Acclaimed by critics for her “brilliant” interpretations and “remarkable nuances”, Chaowen Ting is the newly appointed Conductor of the Peabody Youth Orchestra and the Assistant Conductor of the Augusta Symphony Orchestra. A native of Taiwan, the ascendant maestra has led a number of the world’s prominent ensembles, including the BBC Concert Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, the St. Petersburg Chamber Orchestra, and orchestras in Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Croatia, and Honduras. In addition to her prolific musicality, Ting is also hailed for her award-winning leadership of countless music diversity initiatives, recognized via national grant awards and additional accolades.
Both on and off the stage, Ting seeks to democratize classical music by creating opportunities for diverse voices—audience, performer, conductor, and composer alike. She has actively commissioned and conducted premieres of new works for orchestra and wind ensemble. Ting’s performances often interweave new compositions, culturally relevant themes, and interdisciplinary presentation, presenting orchestral music in ways that excite not only the ears, but also the eyes and mind. Examples of her innovative performances include combining dancers, science, and the Math team from Georgia Tech (The Seven Bridges of Königsberg); integrating film, orchestra, and a smartphone app to bring awareness to marine noise pollution (Oceana); and using silent film to present a suite of newly composed works, among others.
In addition to audience engagement, Ting has made similarly bold efforts to generate equality within the classical music field. Through the ADORE Project, she connects composer and conductor, regularly featuring intermediate-level works of marginalized composers so that music students and amateurs can have increased access to music. In Girls Who Conduct, women, women-identifying, and non-binary conductors receive training, mentorship, and a professional network. She additionally serves young professionals through the “Maestro as Professor” webinar series: a broader initiative where Ting and fellow host Dr. Carolyn Watson speak on industry issues relevant to those who seek to enter the music field.
A protégé of Bernard Haitink, Ting directly shadowed the maestro’s leadership of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her Fellowship with the Allentown Symphony, she holds positions as the music director of NANOWorks Opera in Ohio and Principal Guest Conductor of VIM Ensemble, the Atlanta-based contemporary collective featuring artists of the southeastern United States.
Ting received a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Eastman School and previous education from the Cincinnati College Conservatory (M.M.) and Mercer University (M.M.).