We are excited to announce the details of our next event – “Handel’s Messiah Sing-along”!
Conductor: Soong Hong Wong 黃頌康
Date: August 12, 2023 (Saturday)
Time: 2 to 5 pm
Venue: Toronto Chinese Methodist Church
8 Metropolitan Road, Scarborough, Ontario M1R 2T5
This event will be conducted in English and Cantonese.
Please register online at https://forms.gle/FSP9BNAh9kWDpqYk8.
Please bring your own score if you have a copy (limited copies will be available to borrow).
About the Conductor
A native of Malaysia, Soong Hong Wong 黃頌康 is a conductor, pianist, and tenor. He served as the founder and music director of Grace Presbyterian Church in America, based in Rochester, New York, from 2022-2023. He also served as a resident conductor of the Malaysia Kajang Chinese Methodist Church (KCMC) Youth Choir (2016-2021) and has served as an interim conductor of the KCMC Church Choir (2021).
Soong Hong has conducted various ensembles at the Eastman School of Music during his graduate studies, including the Eastman Chorale, Eastman Repertory Singers, and Eastman Bach Ensemble. He has served as an advisor in the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Eastman Chapter (2021-2023) to help guide the students with conducting suggestions and advice. He has conducted a wide variety of choral-instrumental works, including Schutz’s Verleih uns Frieden, Bach’s Cantatas no. 27 & 33, Handel’s Messiah, Telemann’s Psalm 117, Haydn’s Te Deum, Duruflé’s Ubi Caritas, to name a few.
As an enthusiastic chorister, Soong Hong has sung with multiple choral ensembles, including the Rochester professional chamber chorus Voices, the Eastman-Rochester Chorus, the Schola Cantorum of Christ Church Rochester, the award-winning Malaysia Bach Festival Singers as well as Mendelssohnchor Malaysia. He has served as the president and advisor of the two premier choirs at UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur. Under his leadership, the choirs won the Mixed-Voice Category Champion at the Choralympic Festival in Pyeongchang, South Korea; the Adult Choir Category Gold Award and the Grand Champion at the 10th International Choir Festival in Pattaya, Thailand; and the Silver Award at the 2018 Taiwan International Choral Competition. Additionally, the choirs have also performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Soong Hong’s primary conductor mentors are Dr. William Weinert and Dr. David Chin. He has also studied under Brad Lubman, Dr. Beth Willer, and Dr. Hana Cai. His piano instructors included Dr. Cheong Yew Choong and Mr. Ian Goh.
Soong Hong obtained his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, under the Robert P. Fountain Scholarship, and Bachelor of Classical Music in Piano Performance degree from the Institute of Music, UCSI University under UCSI Trust Scholarship.