Renz Nathaniel Cruz

Renz Nathaniel Cruz
Background information
Born	July 27, 1993 (31 years old) Metro Manila, Philippines
Genres	Opera, Classical Music, Musical Theater, Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, Songwriter, Actor
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Guitar, Piano

Renz Nathaniel Cruz is a Filipino singer, songwriter, and actor specializing in classical music and musical theater. He has been performing classical music publicly since 2015, but his professional opera debut came in 2017 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater, where he performed in the 60th-anniversary production of "Noli Me Tangere: The Opera," composed by National Artist for Music, Felipe Padilla De Leon.

He has since participated in various productions in the Philippines, both as a soloist and ensemble member. He is an artist of the Philippine Opera Company and serves as the founding president and artistic director of OperaJuan, an independent vocal ensemble based in Metro Manila.

Education

Cruz earned his Bachelor's Degree in Music, Major in Voice at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of tenor Randy Gilongo. During his entire stay in the University of Santo Tomas, he was a scholar of Dr. George T. Yang, the renowned founder of McDonald's Philippines, under the Klassikal Music Foundation (KMF), which provides scholarships to classical singers who could not afford to pursue a college degree in music.

During his training at the conservatory, he received additional vocal and performance coaching from Filipino tenor Arthur Espiritu, Prof. Susan Waters of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Russian bass Dmitry Grigoriev, Romanian-British soprano Nelly Miricioiu, American soprano Lisette Oropesa, the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City/Los Angeles, and the Philippine Opera Company’s “Young Artists Series”, working with Philippine theater veterans such as Jaime Del Mundo, Menchu Lauchengo-Yulo, Robbie Guevara, among others.

He is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Career

Cruz has performed in various classical music concerts at the "Concert at the Park" (Rizal Park) and "Paco Park Presents" in Manila before eventually landing his first supporting role as "Manlilibing" in the 60th-anniversary production of Felipe Padilla De Leon's "Noli Me Tangere: The Opera" (based on Jose Rizal's revolutionary novel of the same name) in 2017 at the CCP Main Theater. He went on to reprise the role in a new production of Noli in 2019.

Since 2017, he has been a principal performer in "Discover Opera!", an educational theater production by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Opera Company. As one of the four lead actors, he has toured public schools across Metro Manila, introducing high school students to the art form. This initiative, part of the CCP's Artist Training Division program, aims to cultivate opera appreciation among young audiences by showcasing its various elements in an engaging format.

In 2020, Cruz was selected as a finalist in the inaugural Verónica Villarroel International Vocal Festival in Chile, South America.

OperaJuan

In 2018, Cruz founded OperaJuan, an independent vocal ensemble based in Metro Manila, Philippines. The group specializes in classical and musical theater performances, featuring singers from both genres. Since its inception, OperaJuan has completed seven performance seasons, each presenting original concert concepts that primarily showcase existing works from opera and musical theater repertoires. As the founder and artistic director, Cruz has been instrumental in curating the ensemble's programs and guiding its artistic vision.

One of OperaJuan's notable productions was "Of Thrones and Tiaras: An Evening of Opera and Musical Theater Royalty," which debuted in December 2018 and had a special rerun in January 2019. This intimate musical production featured excerpts from various opera and musical theatre masterpieces, including works from La Traviata, Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Wicked, Into the Woods, Dear Evan Hansen, and more.

Another notable production was "Basically Bernstein/Strictly Sondheim: A Celebration of the Vocal Works of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim", which featured songs from West Side Story, Candide, Follies, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, Company, and more.

Advocacy

In 2016, Cruz participated in the music video "Salupongan" (meaning "unity"), a project organized by Salupongan International (SI) and Save Our Schools (SOS) Network to raise awareness about the struggles of indigenous Lumad people in Mindanao, Philippines. The video was directed by Carlos Siguion Reyna, and featured over a hundred musicians and actors.

Voice

Cruz is a classically-trained baritone whose repertoire spans multiple genres: opera, musical theater, OPM, pop, and rap.

Discography

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Cruz released his debut mini-album, "LIVE". This live recording features a selection of Italian, German, and Filipino art songs. The EP includes renditions of "Caro mio ben," "Per la gloria d'adorarvi," "Widmung," and "Du bist die Ruh," as well as original Filipino compositions "Ang Langit sa Lupa" and "Kundiman ng Langit".

In 2021, Cruz expanded his repertoire with the release of his first single, "Sino Ang Baliw?". This track was co-arranged by Cruz and is his interpretation of the OPM (Original Pilipino Music) song originally popularized by Kuh Ledesma. In the same year, Cruz also wrote a pop ballad called "Emancipation" for longtime friend and colleague, Eden Dumlao.

Albums:

LIVE (2020)

Singles:

Sino Ang Baliw? (2021)

Songwriter:

Emancipation (2021)