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The Hong Kong Chinese, conductor and music educator, Yee Yan Michelle Kwok, obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Government & Public Administration and Music (Minor) (2012-2016) and Postgraduate Diploma of Music Education (2016-2017) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong; and her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting (with distinction) deom Rider University: Westminster Choir College (2020-2022). She is currently in a final year Doctoral student majoring in Choral Conducting at Indiana University, minoring in Music History & Literature and Historical Performance in Voice (September 2022-December 2025). She has studied conducting with Simon Carrington, James Jordan, Chris Albanese, Betsy Burleigh, Dominick DiOrio, Alicia Brozovich, Sanders Lau, and Esmond Lim. She attended master-classes taught by Gábor Hollerung and Yunn-shan Ma. She has also studied voice with Judith Malafronte, Victoria Browers, Margaret Yim and Caleb Woo.
Michelle Kwok has conducted, performed, and competed in Italy, Latvia, the USA, Japan, China and Taiwan. She was recently named a national finalist in the 2024 American Prize: The Dale Warland Award. Recent performances include J.S. Bach's Motet Jesu, meine Freude BWV 227 (2024), Gabriel Fauré's Requiem (2023), Candeile’s Catherine ou la Belle Fermière (2023) and Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms (2022). She also enjoys premiering new music, some of which include Daniel Cui’s Jasmine Flower, Thejas Mirle’s A Sighing Mist, Cheng-zhi Jin’s Farewell (Cantonese Version), and Elby Kwok’s Reborn.
Michelle Kwok is passionate about youth choral education and was twice awarded the Talent Development Scholarship (Music and Performing Arts). She has served as the director and associate conductor of multiple collegiate choirs, including Indiana University’s contemporary vocal ensemble NOTUS (since August 2022), University Singers, Pro Cantare, Westminster Schola Cantorum and Chapel Choir (September 2020-May 2022), Hong Kong Polytechnic University Student Union Choir (September 2018-August 2019), Diocesan Choral Society, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Christian Choir (Sepember 2019-August 2020), to name a few. Michelle has served as the assistant chorus master for operas W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Ainadamar and Die lustige Witwe. During her time in Hong Kong, she co-founded a youth choir, Fluente Chorus. She is also an active adjudicator and conducting teacher.
Michelle Kwok is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, and has a Postgraduate Diploma in Music Education from CUHK, LRSM and DipABRSM (Distinction) in Voice. In her free time, she enjoys making soup and taking walks. |
