KATHERINE " KITCHY" FRANCES V. MOLINA
Assistant Professor
Chairman, Voice and Music Theatre / Dance Department
College of Music, University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City 1101

E-mail: molina@impactnet.com
Telefax: College of Music, (+63-2) 929-6963



Education
Master of Music, Major in Voice, Minor in Choral Conducting, UP College of Music, 1999
Bachelor of Music, Major in Voice, UP College of Music, 1989
Bachelor of Science, Hotel and Restaurant Administration, 1981

Katherine "Kitchy" Molina labels herself as a crossover artist, which means that her craft is not bound by conventional classifications. That makes her an incredibly versatile singer, a fact that her very accomplished career can attest to. Her musical abilities span almost the ecntire range of singing
styles - from light and groovy pop to swingy jazz to serious classical music, and even ethnic music.

Way back in high school, when she joined the glee club, there weren't too many options for Kitchy
except to sing the kind of music that was popular in those days. SO her grounding was undoubtedly pop. But as she got exposed to more diverse musical styles, her abilities also expanded, and so did her repertoire.

During her undergraduate years at the University of the Philippines, where she took up Hotel and
Restaurant Administration, Kitchy joined the prestigious UP Concert Chorus. She worked her way up
to become one of the group's featured soloists.

This stint with the UPCC was a defining period in her life. Under the tutelage of the late Dean Reynaldo T. Paguio, the UPCC earned the reputation of being pioneers in the performance of choral music. Early in the group's history, it had raised quite a few eyebrows for the eclectic mix of musical styles that characterized the UPCC's repertoire. But this non-conventional approach rubbed off on many of Dean Paguio's wards, among them a budding soprano named Kitchy Vaidellon.

After graduating, K(tehy started singing professionally with The Rhythm and Blues Singers, the singing arm of what was then one of the hottest jazz acts in the country - Lito Molina's Jazz Friends. At the same time, Kitchy started singing commercial jingles for anything and everything - from baby powder to laundry detergent.

In 1984 Kitchy went back to U.P., this time to get a degree in music. She majored in voice, and
was soon immersed in the world and work of the classical masters. But she also found an entree into
the commercial music entertainment scene, working as a session musician providing back-up vocals for some of the country's leading pop artists.

Kitchy has performed lead roles in operas like Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville', Menotti's 'Saint Of
Bleecker Street", 'A Hand of Bridge", Puceini's 'Suor Angelica", 'Tosca' , and Paguio- Asensio's 'Mayo
Bisperas Ng Liwanag'. Alongside these and other recitals and concerts, she has provided back-up vocals here and abroad for live performances and recordings of leading pop artists like Basil Vaidez,
Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Pops Fernandez, Regine Velasquez and Mr. Jose Mari Chan.

Nowadays, this diva of diversity is a full time professor at the UP College of Music. She graduated with
a Bachelors Degree in Music, Major in Voice in 1989, and in 1999 she received her Master's Degree in
Music, Major in Voice. She conducts classes in Filipino Vocal literature and gives individual voice lessons. She also teaches privately and has become the vocal coach for many promising professional pop artists.

Of course, Kitchy still works as a session vocal musician and concert backup vocalist for local and
international pop stars, and she still occasionally does commercial jingles. But now this role has been
subdued by what she calls 'economics," and by her more important roles as a wife and a mother of four. And since 1997, Kitchy has been conducting the Concertante Philippines, a choir loosely composed of fellow UPCC alumni.

Whatever success Kitchy has garnered in her career she likes to pass on to her students. She
encourages them to also explore diverse musical styles. She believes that this is the key to opening up new opportunities for themselves. And her students don't need to look too far for an example.
Kitchy's own success serves as the case-in-point.

Kitchy does yearn to accomplish a couple more things. First is to cut a music album that features music from all the different styles; sort of a proof-of-concept. She also dreams of setting up an academy of performing arts, much like the AMDA in the U.S. Here she can practice the kind of eclectic musical mix that she has adopted, combining the fundamentals of serious music with the creative energy of pop. She envisions this as a talent center where agents will flock to discover and launch the country's next wave of crossover artists.