Founded in 1970, at the University of La Laguna from which it is the senior musical institution, it has developed vocal generations in the Canary Islands. In its repertoire there can be included more than a hundred operas (by Verdi, Puccini, Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti), Zarzuelas (by Chapí, Serrano, Bretón, Soutullo & Vert), symphonic oratories and symphonies (by Haendel, Purcell, Haydn, Beethoven), Requiems like Brahms’, Verdi and Fauré, or A Christmas Fantasy by Vaughan Williams, in collaboration with prestigious orchestras such as the Tenerife Symphonic Orchestra (OST), Las Palmas Philarmonic Orchestra, the London Young Symphony Orchestra, the Timisoara Opus chamber orchestra (from Rumania), or the Moscow Virtuosi, for instance. The choir has made tournées all over Spain and Europe, (visiting p.e. Portugal, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, U.K., Ireland, Chequia, Hungary, Austria, Slovaquia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, or Russia), America (United States, Canada, Venezuela and Cuba) and Asia (the Philippines); it has been awarded prizes in Spain (Cantonigrós, Catalonia), England (1st, and 3rd prize in Cleveland Inter-Tie, Middlesbrough), former Yugoslavia (Skopje Festival) or Italy (Venize Summer Festival). It has recorded in the Spanish, Venezuelan, Irish, Lithuanian, U.S., Canadian and Russian TV programmes. It has published several cds: Barcarola (1994), Sunset Music (1996), A Drop of Brief Dew (2000), The Angels Sing (2001), The Blue Star (2002), and Sad, Very Sad (2005), together with collaboration in recordings of Spanish Zarzuelas like Doña Francisquita and Bohemians (Audivis/Valois, 1994), and Juvenile Polyphony Encounters in Cuenca, Spain (1982,1983,1984) and Coimbra, Portugal (1992,1994,1996). Since 1990 this choral formation has been conducted by Dr. Juan Ignacio Oliva, musicologist, pianist, and professor of Philology at the University of La Laguna (former conductor of vocal groups such as Orfeon “La PAZ” (1985-1990), Female Choir “San Fernando” (1990-1991), and Camerata Lacunensis (1993-2000).

Juan-Ignacio Oliva

Juan Ignacio Oliva teaches English literature at the Universidad de La Laguna (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain), since 1984, where he became full professor in 1998. From 1996-1998 he was the Head of the Modern Philology Department, and since 1997 he has also become the head of the University of La Laguna Center for Canadian Studies. He read his Ph.D. in English Studies in 1988, and graduated in Hispanic and Classic studies in 1982. Parallely, He graduated in piano pedagogy and singing at the Music school in Tenerife (1984) and musicology at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid (1989), obtaining distinctions such as excellence, graduation prize and doctorate prize in both specialities: Philology and Music. He was teacher of History of Music and Piano at the Santa Cruz Music Conservatory (1984-1988) and teacher at the University of La Laguna School of Modern Languages (1985-1989). He has been a member of several choirs: The Conservatory Choir, the University of La Laguna choirs, the Lyrical Choir of Las Palmas. He has conducted the male choir Orfeón “La Paz" de La Laguna (1985-1990) and the white voices choir of the same entity (1986-1990), the women Choir "San Fernando" (1990-1991) and the chamber choir Camerata Lacunensis (1993-2000), specialized in medieval and renaissance polyphony. With Orfeon “La Paz” male choir he obtained the 3rd prize at Torrevieja (Alicante, Spain) Habaneras and Polyphony Song Contest (1989); with Camerata Lacunensis he has travelled extensively through Europe, America and Asia (Portugal, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Poland, Lietuva, Latvia, Russia, Philippines, U.S.A. and Mexico) and recorded a double CD on ancient, religious and secular, polyphony, "Le Chant des Oiseaux” (1997) and a single CD on North/South American popular arrangements, including boleros, tangos, blues, rock, etc, titled “La Muerte del Ángel” (1999). Juan Ignacio Oliva has been since 1992 the Choir Conductor of the Opera and Zarzuela seasons in Tenerife, working in more than fifty titles by Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, or Donizetti. He has also published one book of Poems, “La Condición Humana”, from which he was awarded the best edited poetry book in the Canaries in 1998. Since 1990 he conducts the Coral Universitaria de La Laguna.