TERESA CHEUNG is in frequent demand for symphonic, choral, operatic and balletic productions throughout the United States, Canada and Hong Kong. Following an acclaimed 13-season tenure as Music Director of Pennsylvania’s Altoona Symphony Orchestra, she was appointed Resident Conductor of the Endless Mountain Music Festival.

Teresa Cheung’s recent engagements have found her on the podia of the Amarillo, American, Bakersfield, Chappaqua, Mid-Texas, Mobile, New Amsterdam (NYC), Phoenix, Portland, Stamford, Venice and Western Michigan symphony orchestras, Evansville, Fort Wayne and Rochester philharmonic orchestras, Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, New York City Ballet, Brooklyn’s Regina Opera and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Additionally, she often appears as conductor for colleges and universities and with All State/All County orchestra festivals. She has also served as a conducting clinician for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ “Meet the Artist” program.

Widely known for her creative concert programming, collaborative projects and community outreach initiatives, Teresa Cheung is also a passionate advocate for music education for all ages. During her tenure in Altoona, she created numerous outreach programs that engaged area children and high school musicians and choristers, ballet companies and civic organizations. Under her leadership, the ASO also performed with university instrumental and choral ensembles from Penn State University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Juniata College. Her vision of extending the Altoona Symphony’s artistry and reputation beyond Central Pennsylvania led to the filming of Dvorák’s New World, an acclaimed joint-project with the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts’ Humanities on the Road program that was broadcast throughout Pennsylvania in December, 2011. Another highlight of Ms. Cheung’s novel interdisciplinary projects was the North American premiere of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu on Halloween 2017, reuniting the original symphonic score of Hans Erdmann with the silent film in Berndt Heller’s reconstruction.

Teresa Cheung began her career as Resident Conductor of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, where she was also conductor of the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and Evansville Philharmonic Chorus. Among her many artistic initiatives, she led the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra on its first international concert tour to Japan in 2002. Subsequently, she served as Resident Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Conductor for the Bard Music Festival and SummerScape.

A native of Hong Kong, Teresa Cheung received her Masters Degree in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music. She is also the recipient of the JoAnn Falletta Conducting Award for the most promising female conductors.

In October 2018, I had the pleasure of playing for the first time with Teresa Cheung and her fine orchestra in Altoona, Pennsylvania. From the outset, she could not have been a more gracious collaborative artist. Her keen intellect and clear, tasteful musicianship were immediately obvious. Later in the weekend, I also listened briefly to her rehearsing other works on the program and saw a direct style that captured the essence of the works at hand. I look forward to our next concerts together.

MISHA DICHTER, internationally renowned pianist

Teresa Cheung devoted impressive energy and choreographic skill to leading the massive ensemble through highly disciplined performances of three monuments of the symphony literature: Weber’s Overture to Oberon, Dvorak’s Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. These were thrilling renditions, surging with high-octane energy and tonal beauty, particularly in the sound of the strings, backed up by sturdy and rhythmic support from the winds. As the kickoff to a season devoted to performances by candidates for the coveted mission of leading an ambitious orchestra to a new level, this concert was a thrilling and optimistic event.

HERALD-TRIBUNE (Sarasota, FL)

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.

COURIER & PRESS (Evansville, IN)

In addition to the minutia in the written score [Mahler Symphony #1], 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 resulting in a standing ovation.

ALTOONA MIRROR (PA)

Mozart and the audience were well served as guest conductor Teresa Cheung led the Mobile Symphony Orchestra in a celebration of genius. Cheung conducted 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. 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.

PRESS-REGISTER (Mobile, AL)

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.

ALTOONA MIRROR (PA)

Teresa Cheung made her final Classics appearance with immeasurable zeal. Her splendid direction of Gershwin’s An American in Paris was both inspired and disciplined, both rich and delicate. Crisp mallet percussion punctuated the musical poem, and the strings melted like soft butter into the score, returning to bubble as the piece flamed.

COURIER & PRESS (Evansville, IN)

The vibrant and visceral conducting of Teresa Cheung was truly magnificent. In her magical hands, Cavalleria Rusticana came to vivid life. Cheung captured the emotions of humanity caught in a web of passion. The superb musicians of the Regina Orchestra responded beautifully to Cheung. The famed Intermezzo was played with poignant beauty and spirituality. The finale with full chorus and the roar of brass and percussion was the very soul of verismo opera.

BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE (NY)

Altoona Symphony soars in season opener [headline]
It was a colorful program of orchestra showpieces with a virtuosic conclusion featuring piano soloist Misha Dichter. Rimsky-Korsakoff’s Capriccio espagnol was the highlight of the first half. There were serpentine solos in this Russian version of Spanish music, but it was the string section that took over for the exuberant finale. World-renowned pianist Misha Dichter joined the ensemble for Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. He displayed a command over the wide-ranging demands for the soloist while keeping an eye on Maestra Cheung’s numerous tempo changes in this quintessential Romantic work. While Dichter’s solo in the famous 18th variation was a high point, I was reminded that Rachmaninoff is an underrated orchestrator. We heard a wealth of colors from the ensemble and especially enjoyed the two outbursts of ‘Dies Irae’ as a march. After one of the longest ovations in recent memory, it was clear that Cheung set the bar high for this season.

ALTOONA MIRROR (PA)

6/8/2024 (2:30&5:30pm) 6/9/2024 (2:30&5:30pm) 6/10/2024 (2:30&5:30pm)	HONG KONG SINFONIETTA Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall “Good Music with Kids”
7/26/2024 (7pm)	ENDLESS MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL Steadman Auditorium, Mansfield University (PA) Schubert: Overture “in the Italian Style” (Ms. Cheung) Albrechtsberger: Alto Trombone Concerto (Ms. Cheung) soloist: Alexander Walden Arban: Variations on a Theme from Bellini’s Norma (Ms. Cheung) soloist: Brian Strawley, trumpeter Rutter: Requiem
7/27/2024 (7pm)	ENDLESS MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL The Corning Museum of Glass (NY) Liadov: Mazurka (Ms. Cheung) Mozart: Sinfonia concertante (Ms. Cheung) soloists: Hua Jin, violinist Carol Argenta, violist Dvorák: In Nature’s Realm Dvorák: Carnival Overture Dvorák: Othello Overture
4/27/2025 (3pm)	EXCELSIOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (NY) venue, tba Verdi: La forza del destino (overture) Wolf: Italian Serenade Bach/Stokowski: Toccata & Fugue in d Rachmaninoff: Symphony #2