Art Mapa

Art Mapa, gifted guitarist, composer, and arranger, has been associated with the Heritage Singers, a pioneering self-supporting gospel music ensemble, since 1985. In addition to playing with the group, he runs the Turning Point , which is part of the HS organization. As a highly skilled studio producer he oversees the production of CDs of the ensemble and its individual members, DVDs, and videos. He is known for his ability to record, mix, and then produce masters of impeccable quality. Mapa was born in the Philippines. At age nine he came to the U.S., where he taught himself to play the guitar. Beginning at age fifteen, he began playing in nightclubs and at dances with two well-known ensembles in the San Francisco area. He became increasingly disenchanted with the realities of that experience and dropped out. He worked as an x-ray technician from 1978 to 1985, and then joined HS as guitarist in the band that traveled with the group. Six years later, he and Val Mace, daughter of Max and Lucy Hatley Mace, founders of HS, married. In his studio work Mapa creatively arranges and enhances his recordings for CDs, videos, and accompaniments for HS use on the road with a dazzling panoply of instrumental sounds, from guitar to piano and other live and sampled orchestral sounds. More recently, he enjoys the challenges associated with producing music videos. Recent endeavors in this area include DVDs titled An Evening at the Crystal Cathedral, Heritage 35 Year Celebration, Because of Love, and Through the Years, Volumes 1 and 2. Mapa personally has recorded several albums, including "Instrumental Experience", "Turning Point", "The Art of Praise", "A Cool Christmas", and "Mr. Chase". He also freelances as a programmer and jingle writer...