Staff and Instructors
Rogelle Zamora
Administrative Head / Music Director
Rogelle Zamora (he/him/his) is an active musician, educator, and aspiring ethnomusicologist based in Southern California. As a second generation Filipino American, he is passionate about providing opportunities for members of the community to learn about the musical cultures and practices of the diverse peoples of the Philippines.
Rogelle’s journey with Philippine music first began in 2018 when he met Bernard Ellorin, Ph. D., leading expert in Philippine music in Southern California and musical director of the Samahan Filipino American Performing Arts & Education Center (Samahan FAPAEC) in San Diego. Inspired by his experiences playing violin with Mariachi Los Broncos, the premiere mariachi ensemble of California Polytechnic State University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), Rogelle developed a strong desire to learn about the musical practices of his own cultural heritage. Shortly after graduating with his B.A. in Music (Education Emphasis) from Cal Poly Pomona, he moved to San Diego in pursuit of this newfound passion by studying with Dr. Ellorin. In 2021, he received the Apprenticeship Program Award from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in support of his pursuit to study Tagunggu' music (gong ensemble music unique to the cultures from the Sulu Archipelago, Philippines) with Dr. Ellorin. With this funding, he was also able to participate in the 2023 edition of Tribu Tur, a cultural immersion trip in the Philippines organized by KULARTS (Kulintang Arts Inc.), to supplement his studies with Dr. Ellorin.
Today, Rogelle performs regularly with the rondalla of Samahan FAPAEC and the Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble. When opportunities arise, he also performs freelance work teaching private lessons and playing as a solo musician and ensemble member for weddings, anniversaries, and other special events. He most recently joined the Palomar Symphony Orchestra, maintaining connections with his Western classical upbringing as a violist. As an educator, he teaches students of all ages, serving as an instructional staff member with various school music programs and independent organizations across Southern California such as the Center for World Music, Rancho Bernardo High School Royal Regiment, and Pulse Percussion Inc.
Outside of music, Rogelle enjoys exercising, playing video games, nerding out on all things related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and aspires to be a proud dog dad.
This is Rogelle’s fourth year with the Filipino Cultural School and is excited to help expand the organization’s reach and operations.
Francelle Esteban
Instructor (Filipino Language - Elementary Level)
Francelle Esteban was born and raised in Quezon City, Philippines. She taught elementary students for 3 years in the Philippines before immigrating to the USA in 2013. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education at De La Salle University-Manila and holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Fordham University in New York. She is a certified New York state teacher and currently works as an NYC public school elementary teacher. She looks forward to teaching young children all about the Filipino language and culture.
Jairus Ramos
Instructor (Filipino Language - Adult Level)
Born in Laguna, Philippines, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 6, Jairus grew up in Southeast Los Angeles in a Tagalog-speaking household. That was how he was able to retain his first language. However, it was not until transferring to California State University, Long Beach that he was able to take formal Filipino/Tagalog classes. At CSULB, he studied Filipino/Tagalog for four semesters, and also studied Filipino/Tagalog over a summer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). Since 2019, Jairus has been a community teacher teaching Filipino/Tagalog in various communities around Los Angeles, and then online in the summer of 2020. Currently, he is studying to complete the teacher credential program at CSULB so he can teach Filipino/Tagalog in K-12. He believes in celebrating diversity, equity, and opportunities for youth and adults to learn Filipino language and culture.