Filipino baritone Cipriano “Zip” de Guzman Jr. won top prizes in several vocal competitions in Japan.

He won the first prize, opera category, in the 7th American Protégé International Vocal Competition last June. Part of his prize is to participate in the winners’ concert to be held at the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York City slated on Dec. 17.

De Guzman got the second prize (vocal category) in the 10th Yokohama International Music Competition at the Tokyo Gotanda Cultural Center last August. Grand Prix round of this competition will be held in November.

The baritone also got the special prize in 8th Tokyo International Vocal Competition held at Tokyo Sunny Hill on Oct. 10.

Zip is pursuing a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima, Japan under baritone Hiroharu Orikawa. He enjoys a scholarship grant from the Loyola Memorial Scholarship and Catholic University Scholarship.

Zip de Guzman holds three bachelor degrees: BA in Communication Arts from University of the East; and Bachelor in Music Education, Voice Emphasis minor in Piano, cum laude, and Bachelor in Music in Vocal Performance minor in Choral Conducting, cum laude, from University of Santo Tomas.

De Guzman will have a series of concerts in November at Hiroshima International House Festival. He will also perform at Sanata Dharma University in Indonesia, representing the Elisabeth University of Music.

In March 2017, he will essay the role of Schaunard in Puccini’s “La Boheme” to be staged by the Hiroshima City Opera.—CONTRIBUTED