Thomas Hong: Music Director of Penn Symphony Orchestra	Print Issue
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After a national search, Thomas Hong has been named as the new music director of the Penn Symphony Orchestra (PSO) at the University of Pennsylvania.

Hailed by Kurt Masur as “one of the most talented young conductors of his generation,” Mr. Hong has held titled positions with the Dallas, Pittsburgh and Seattle Symphony Orchestras as well as Orchestre National de France; with these orchestras, he conducted countless concerts, including classical, community, education and pops concerts. His association with the Penn Symphony Orchestra began in the 2014-2015 season, when he served as the interim conductor. He is also music director of the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, and has recently guest conducted ensembles ranging from the Utah Symphony to the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, as well as some district and regional ensembles for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. 

Michael Ketner, director of performance and a member of the search committee, described the committee’s pleasure with the outcome of the process: “We are thrilled to have Tom continue with the Penn Symphony Orchestra. During his interim year and throughout the audition process, he consistently demonstrated his wonderful musicianship as well as his enthusiasm for Penn. Not many schools can boast an orchestra conductor with the credentials Tom has. Based on the feedback we received, I know that the students are excited about his appointment as well.”

Mr. Hong was born in Incheon, Korea and immigrated to the United States with his family. He began his musical training as a pianist and continued his studies with Samuel Hsu at Cairn University. Later, he went on to earn a master’s degree in choral conducting at Temple University and an artist diploma in orchestral conducting from the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Alan Harler and Otto Werner Mueller, respectively. He concluded his artistic training with Larry Rachleff at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.

Mr. Hong described his vision for the PSO: “The students who join the orchestra play because they want to be there. Many are quite accomplished musicians who are pursuing other fields at Penn. It’s a break from their heavy academic obligations, but they take it seriously and perform at the highest artistic level. One of my goals is to get the word out about our performances so that the community has access to this magnificent music and our musicians have the support and appreciation of an audience drawn from the campus and broader communities.”

One of nearly a dozen performing ensembles sponsored by the University’s department of music, the Penn Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1878 and includes musicians from throughout the University community, primarily non-music majors. The PSO performs a diverse range of repertoire drawn from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, most often at historic Irvine Auditorium.