Christian De la Cruz is in his 16th year of teaching and 4th year as head choir director with the nationally acclaimed Tompkins High School Choir Program in Katy, TX and is serving as the director of music at Grand Lakes Presbyterian Church. Christian graduated summa cum laude from Texas State University with a bachelor’s in music education and a minor in mathematics under the direction of Dr. Joey Martin and Dr. Lynn Brinckmeyer, thanks in large part to the Terry Foundation Full Ride Scholarship awarded to just 16 out of over 5000 incoming freshmen.
Choirs under his direction have earned consistent Superior ratings at UIL Concert & Sightreading and have consistently had multiple students earn a spot in the Texas All-State Choirs. In 2017 he helped direct and lead his former choir program to win the State Championship for choir with American Classic Texas Madrigal Festival against the very top 40 high school choirs from all-across Texas. Christian is frequently invited as a clinician, judge, and guest conductor for various high-schools, middle-schools, and choral festivals throughout the state. Christian has conducted and toured with his choirs in Hawaii, Washington DC, Chicago, Peru, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Italy. In the summer of 2025 he will tour with Tompkins singers in England and France. In 2019 he directed a high school choir that was crowned Champion of Leonardo Da Vinci International Choral Festival in Florence, Italy where they competed against the best choirs from Spain, Denmark, Bulgaria, the Philippines, Indonesia, Costa Rica, and China.
He served as the executive administrator for the Texas State University Choir Camp for many years and sang professionally with the San Antonio Chamber Choir, recording 2 albums with them. He is also a singer with the Houston premier choir, Suono. Christian is a member of TMEA, TCDA, TMAA, Mu Phi Epsilon, and has served on the Advisory Board for the Terry Foundation as one of its youngest members at the time. Christian immigrated from the Philippines at age 3. He credits finding his passion for choral music through the McAllen ISD choral programs under the direction of his teachers Amby Tanner, Joyce Hull, Carlos Alfaro, Debbie Morton, Leslie Tanner, and Ed Arguelles. His mentors in San Antonio included Mary Cowart, Dianna Jarvis, Amanda Jeffries, and Jo Scurlock-Dillard.
In May of 2024, Christian was awarded the HEB Excellence in Education Award out of over 5000 nominated teachers throughout the state. As a result of the HEB EIE Award, Tompkins choir received a $10,000 grant from HEB.
He currently resides in the Cross Creek neighborhood with his two greatest joys: his wife, Audrey, and ten-year-old daughter, Rose.
Tompkins Choir is a nationally recognized choir of close to 250 singers. Since the school’s opening in 2013, the Tompkins Choir has earned a strong reputation of diverse performances, passionate singing, and a welcoming and supportive family of student leaders. Tompkins choir has been consistently earning high marks in the UIL Concert & Sightreading competitions as well as regularly placing multiple students in the TMEA All-State Choir each year. In 2018 the Tompkins Chorale was a TMEA Invited Honor Choir. In 2019 the Tompkins Chorale placed 1st in the regional American Classic Celebration of Excellence Competition in Houston. In 2023 the Tompkins Chamber Choir placed 3rd in the statewide American Classic MadFest Competition in San Antonio. In March of 2024, Tompkins Choir traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii and was invited to perform a patriotic concert at Pearl Harbor. In December of 2024, the Tompkins Choir was invited to perform with the Tompkins Full Symphony Orchestra at the Midwest Convention in Chicago, IL. Tompkins Choir has also been a crucial part of the combined Tompkins Fine Arts Musical earning multiple award nominations from the TUTS High School Musical competition. In 2013 their student Aisha Choquette won the TUTS Best Singer Award, for their role in the production of Tuck Everlasting. In November 2025, the Tompkins Choir will perform at the first Epcot Candlelight Processional of the season at Walt Disney World. Tompkins Choir Concerts are typically standing room only and sold out, and tickets to their annual SoundFX Disney Show are highly sought after in the community.