Dr Yu Chung Johnny Ku is the Music Director of Taipei Philharmonic Chorus and Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir. He is also the Music Director of Taipei International Choral Festival and Competition, the conductor of Dream Lotus Chorus, the vice-president of Taiwan Choral Association, an assistant professor in the Taiwan University of Arts and the Fu-Jen Catholic University, a member of the World Choral Council, a member of the Asia-Pacific working committee in the International Federation for Choral Music, co-founder of the World Choral Championship, and one of the founding directors of the Asian Choral Association.
Ku is an active conductor working with not only choirs, but also orchestras, operas, musical theatres, and pop concerts. He has given concerts, masterclasses, workshops, and lectures in more than 20 countries around the world, including Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macao, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Taiwan, Turkey, the United States, among others. Also, he and the Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir have been invited to perform in several prestigious international music festivals, including the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference, the Next Wave Festival of Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Melbourne Festival, and the 2023 World Symposium on Choral Music in Turkey, to name a few.
Ku has served as the Chorus Master for more than 50 operas and choral-symphonic productions of the Taiwan Philharmonic (NSO), the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and the Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, working alongside with Frieder Bernius, Charles Dutoit, Günther Herbig, Eliahu Inbal, Jahja Ling, Jun Märkl, Helmuth Rilling, Jaap van Zweden, among others. In addition, he has been an adjudicator in international competitions, including the World Choir Games, World Choral Festival, Bali International Choral Competition, Singapore International Choral Competition, Penabur International Choir Festival, Busan Choral Festival and Competition, and several others.
Ku received his D.M.A. from the College-Conservatory of Music in University of Cincinnati, and holds a master’s degree from Temple University.
The Youth Choir of The Unique Atayal College was founded on 9 September 2023.
Most of the choir members grew up learning and singing together in the Children and Youth Choir of The Unique Atayal College. As they entered high school and university, many members moved to different cities and counties across Taiwan to pursue their studies, making it increasingly difficult for them to gather and continue singing together. Nevertheless, their passion for choral music and the memories of growing up through music together never faded.
In September 2023, Bsyal Makus, a member of the first generation of students at The Unique Atayal College, returned to his home community to give back through music education. He brought together many high school and university students and invited them to return to the familiar place where they had once learned and grown together. This reunion marked the official founding of The Youth Choir of The Unique Atayal College.
In July 2024, the choir participated in the 6th Taipei International Choral Competition, where it received a Gold Award in the Folklore Category and a Gold Award and Category Champion in the Youth Choir Category, advancing to the Grand Prix. The choir performed two Atayal-language works by its resident young Atayal composer, Syat Pawang: the original composition pklapaw (“Flower Bud”) and the arrangement blaq na kin_gbyan (“A Mysterious Night”). blaq na kin_gbyan marked the choir’s first step onto the stage singing in its mother tongue and was also the first work specially created for the ensemble.
In mid-July 2025, the choir participated in The 9th Singapore International Choral Festival (SICF), receiving a Gold Award and Category Champion in the Youth Choir Category, as well as a Gold Award and Second Place in the Sacred Music Category. Later that month, the choir participated in the 7th Taipei International Choral Competition (TICC), earning Gold Awards in both the Mixed Choir and Sacred Music Categories and advancing to the Grand Prix. Among the repertoire performed was ramu’ na pinchutan Yes (“The Precious Blood of Jesus”), an Atayal-language composition by Syat Pawang.
In July 2026, the choir participated in the 8th Tokyo International Choir Competition, where it received a total of six major awards: Grand Prix Champion; Gold Award and Category Champion in the Youth Choir Category; Gold Award and Category Champion in the Contemporary Music Category; Best Performance of a Renaissance Work; Best Performance of the Set Piece in the Contemporary Music Category; and Best Conductor Award, presented to conductor Bsyal Makus (Hsu Wei-Yuan). The choir also performed yasa tnaq (“Let It Be That Way”), an Atayal-language composition by Syat Pawang.
In July 2027, the choir will represent its community at the World Choral Championship (WCC). Rooted in Atayal culture, The Youth Choir of The Unique Atayal College will continue to explore new possibilities between cultural heritage and contemporary choral music through the Atayal language, traditional songs, and new choral compositions—bringing the voices of the community to the world.
