Kathy FOK 
Music Director & Principal Conductor

Born in Hong Kong, Fok developed a passion for music at a very young age. She obtained her BM degree in Composition and MM degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Houston, USA. She studied choral conducting with Dr Charles Hausmann, orchestral conducting with Nicholas Wyss, and composition with Dr David A White. As a student conductor, Fok conducted three university choruses. She also conducted the choir of the Houston Cultural Centre, the Kipling Choir, Ritz Singers as well as a number of school and church choirs in Texas, USA and Ontario, Canada. Under her baton, the choirs had given numbers of performances, and the choir of the Houston Cultural Centre was the first Chinese group being invited to perform in the “Houston-Alief Arts Festival” in 1993.

After returning to Hong Kong in 1995, Fok joined The Hong Kong Children's Choir and was appointed Music Director since 1997. She is the first full-time as well as the longest-serving Music Director of HKCC. In May 1997, she was selected as one of the four conductors to perform with the Toronto Children's Chorus at “The Fourth International Symposium for Conductors of Treble Voice Choirs” in Canada. On 30 June 1997, she led our choristers to sing at the Farewell Ceremony of the British Hong Kong Government, which was broadcasted worldwide. Under her leadership, HKCC is currently the biggest choir in the world with over 5000 members.

Fok enjoys an international reputation for her dedication to children’s choral music. She has conducted workshops and masterclasses in Mainland China, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. She has also performed as guest conductor with organizations such as the Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Youth Choir and Shanghai Youth Choir. Under her leadership, HKCC is currently the biggest choir in the world with over 5,000 members. With the continuous strive in widening its repertoire as well as performance genre, HKCC was named one of “China’s Top Ten Children Chorus” and “IFCM Ambassadors 2013 to 2015”.

Fok was one of the Hong Kong “Ten Outstanding Young Persons” awardees in 2001. In 2007, Fok was recognized as “Persons with Outstanding Contributions to the Development of Arts and Culture” under the Secretary for Home Affairs Commendation Scheme. She was also named among the “Top 100 Musicians of the Year” by the International Biographical Centre. Fok was appointed as the 2016-2024 Honorary Artist-in-Residence at The Education University of Hong Kong. She is also appointed as the representative of Hong Kong in the Asia Pacific Choral Council, the Expert Adviser of the Music Office under LCSD, a Board member of "The World Alliance of Children's Choir (WACC)" and “Yat Po Singers”, the Arts Advisor (Music) of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

“It is such a pleasure to hear and see The Hong Kong Children's Choir again under the expert and highly distinguished conductor, Kathy FOK. ”

Jean Ashworth BARTLE (Founder / Music Director of the International Symposium for Conductors of Treble Voice Choirs, Founder / Music Director, Toronto Children's Choir)

“Kathy, I have no hesitation whatsoever in saying this, I feel IS unique. Her very special rapport with her young charges – there is very special blend of the firm hand and the light touch mixed with subtlety, sound musicianship and skill, together with a genuine concern for each and every member of her team and her deep commitment to the musical cause, is what makes the difference between a good choral director and a great one.”

Neil PAGE (Examiner of the Royal School of Music)