A Hong Kong native, Jaco Wong is pursuing a Professional Studies Certificate in Orchestral Conducting at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, primarily studying conducting with Edwin Outwater and composition with Mason Bates. Concurrently, Wong is the Artistic Assistant at Opera Parallèle and Assistant/ Cover Conductor at Oakland Symphony, where he made a conducting debut at the Michael Morgan Memorial Concert. Wong is a co-conductor of the Harker School Orchestra and the former music director of Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church. Other highlights include preparing the Esperanza Azteca Youth Chorus to perform with Placido Domingo and conducting the Taipei Philharmonic. Wong recently conducted a recording session for Emmy Award-winning composer Jeremy Zuckerman and participated in the Miami Music festival and Monteux Music Festival in New York City.
Commissioned by animation artist Evan Tedlock, Psithaura is a finalist of the American Prize in composition, which has been performed in more than 4 countries and 7 cities. Wong has previously composed for San Jose Chamber Orchestra, LA Choral Lab’s GPS-enabled Soundwalk, Iris Contemporary Dance Company, Hocket piano duo, Lang Lang, and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. Wong’s music is published by See-A-Dot Music Inc.
Wong holds a double Master's degree in Composition and Choral Conducting from University of Southern California, where he was the recipient of Morten Lauridsen Endowed Scholarship. He also attended a Summer Study Abroad in Paris by Eastman School of Music and IRCAM.