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Boys' choirs have been in existence for hundreds of years. The Philippines, owing much to its Spanish heritage, is blessed with one comparable in stature and ability to those in the great capitals of Europe.

Tiple, a Spanish word for the highest and brightest voice human voice, is synonymous to the quality of the voices of the members of a boys' choir. It is no wonder then that it is carried in the name of the most prestigious and oldest existing group in the Philippines.

The Tiples de Santo Domingo traces its beginnings more than 400 years ago, under the auspices of the Dominican missionary, Fr. Pedro Bolaños, OP the tradition of training boys to sing in church was established. It is worth noting the circumstances in which these events took place. At that time, it was common for parents to go into the fields to work, leaving the children behind. In a way, the advent of schools for boys, not only relieved families of worries, but helped in the propagation of the Catholic Faith.

Originally, the Tiples were organized to sing at the chapel of the Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario in the old Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros, even before the carving of the third image [La Naval] was finished. To this day, this is still the main function of the group, more especially during the annual festivities of La Naval de Manila.

It has always been a practice for the boys to live within the compound of the church to facilitate maximum use of time in their daily activities.

A recent discovery of a document from the early 1900s, the Reglamentos de los Tiples de Santo Domingo, details the accounts of their standard routine throughout their stay in the convent.

In recent years however, with the changing of the times, members of the choir no longer live in Santo Domingo, yet served their purpose with as much vigor and determination in keeping with their rehearsal schedules and in performing their duties at church functions.

The modern history of the Tiples de Santo Domingo has been highlighted by numerous concerts both here and abroad, not to mention invitations to he Malacañan Palace for Presidential Command performances.