Born and raised in the Philippines with Kapampangan descent, Rey Sunglao is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education at Frost School of Music, University of Miami. He earned a double Master of Music in Music Education and Double Bass Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. Rey completed his Bachelor of Music in Music Education with Double Bass Principal from St. Scho School of Music, St. Scholastica’s College, Manila in 2017. He was a recipient of the Sister Baptista Battig Music Scholarship, Philberth Scholarship, and Future Faces Manila Scholarship. Graduating magna cum laude, he received the Sister Baptista Battig Award for his outstanding ability and achievement in music. Rey holds the distinction of being the very first double bass graduate of St. Scho and also holds the title of the first male valedictorian of the institution. He is an alumnus of “The Outstanding Students of the Philippines Alumni Community.”

As a performer, Rey represented the Philippines at the 2017 Asian Youth Orchestra as principal double bassist with concert tours in Asia, the US, and Europe. His first orchestral experience was with the Manila Symphony Orchestra, one of the oldest orchestras in Southeast Asia, initially as a trainee then as a professional double bassist from 2012-2021. Rey advocates for the expansion of the double bass repertoire by transcribing Filipino music and presenting them on the international stage. As a music educator, Rey taught PreK-12 general music for two years at the Canadian American School in the Philippines and has five years of experience teaching preschool Music and Movement classes. He co-founded an online learning program during the 2020 pandemic to continue teaching Early Childhood Music Education on an online platform. Rey published an article in 2023 in the Bass World, the International Society of Bassists magazine and a children’s book on Kindle Direct Publishing.

At Eastman, Rey served as the President of the Eastman Graduate Students Association and as Eastman International Student Liaison. He worked as a Program Assistant and Summer Conference Manager for the Office of Student Affairs and as an Office Assistant for the George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion in Music. In addition, Rey was a recipient of the Kanable scholarship and was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda, a prestigious national music honors society. He also received the 2023-2024 Eastman Inclusive Excellence Award for his leadership of the Eastman Graduate Students and his mentorship and support of all international students at the Eastman school.