Mr Nelson Kwei is an internationally acclaimed conductor, conservatorium lecturer, editorial advisor, adjudicator, music arranger and vocal clinician. He is a Fellow of the London College of Music, has a Licentiate in Singing from the Guildhall School of Music, and Advanced Post-Graduate in Choral Conducting from the Royal Academy of Music (London). In 2013, Kwei received the Associateship from the Royal Academy of Music for his outstanding achievements in choral music.
Kwei was the first conductor to lead a Singapore school choir in an overseas competition. Under his guidance, Victoria Junior College Choir won the Youth Choir category in the Cardigan Eisteddfod, Wales in 1990. From then on, he led numerous other Singapore choirs to garner victory in the world’s most prestigious competitions.
Kwei was awarded Best Conductor in 1998 and 1999 (Germany), in 2002 and 2004 (Prague), 2008 (Italy), and 2012 (Austria). He has led his choirs to eight Gold Medals, including three Choir Olympic Champions in the World Choir Games Bremen 2004 and Xiamen 2006. In Vienna, Austria 2012, he led Victoria Junior College Choir to attain four Gold awards and two Category Champion prizes. Under his leadership, the National University of Singapore Choir won three 1st Prizes in the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod (Wales, United Kingdom) and the coveted "Choir of the World" award in 2018.
Kwei is an executive member of the National Arts Council’s Advisory Board for Choral Development in Singapore and the National Arts Council’s (NAC) external assessor for music. Internationally, he is the First Vice-Chairman of the Asian Youth Choir Council, as well as the Artistic Director of “A Voyage of Songs,” “Asia Cantate,” and “Jubilate, Festival of Choirs.” He is also invited as clinician and adjudicator in top international festivals and competitions.
Currently, Kwei is the founding director of Singapore’s premier semi-professional choir, the Singapore Choral Artists, which has been invited by International Federation for Choral Music as a main featured choir in 2026 World Choral Symposium in Macau.
Founded in 1988, Victoria Chorale is the home of singers from Victoria School and Victoria Junior College. Under the guidance of esteemed conductor Mr Nelson Kwei, the choir’s voices have voyaged to prestigious international festivals and touched the hearts of audiences at home.
Since the very first tour to Wales in 1990, the choir has commissioned Singaporean compositions and represented Singapore proudly in the international choral arena. Triumphs include top awards at reputable choir festivals and conventions in Bournemouth, England (1992), Riva Del Garda, Italy (1994), Llangollen, Wales (1996), Pohlheim, Germany (1998), and Bremen, Germany (2004).
In 2006, the choir clinched the championship in the Musica Sacra A Cappella category at the World Choir Games in Xiamen, China. They also triumphed as Grand Champions at the inaugural Manado Cantat International Choral Competition (2017), dominating the Equal Voices Open, Chamber, and Sacred categories. Most recently, they were Grand Prix finalists at the 6th Tokyo International Choir Competition (2024), taking home two Gold Prizes and the award for Best Interpretation of Classical Music.
Beyond competitions, the choir has captivated audiences in prestigious venues and festivals worldwide. They represented Singapore at the Western Division Choral Convention organised by the American Choral Directors Association in Hawaii, United States in 2002. In 2009, the choir embarked on a concert tour at the invitation of J&A Music Corporation, performing an extensive repertoire at the Seoul Arts Center, South Korea. This tour was followed by invitations to perform at the Lionel Wendt Theatre, Sri Lanka (2014), and the Sarawak International Festival of Music and Arts, Malaysia (2022).
Through the years, Victoria Chorale has been more than just a choir — it has been a haven where they grow as musicians and friends. Each year, generations of singers come together for their cherished homecoming carolling session, lovingly known as the “Grand Reunion.” Alongside their annual concert In Song, these traditions reflect the heart of the choral family: the steadfast dedication to camaraderie and the pursuit of choral excellence.
Born in Tokyo in 1962. A composer and a choral conductor. Prof Ko Matsushita graduated at the top of his class from the Kunitachi College of Music, Department of Composition, and went on to study chorus conducting and composition in Hungary, under Professor Reményi János, Mohay Miklós and others.
With choral music as the main axis, his works vary widely in range, and are being published and performed around the world. Exhibitions of his works have been held in Japan, Poland, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 2005, Matsushita was awarded the “Robert Edler Prize for Choral Music” as the first Asian in recognition of his outstanding achievements worldwide in the field of choral music.
