Synopsis:

Get introduced to choral conducting with Foong Hak Luen of The Vocal Consort. With a Masters in Choral Conducting and extensive experience conducting choirs, Foong shares how choral conductors guide their choirs through tempo and subtle expressions.

Foong Hak Luen
Foong Hak Luen started his choral journey singing in one of Singapore's premier semi-professional choir, The Vocal Consort, where he develops his knowledge of singing and conducting skills under the guidance of Nelson Kwei. He also received voice coaching from Thomas Kuek, Wong Su Sun, and William Lim, and has obtained the Professional Performance Certificate in Singing (Baritone) and ATCL Recital in Singing (Counter-Tenor) from the Trinity College of Music, London. Foong continued to further his music training and attained Fellowship in Choral Conducting from London College of Music and eventually the Masters in Choral Conducting (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of St. Joseph under the supervision of Prof Pedro Monteiro.

In the international arena, Foong has led choirs to achieve Gold awards at many international choral competitions held in Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. He was specially awarded the Outstanding Conductor Prize for his excellent work with choirs at these competitions in 2009, 2011 and 2013.

Other than competitions, Foong was also invited by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra to be the Chorus Master for the Voices of Harmony Concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium directing a 200 strong choir in 2009 and for the Kit Chan: My Musical Journey Concert in 2011.

In 2015, Hak Luen took up the role of Festival Director of the Inaugural Singapore Choral Festival which sees over 1,000 singers from 35 choirs performing in three concerts in the Victoria Concert Hall during the National Day weekend. The festival was a SG50 celebration event supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth and the National Arts Council.

Foong currently conducts the Meridian Junior College Choir, St Andrew's Junior College Choir, Chung Cheng High School (Main), Commonwealth Secondary School Choir and Nan Hua High School Choir. He is also the deputy conductor of Tanjong Katong Secondary School Choir and The Vocal Consort.