TERESA CHEUNG
Music Director and Conductor
Altoona Symphony Orchestra, PA
Resident Conductor
American Symphony Orchestra, NY
Music Director
Bard College Orchestra, NY
Equally at home with both orchestral and vocal genres, Teresa Cheung is in frequent demand for symphonic, choral, and operatic productions in the US and Canada. Guest conducting appearances have led her to the American Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Mobile Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony, and the Stamford Symphony. Aside from maintaining an active schedule with professional orchestras, Cheung often appears as conductor for All State/County Orchestra Festivals, and has been a clinician for Lincoln Center's "Meet The Artist" program since 2007.
The 2010-2011 season marks Cheung's third season as the Music Director and Conductor of the Altoona Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania, as well as the Resident Conductor for the American Symphony Orchestra in New York City. Since 2004 she has been the Assistant Conductor for the Bard Music Festival and SummerScape, serving as Rehearsal Conductor for their opera and concert productions. Some of the most outstanding examples of her work include the 2010's highly acclaimed US premiere of Franz Schreker's Der ferne Klang, the first US fully-staged production of Robert Schumann's Genoveva in 2006, and the 2004 production of Mark Blitzstein's Regina. Cheung was recently appointed conductor for the Bard College Orchestra in New York.
Cheung is a strong advocate of music education for all ages. Her passion for community outreach is evident with her lectures, collaborative projects, and creative concert programming. Since the beginning of her tenure with the Altoona Symphony, Cheung has created numerous programs that engaged area children and high school musicians and choristers. In April 2010, the Altoona Symphony Orchestra performed its first Side-by-Side concert in its 82 year history with Gustav Holst's The Planets, partnering with the Juniata College Orchestra. The Altoona Symphony Orchestra will be presenting its closing concert this season featuring the Penn State University Percussion Ensemble in Silvestre Revueltas' La Noche de los Mayas.
Cheung began her career as Resident Conductor for the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, where she was also conductor of the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and Evansville Philharmonic Chorus. Amongst her many initiatives, she led the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra on its first international concert tour to Japan in 2002. A native of Hong Kong, Cheung earned her MM in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music. She is a recipient of the JoAnn Falletta Conducting Award for the most promising female conductors.
REVIEWS
Beethoven, Mozart, Ravel (Mobile Symphony Orchestra, January 15 & 16, 2011)
"Mozart and the audience were well served this evening as guest conductor Teresa Cheung led the Mobile Symphony Orchestra in a celebration of genius. Cheung conducted the orchestra as though she and the musicians were longtime acquaintances ... Cheung was charming and thoroughly professional. Her style is understated but effective, never self-conscious, and the MSO musicians responded to her enthusiastically. The concert opened with Beethoven’s “Coriolan Overture, Op. 62.” Not your run-of the-mill opening number, to be sure. But it was gripping. Led by Cheung, the musicians conveyed the lyrical beauty (and heroic qualities) of a rich and complex work.”
- Thomas S. Harrison (Mobile Press-Register)
Johannes Brahms - “Variations to a Theme by Joseph Haydn, op.56a” (Altoona Symphony Orchestra, October 02, 2010)
“The eight variations covered many emotional states in both broad sweeps and refined elegance. Cheung tempered the pacing of the conclusion so as to reach the glorious return of the theme at just the right time.”
- Timothy Melbinger (The Altoona Mirror)
Gustav Holst - “The Planets” (Altoona Symphony Orchestra, April 10, 2010)
“In the final movement, “Neptune, the Mystic”, Maestra Cheung sculpted the atmospherically shimmering instrumental music, upon which the wordless chorus of “ahhs” seemed to call from another world. This delicate and fading finale (to a mostly rousing piece) did not deter the packed house from offering thunderous applause.”
- Timothy Melbinger (The Altoona Mirror)
Gustav Mahler - “Symphony no.1 in D Major” (Altoona Symphony Orchestra, April 04, 2009)
“In addition to the minutia in the written score, there is the physical challenge of conducting such a large group. While the raucous climaxes were impressive, so too were the softest moments. Cheung exuded intensity right until the end, and the final few bars resulted in a standing ovation.”
- Timothy Melbinger (The Altoona Mirror)
Ludwig van Beethoven - “Symphony no.1 in C Major, op. 32” (Altoona Symphony Orchestra, November 01, 2008)
“Three concerts into her first season, it has become clear to me by her movements at the podium that Cheung not only understands the surface details of the music, but she also conveys the large-scale direction of each movement.” - Timothy Melbinger (The Altoona Mirror)
George Gershwin - “An American in Paris” (Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra March 20, 2005)
“Teresa Cheung made her final Classics appearance with immeasurable zeal. Her splendid direction of George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” was both inspired and disciplined, both rich and delicate. Crisp mallet percussion punctuated the musical poem. The strings melted like soft butter into the score, retuning to bubble as the piece flamed.”
- Philip Elliott (Evansville Courier & Press)
Antonin Dvorak - Serenade for Winds in d minor, op.44 (Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, January 12, 2003)
“Cheung drew a magnificent performance of Dvorak’s “Serenade in d minor for Winds.” From the first movement’s elegant march, contrasting with the lyrical ornamented second motif, lovely melodies propelled the work in a beautiful performance. Dynamics and intonation were perfect and the ensemble sounded rich, with individual voices clear in the beautiful third movement, at times delicate or bold, always musical.”
- Patricia Aakhus (Evansville Courier & Press)
Christmas Pops (Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, December 01 & 02, 2001)
“Not enough credit can be given to conductor Teresa Cheung. Everything was nearly perfect, and Cheung deserves the kudos for putting together one of the most enjoyable, heartfelt, musically touching Peppermint Pops concerts in years.”
- Rebecca Coudret (Evansville Courier & Press)