DAVID CHIN Artistic Director
Photo by Matthew Tylutki 2025
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David Chin is an award-winning international conductor, educator, speaker, and cultural entrepreneur. He is the founder, Chief Executive, and Artistic Director of Bachfest Malaysia, where he also conducts the acclaimed Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra, which he established in 2015. Under his leadership, the organization has grown into a cultural beacon—launching Asia’s first Bach festival, expanding Malaysia’s classical music ecosystem, and offering a platform for musical excellence and cross-cultural connection. Notably, David became the first conductor to bring Bach’s music to major cities in East Malaysia (Borneo), and has sustained the organization entirely without institutional funding—securing support for high-level concert productions, international tours, and scholarly initiatives. In 2025, Bachfest Malaysia celebrates its 10th anniversary.
David is currently a music professor at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he directs the inaugural Augustana Bach Collegium and Bach Cantata Lecture Concert Series, and teaches courses in conducting, music history, and music theory. In 2022, he was appointed Senior Fellow of the Bach-Archiv Leipzig, becoming only the fourth individual to receive this honor since 1950, affirming his standing as a global authority on Bach. |
A passionate advocate for the transformative power of classical music—especially the works of Johann Sebastian Bach—David believes that great music opens space for deeper reflection and meaningful human connection. Guided by this conviction, he has founded multiple organizations and created wide-reaching opportunities for emerging musicians, fostering collaboration across cultures and disciplines.
Most recently, he led the Malaysia Bach Festival Singers & Orchestra on a triumphant concert tour across Germany, receiving front-page coverage and critical acclaim from Leipziger Volkszeitung, which praised the performance he conducted as “a first-class concert.”
As a conductor, David’s repertoire spans a remarkable range. He has conducted all of J.S. Bach’s major vocal and instrumental works and more than 40 cantatas, often leading from the harpsichords. In addition, he has conducted major works by Handel, Vivaldi, Purcell, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Fauré, Stravinsky, MacMillan, and many others, along with numerous world premieres of commissioned works. He has also directed performances of Les Misérables and curated vocal jazz concerts featuring the music of Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and more.
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His musical engagements have brought him to the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Mainland China, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, and Italy, where he has performed, taught, and collaborated with musicians of all backgrounds. Recent highlights include Beethoven’s Missa solemnis in Borneo, Bach Vespers in New York City, collaborations with Emmanuel Music in Boston, and St. John Passion with the Augustana Bach Collegium.
As a versatile keyboardist, David is active as a harpsichordist, pianist, and organist. He has performed as a concerto soloist and collaborative pianist across a broad range of repertoire. In 2022, he appeared with Ton Koopman at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, and has performed with ensembles such as the Voices Chamber Choir and Orchestra in New York, the Arnstadt Bach Choir, Capella Arnestati, and the Ukrainian Youth Symphony Orchestra. Beyond the podium, David’s scholarly work includes several published books and the widely viewed documentary Encountering Bach, filmed on location in Germany. He has presented lectures and masterclasses at major institutions such as Yong Siew Toh Conservatory (Singapore), Silpakorn University (Thailand), UCSI University (Malaysia), the American Bach Society, Emmanuel Music, among others. He has served as Director of Choral Activities and Professor at universities in the United States, and his conducting students have gone on to top graduate programs. His teaching spans conducting, voice, music history, theory, aural skills, and appreciation, and he frequently leads choral festivals and concert tours. David also serves as advisor to the National Chinese Independent High Schools of Malaysia, where he authors the national music textbook and provides teacher training across the country. |
His performances have been broadcast by more than 50 radio stations and aired on international television across the United States. He is regularly featured in media outlets across Asia, North America, and Europe. A devoted church musician, David has served Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, and Anglican congregations around the world. David has been invited to teach and perform at the World Sacred Music Conferences in New Zealand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. He was also a regular conductor and lecturer for the International Christian Choral Conductor Society.
David Chin has held leadership roles with several notable ensembles and festivals, including serving as Artistic Director of the Hong Kong Bach Festival (2013–2017), the East Malaysia Bach Cantata Singers and Orchestra (2014–2018), and Music Director of the Chinese Choral Society of Rochester (2011–2014). He was also Principal Conductor of the Association of Toronto Chinese Evangelical Church Musicians (2015–2019).
David Chin has held leadership roles with several notable ensembles and festivals, including serving as Artistic Director of the Hong Kong Bach Festival (2013–2017), the East Malaysia Bach Cantata Singers and Orchestra (2014–2018), and Music Director of the Chinese Choral Society of Rochester (2011–2014). He was also Principal Conductor of the Association of Toronto Chinese Evangelical Church Musicians (2015–2019).
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From 2015-2018, he led the inaugural East Malaysia Bach Cantata Lecture Concert Tour, bringing Bach’s music to major cities across Borneo for the first time. In 2013, he launched an annual Bach Cantata concert series, which has since expanded to four performances each year, featuring ten different conductors at the Eastman School of Music. He has also conducted for A&O Company in Hong Kong, the Yin Qi Choir in Malaysia, the Twin Ports Choral Project in Minnesota, Madrigalia and Musica Spei in New York, and the Kuala Lumpur City Opera. Additionally, he has prepared choruses for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
David holds both a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, where he was a recipient of the Charles W. Kennett Scholarship, the Herman Genhart Choral Conducting Scholar Award, and full scholarships for both degrees. He also received the Harvey Fellowship from the Mustard Seed Foundation (2015) and the Burton Fellowship for German Studies (2017). He earned his Bachelor of Music degree (Magna Cum Laude) in Choral and Piano Performance from Liberty University, where he was named both “Outstanding Music Student of the Year” and “Outstanding Keyboard Student of the Year.” David began his musical journey at the age of nine and earned his ATCL (Associate Diploma in Piano Performance) from Trinity College London in 2004. His life motto is drawn from Philippians 4:12–13 Website: www.davidchinmusic.com |
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