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"Extremely musical and with good technique, a truly promising young conductor" Siqing Lü, world-renowned violinist
"Talented and musical young conductor" Edo de Waart, Former Artistic Director, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
"Maestro Synthia Ko’s captivating conducting....delivered a world-class performance to the audience of Kunming" Yunnan Info Daily, 2009-09-19
"Maestro Synthia Ko’s romantic and melancholic approach…. provided excellent support for the violin soloist" Hong Kong Headline News, 2009-01-14
Hong Kong-born Synthia Ko studied conducting with great masters in both the United States and Europe. She is considered by many a rising conducting star in China. Her passionate expression for music is manifested in the enchantment of her baton. Ko not only captures the heart but also the soul. The recent exciting media coverage is proof that this young conductor has made a mark in the world of symphonic music.
With a sharp mind for details, Ko has a superb interpretation of Western works of the celebrated composers and her Chinese repertoire also displays a thorough and mature understanding of the nuances in the Chinese culture. Her lyrical interpretation of the Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto captured the attention of world-renowned Chinese violin virtuoso, Siqing Lü. In September 2009, he invited her as guest conductor for his concerts in China which were highly acclaimed. Recognizing her immense talent in conducting, the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra soon invited Ko to be their new Music Director and Chief Conductor starting from October 2010. Her concerts with the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra in Nanning all received overwhelming response. The Guangxi Symphony Orchestra is considered the best symphony orchestra in the northwest region of China and has toured the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, the Shanghai Expo 2010, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Vietnam, Singapore and Taiwan. Under Ko's leadership, the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra aims at performing in many more great music halls in other parts of the world.
Ko received her conducting degree in the United States where she studied with world-renowned conductors like Abraham Kaplan and Helmuth Rilling. She later furthered her conducting studies in Europe with "the maestro of maestros," Jorma Panula. She collaborated with the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, and guest conducted the Kunming Symphony Orchestra in China, the Performing Arts Institute in the United States and the Hong Kong Children Symphony Orchestra.
Apart from her professional work, Ko is also engaged in strongly promoting classical music in the community. Not only is she a guest speaker for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and presenter for RTHK Radio 4, she is also the Artistic Director and Chief conductor of one of Asia’s top youth orchestras, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Hong Kong (MYO). Since she took up the directorship in 2007, the orchestra’s reputation has grown by leaps and bounds. In 2009, her orchestra was invited by Austria’s Brahms Music School and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to perform in the famous Haydn Saal Concert Hall where her concert was well-received by members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The MYO was given the honour of having a private audience with the world-renowned conductor, Nicolaus Harnoncourt. In 2008 Ko took part in the Aberdeen International Youth Festival and Festival of British Youth Orchestras where her concerts all had tremendous success.
In the earlier days of her career, Ko was the Music Director of the Diocesan Girls’ Symphony Orchestra and Choirs. Together with her much loved students they captured the Gold Medal at the International Choir Olympics competition in 2002. Her vast conducting repertoire ranges from orchestral and choral music to musical productions.
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