Bio
Michelle Kwok is a versatile conductor, singer, and music educator from Hong Kong, currently based in Virginia. She was named the 2nd runner-up of the 2024 American Prize in Conducting: The Dale Warland Award, and has led performances in Italy, the United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Recent conducting engagements include Haydn's The Creation, Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, Bach’s Jesu, meine Freude, Fauré’s Requiem, and Candeile’s Catherine ou la Belle Fermière. An advocate for contemporary choral music, Kwok has premiered works by living composers, including Daniel Cui’s Jasmine Flower, Thejas Mirle’s A Sighing Mist, Jin Cheng-zhi’s Farewell (Cantonese Version), and Elby Kwok’s Reborn.
Kwok is a recent recipient of the Performing Arts Merit Award and was twice awarded the Talent Development Scholarship (Music and Performing Arts). She was previously the Director and Assistant Conductor of Indiana University’s University Chorale, NOTUS, University Singers, Pro Cantare, Westminster Schola Cantorum and Chapel Choir, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Student Union Choir, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong Christian Choir. Beyond the concert stage, Kwok has served as the Chorus Master of Nutcracker, Assistant Chorus Master for operas Carmen, Don Giovanni, Ainadamar, and Die lustige Witwe. During her time in Hong Kong, she co-founded the award-winning community choir, Fluente Chorus. Kwok is an active adjudicator and clinician. Her research on Cantonese choral music was published in the Choral Journal by the American Choral Directors Association and has informed performances in the United States and Canada.
Kwok received her Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University, and degrees from Westminster Choir College (with Distinction) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has studied conducting with Simon Carrington, James Jordan, and Chris Albanese, among other distinguished mentors. She was a conducting fellow at the Taipei International Choral Festival and Sarteano Choral Workshop. A classically trained singer, she studied voice with Judith Malafronte, Victoria Browers, and Caleb Woo. She performed with the GRAMMY®-nominated Westminster Williamson Voices, Westminster Choir, and Westminster Symphonic Choir. She also sang and won prizes with the Diocesan Choral Society in Latvia, Japan, and China. Kwok holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Music Education from CUHK, LRSM, and DipABRSM (Distinction) in Voice.
Whether conducting a large symphonic chorus or chamber ensemble, Kwok is committed to bringing musicality and community to the ensembles she works with. Her ability to connect singers, audiences, and composers through thoughtful programming and interpretation sets her apart as an engaging musical leader. In her free time, she enjoys making soup and taking walks. Kwok currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Williamsburg Choral Guild and a Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor at The College of William and Mary.