In 2023, he was elected as a Distinguished Patron of the International Kodály Society. Additionally, he was presented the Fides Spes Caritas medal for special merits to sacred music by the Institutum Sacrae Musicae Colendae in award ceremony held in Warsaw, Poland in June 2023, honouring him as an outstanding composer of sacred music.
Composed “Ashita no Note - The Notebook for Tomorrow” as a set piece for the High School Division of the 91st (2024) NHK All-Japan School Choir Competition. Matsushita currently serves as the executive director of the International Choral Organisation of Tokyo. Artistic Director of Koyukai. General Producer and Artistic Director of Japan International Choral Festival and Tokyo International Chorus Competition. Artistic Director of the Japan International Choral Composition Competition. Former special visiting professor at Kobe College. Member of the Itabashi City Tourism Promotion Vision 2035 Formulation Study Committee.
The Metropolitan Chorus of Tokyo is a mixed choir composed of members of the Koyukai, an alliance of choirs led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Ko Matsushita.
Based in Tokyo, the choir is committed to the preservation, continuation, and development of choral culture through a diverse range of activities, including performances at schools and social welfare institutions, CD recordings, international concerts, and cultural exchange programmes. Through these endeavours, the choir seeks to share the richness of choral music with a broad range of audiences while actively contributing to the vitality and evolution of the choral tradition.
The choir has developed a strong international presence through numerous distinguished performances and collaborative projects. In 2015, they were was invited to perform at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Salt Lake City, United States. In 2016, they gave an invited performance at the Busan International Choral Competition in Korea. In 2023, together with the Taipei Male Foundation Choir in Taiwan, they presented the world premiere of Ora Pro Pace, an international collaborative work by five composers, including Ko Matsushita. In 2025, the choir premiered Hoshi no Oto (“The Sound of the Stars”) at KIBO SPACE LIVE, an event celebrating the connection between ISS and Osaka Kansai Expo.
Since the Japan International Choral Composition Competition was first held in 2015, the choir has performed world premieres at the competition’s award ceremonies. The choir’s consistently high artistic standards and commitment to new choral music have earned them a strong reputation in the choral community.
Educated in Hong Kong and the United States, Mr Cheng Kay Yen Ronnie is a seasoned conductor of both the choral and orchestra arts. Under his direction, his ensembles have won International accolades and championships in Austria, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, United States, and Wales. Through the years, Cheng’s contributions to the choral arts have been recognised with Outstanding Artistic and Conductor awards in various international competitions. He currently directs Diocesan Choral Society and Diocesan Male Chorus. Cheng is also an Executive Committee member of the newly established Asian Choral Association. Through the years, Cheng has served in juries at international choral festivals, workshop leader as well as conducted master classes in Europe as well as Asia.
As an accomplished musician and educator, Cheng serves as the Headmaster of the Diocesan Boys’ School, Hong Kong, as well as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association.
A Summary of Cheng’s Results in Various Music Festivals:
The Diocesan Choral Society (DCS) was founded in 1949 by Mr Gerald Archer Goodban, former Headmaster of Diocesan Boys’ School, and is made up of alumni from both Diocesan Boys’ School and Diocesan Girls’ School. Under the baton of Mr Cheng Kay Yen Ronnie, the choir performs internationally and locally, united by a shared passion for artistic excellence and the transformative power of choral music. As a registered charity in Hong Kong, the choir is committed to inspiring through voice, to enlightening through music, and to leading through example.
Over the years, the choir has earned numerous accolades, and collaborated with world-class artists, including Andrea Bocelli during his Asia Tour “With Passione”. In 2016, the choir was invited to participate in the Taipei International Choral Festival, and held a standalone concert at the Theatre and Concert Hall in Taipei.
The choir continued its international success at the Tokyo International Choir Competition in 2018, where it won the Grand Prix, qualifying the choir for the World Choir Championship in 2019 alongside other Grand Prix winners from Taipei, Rimini and Krakow. In 2023, they competed in the World Choir Games and captured the Championship title of the Mixed Choirs Category.
Most recently, they captured the Grand Prix at the 2024 Tokyo International Choir Competition for a second time, securing qualification for the 2025 World Choir Championship in Taipei. There, the choir competed against leading ensembles from the Czech Republic and the Philippines and was ultimately crowned Winner of the World Choir Championship, marking another milestone in its distinguished history and reaffirming its standing among the world’s premier choral ensembles.