Kelly Kuo
Conductor
BIO
Currently Music Director of the Reno Chamber Orchestra and Associate Artistic Director of American Lyric Theater, Kelly Kuo has consistently championed the development of the next generations of musical talent and demonstrated a commitment to innovative programming, creative initiatives and advocacy of underrepresented voices in the concert hall.
Praised by the Cincinnati Enquirer as “a leader of exceptional musical gifts, who has a clear technique on the podium and an impressive rapport with audiences,” Maestro Kuo brings a dynamic versatility and nuance to a diverse repertoire. Highlights of recent seasons included productions with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Minnesota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Arizona Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Merola Opera Program, and concerts with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Sunriver Music Festival, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Walla Walla Symphony, Olympia Symphony Orchestra, and Ballet Fantastique.
Maestro Kuo is the first conductor of Asian descent to lead a performance at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He was also named Emeritus Artistic Director of the Oregon Mozart Players after having served the longest tenure in the organization’s history. Kuo continues to concertize as a keyboardist as the only pianist to have studied with two pupils of the Russian virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz.