Chief executive officer

Chief Executive Officer Hung-Chang Chu

Hung-Chang Chu received his Bachelor degree in voice from the Chinese Culture University. In 1997, he got the graduate degree in choral conducting from the National Sun Yet-Sen University where he studied with Professor Peter Jermihov and Dr. Wan-Lung Hung.In 1985, he initiated the music program as the founding director in Lo-Yu Senior High School. He had nurtured many talented and accomplished musicians and music educators. He was awarded the “Hung Dao” Award the most honored award from private schools because of his contribution to music education and his great experiences in music administration.

In July 2007, Hung-Chang Chu was elected as the General Director of the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra and the Chief Executive Officer of Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra Foundation.

As the General Director, he has collaborated with world- renowned artists and art groups. In his inaugural season as the director he introduced a number of new initiatives: 2007 concert tour in Taiwan with the tenor- Jose Carreras; a concert with Tan Dun, a winner of an Oscar Academy and Grammy Awards for the Best Original Score; the conductor Zdenek Macal, the former chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Cellist Mischa Maisky; Jazz pianist Makoto Ozone; Singer Russell Watson, Hayley; Violinist Shlomo Mintz, Ryu Goto, Reiko Watanabe, Akiko Suwanai; the Distinguished Conductor Tsao-Pen; Piano Prodigy- Niu Niu,“Genius Pianist” Yundi Li, and Chen Sa. By Hung-Chang Chu’s endeavor, the KCSO not only has made its way to the world stages but also has maintained its local-friendly image in it’s own home of Kaohsiung City.

During his tenure at the KCSO as the director, the orchestra performed with Ming Hwa Yuan (A Taiwanese Opera) Arts and Cultural Group for a big production of the "Legend of the White Snake", which was a cross-field collaboration; Tan Dun’s ”Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon”, the joint production of BBC and Discovery’s ”Blue Planet”,”Warner Brothers’Bugs Bunny at the Symphony”,”On The Road”,”Romeo and Juliet” Ballet with Suzho Science & Culture Arts Center”　s Ballet Company,”Love Songs of the Mandarin and Taiwanese” concerts, Video Games Live Concert,”May Day Band” live concerts etc.

Those concerts have drawn a large number of music lovers.

Hung-Chang Chu was the first music director to have the KCSO perform abroad for broadening the prestige of the orchestra among other professional orchestras in Taiwan. The KCSO toured to Nan-Jing, Shang-Hai, Qin-Dau and Su-zho. In 2008 under Hung-Chang Chu’s directorship, the KCSO was invited to perform in the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony. KCSO also toured by invitation at the Art Festival in Esplande- Theatres on the Bay, Singapore. Under his successful leadership, among the professional orchestras in Taiwan, KCSO was the only professional orchestra that performed in the opening ceremony of the Kaohsiung World-Games, 2009.

In July 2010, Hung-Chang Chu was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer for the both Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra and Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra by the board directors of The Kaohsiung City Philharmonic Art Foundation.