Maria Krissan Valencia Manikan is a Filipina Classical Artist. She is a recipient of a French Scholarship granted by the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris (CRR de Paris, 2011) and one of the scholars of the Klassikal Music Foundation, sponsored by Founder of McDonald’s Philippines and Tenor, Mr. George Yang. Kris studied as a Mezzo Soprano under Filipina Soprano, Maestra Josie Garlit-Bailen in the Santa Isabel College.

She was a soloist in numerous school productions like Beethoven’s Choral Fantasia and Mozart’s Mass in C. She was also a member of the award-winning chorus, The Santa Isabel College Singers, under the direction of Dr. Raul Navarro. In 2009, she was invited to sing during the 60th Anniversary of the Founding Relations between the Republic of the Philippines and Pakistan in Lahore and Islamabad.

Before her musical studies, she was a student at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). After a year of studying under the College of Liberal Arts, she pursued to take up Music, instead. Kris was inspired to be a classical singer when she joined the Ramon Magsaysay High School Chorale, a NAMCYA champion group in 2005. Later on, she became a chorister to numerous local choral groups: The PLM Chorale; The San Antonio de Padua Chamber Chorale; and The St. Pancratius Choir.

As of the moment, she is a member of the Paris Conservatory’s Le Jeune Choeur de Paris (The Young Choir of Paris). She was part of the recording of the conservatoire’s production of Debussy’s La Damoiselle Elue with internationally acclaimed French singers, Natalie Dessay and Karine Deshayes.

During her early stay in France. Kris performed as “Jacinthe” in Mozart’s L’Oie du Caire on October 2012 with her French colleagues., staged twice in Saintes. She was reviewed as an artist who possessed good qualities of a singer and an actress, by the ClassiqueNews.Com.

She underwent masterclassses with Soprano Victoria Rapanan and French vocal pedagogue and Soprano, Florence Guignolet.

Recently, Kris is pursuing her studies in the French conservatoire to obtain her diploma (Diplome d'Etudes Musique) on 2013. She is preparing for her recitals in France, Italy and Netherlands.