Rich Abante

I am a Christian and I love my Lord Jesus Christ! That is the legacy my Father has passed on to me: loving God above all... the rest just follows. My priorities are God and His work, family, studies and friends. I am driven and passionate. Music is my medium of expression,,, it is impossible to know me and not know my music. Have been singing in church since I was 2 years old and playing keys since I was 6...and now I play the guitar too (thanks to Music Therapy!). I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines... my family lives in the business district of Makati, but I now also call Boston and Orlando my "homes". I MISS MY FAMILY, the Philippines, my church, Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church, my friends and my vocal group, the Metropolitan V.O.I.C.E.S, that I've directed since I was 12 years old. I graduated from the Berklee College of Music last May (08) with a Music Therapy Degree. I finished my internship at Florida Hospital Orlando and I am now a Board-Certified Music Therapist! I am excited about the work God has laid out for me in this field.Though I've solely sung Christian songs my entire life before Berklee, since coming here I've stretched out my repertoire of genres to test my boundaries as a singer and now I can include under my belt R&B, Pop, Folk, Children's songs (thanks to music therapy again!), and Jazz! I utterly enjoy listening to Jazz (Miles Davis, Ellis Marsalis, Cyrus Chestnut, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit). Hopefully you'll enjoy the rough mix of my group's demo: Rich Abante Quartet. I am currently the choir & orchestra director at Orlando Baptist Church and having the time of my life with best worship ministry team ever! Life in the light of God's love is amazing and I cannot want or wish anything more for you than experiencing that yourself.