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Andrea Ofilada Veneracion ( or Ma'am OA; July 11, 1928 – July 9, 2013 ) was a Filipina choral conductor and a recipient of the 1999 National Artist for Music award. She founded the Philippine Madrigal Singers in 1963. She was also an adjudicator in numerous international choral competitions and was an active force in choral music before her massive stroke in 2005.
Early life
She was born on July 11, 1928, to Macario Ofilada and Raymunda Carriaga. She was raised in Manila, Philippines.
She earned her Bachelor of Music degrees in Piano and Voice at the University of the Philippines Diliman, graduating cum laude. She was a lyric soprano soloist in various Oratorio works and in the Opera Stage. She was also a very accomplished pianist and accompanist and was the accompanist of National Artist for Music, Jovita Fuentes for a number of years. Apart from being an extraordinary musician, she was also an exceptional athlete as a competitive swimmer. She was part of the Philippine swimming team who first competed internationally in Hong Kong.