth semifinal week.[3] In 2015, she joined the inaugural season of Asia's Got Talent, where she finished as second runner-up. Flores, a soprano,[4] has been dubbed "Asia's Golden Girl".[5][6]

Personal life

Flores was born in Hamburg, Germany to a father of German descent and a Filipino Japanese mother from Sorsogon City in the Bicolandia.[7] She relocated to her mother's homeland, the Philippines, in 1994.[8]

She currently resides in Parañaque and is taking her Bachelor's degree in music at the College of Music of the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, graduating in June 2016.[9] She made it to the Dean's List (College Scholar) in the first semester of academic school year 2015–16, with a general weighted average of 1.468.[10]

Career

Formative years and training

As an infant, Flores' parents regularly brought her to the German opera houses.[11] By the age of three, she began singing songs composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (the aria "Queen of The Night" from The Magic Flute is one of the songs) and Ludwig van Beethoven.[11]

After they relocated to the Philippines in 1994, Flores' love for music was further encouraged and nurtured by her family of music lovers, notably her maternal grandfather, a skilled Kundiman guitarist and her mother, who listened to different genres of music, including classical, Broadway, and jazz.[11]

At age 11, Flores decided to pursue a career in music. She would sing everyday and her mother would listen and observe if her daughter had hit the right pitch, or sounded flat or sharp.[11]

To further hone her singing, Flores had voice lessons under New York-based soprano Evelyn Mandac during the latter's trips to Manila.[12] Upon Mandac's advice, Flores started to formally study voice under University of the Philippines College of Music Associate Professor Katherine "Kitchy" Molina, a former chair of the university's voice, music theater, and dance department, where Flores graduated with a diploma in creative performing musical arts and majored in voice. Flores is presently a graduating student and a consistent dean's lister, taking up a Bachelor of Music degree and a major in voice for the 2015–16 academic year.[13] Under Professor Molina for five years, she learned David Blair McClosky's vocal technique.[12]

Theatre and opera years

Since age 11, Flores joined several musical and opera productions. She was the lead child performer in the Philippine Opera Company’s children's adaptation of Mozart's The Magic Flute.[13]

Her credits also include Repertory Philippines’ The Sound of Music, Trumpets’ High School Musical and First Name, María Clara in Noli Me Tángere, Mary in Fides Cuyugan-Asencio’s Song of Joseph and Maria Makiling in Legend of M, and Gregoria de Jesús in Jerry Dadap’s Andres Bonifacio.[13]

As an opera performer, her credits include playing Anne Page in the opera production of UP College of Music's Merry Wives of Windsor and as Cio-Cio San and Kate Pinkerton alternates in Music Artes’ production of Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay.[13] She also assayed the role of Rusalka in Antonin Dvorak's opera of the same name at the same venue on September 2014;[14] this performance earned her her first Aliw Award nomination as Best Actress in a Musical at the 28th Aliw Awards.[15]

Pilipinas Got Talent

In 2010, at the age of 19, Flores, using the screen name Fame Flores, auditioned for the inaugural season of Pilipinas Got Talent, the Philippine version of the Got Talent franchise; she sang the Italian song "Caruso" by Lucio Dalla. She received "yes" votes from all three judges and advanced to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, which aired on May 22, 2010, Flores performed Sandi Patty's "Via Dolorosa" and received 25.05% of the audience's vote, the second highest among six performers that week. However, she was eliminated when two of the three judges voted for balladeer Sherwin Baguion to enter the finals of the competition.[16][17]

Asia's Got Talent

On September 28, 2014, the 24-year-old Flores pre-auditioned for the inaugural season of Asia's Got Talent, the regional version of the Got Talent franchise, as Gerphil Flores at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay and advanced to the televised audition held at the Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Johor, Malaysia.[18][19] Her televised audition aired on AXN Asia on April 9, 2015, where she sang "Speak Softly, Love" from the film The Godfather. Flores' performance was praised and earned her a standing ovation from both the audience and the four judges, particularly Canadian musician and record producer David Foster who praised her pitch, saying: "You certainly did not disappoint anybody in this room. It was really a solid performance. And your pitch is great, and I hate people who sing out of tune. You sang really in tune." With three of the judges voting yes, Foster pressed the golden buzzer, automatically sending her to the semifinals.[20]

In the semifinal round held at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, which aired on AXN Asia on April 23, 2015, Flores performed an operatic ballad version of the song "Love Story (Where Do I Begin?)" from the film Love Story, which elicited another standing ovation. Foster continued to praise her voice, saying that he could make her sound better if she would work with him, while English singer-songwriter and former Spice Girls member Melanie C said that she "deserved to be on the world stage" and Indonesian singer Anggun said that "she looked like a real diva" that night.[21] On April 30, 2015, the show revealed that Flores was one of two acts from the previous week (the other being Mongolian musical ensemble Khusugtun) that had advanced to the finals through the public vote.[22]

In the final round, held at Marina Bay Sands Singapore, which aired on AXN Asia on May 7, 2015, Flores performed her version of "The Impossible Dream" (Mitch Leigh) from the musical Man of La Mancha. After another standing ovation, Foster promised Flores that "the world is going to know about you."[23] At the results episode, aired on AXN Asia on May 14, 2015, after a tally of audience votes, Flores garnered the third highest votes among 12 finalists, after eventual grand champion, Filipino dance group El Gamma Penumbra, and runner-up, Khusugtun. She finished second runner-up in a field of 4,000 hopefuls.

Concerts and tours

On December 11, 2015, Flores had her first major solo concert, A Golden Treasure, at The Theatre at Solaire along the Bay City area of Parañaque. The concert featured songs from different genres that displayed her diversity as a classical-crossover performer; it also featured a live accompaniment by the Manila Symphony Orchestra, duets with McDonald's Philippines and Klassikal Music Foundation's George Yang, balladeer Nonoy Zuniga and her dance number with Junior New System.[2][24]

The success of her first concert led to her pre-Valentine's Day solo concert, Tales of Love, at the same venue on February 11–12, 2016. The concert featured love songs from different genres and languages with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, Junior New System and singers Kris Gonzales, Al Gatmaitan, Jack Salud and singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan.[25]

Flores also had her first Canadian concert tour, Dreams by Gerphil Flores, from February 14 to 19, 2016, with standing ovations in Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey and Winnipeg.[26][27] Her second Canadian tour will be from August 4 to 16, 2016.

Flores was tapped by Asia's Got Talent judge David Foster to be part of his David Foster and Friends Asian Tour for 2015–16; she made her debut at the Hitman Tour at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on August 17, 2015, performing alongside Ruben Studdard, Natalie Cole, Charice Pempengco, Boyz II Men and Mark Mabasa.[28][29] She joined the line-up again when they performed at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on March 16, 2016 along with Peter Cetera, Richard Marx, Natalie Imbruglia and Melanie C.[30][31][32]

Magazine covers

After her stint at Asia's Got Talent, Flores was featured in the cover of the June 2015 issue of The Philippine Star’s GIST magazine[33] and the July 2015 issue of Manila Bulletin’s Publishing's Sense & Style magazine.[34]

Recording artist

Flores confirmed that her solo album will come out on 2016. She is currently under contract with David Foster.[35]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result
2013 Aliw Award Best Crossover/Broadway Performer[36] Won
2014 Aliw Award Best Female Classical Performer[37] Won
2015 Gawad Musika Most Promising International Performing Artist[citation needed] Won
2015 Eastwood City Walk of Fame Star[38] Won
2015 Aliw Award Best Female Crossover Performer[15] Won
Best Female Classical Performer[15] Won
Entertainer of the Year[15] Won

References

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External links

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