Tung-
Chieh
Chuang
Tung-Chieh Chuang has emerged as one of the most vibrant and versatile musical voices of his generation. Admired for performances of architectural clarity and infectious momentum, he exudes an instinctive rapport across a wide repertoire and a rare gift for commanding atmosphere through exceptional nuance.
As General Music Director of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Anneliese Brost Musikforum Ruhr since 2021, Chuang has guided the orchestra through a period of artistic growth and consolidation, sharpening its profile and deepening its expressive range. Under his leadership, the ensemble has forged a distinctive sound and a strong sense of collective purpose, presenting programmes that traverse the symphonic repertoire, foster cultural dialogue, and champion contemporary works. His tenure has established Bochum as a distinguished musical centre, defined by curiosity, vibrancy, and a confident artistic voice.
Equally at home with contemporary music as with the core classical and romantic repertoire, Chuang is captivated by the creative process and the boundless sonic possibilities of bringing new music to life. In recent years, he has premiered works by Dai Fujikura (2027), Philippe Hurel, Christian Jost, and Donghoon Shin, and has performed music by Michel van der Aa, Daniel Bjarnason, Qigang Chen, Unsuk Chin, Anna Clyne, Sebastian Fagerlund, and Pēteris Vasks.
In the 2025/26 season, Chuang returns to the Philharmonie Zuidnederland, the Munich Symphony Orchestra, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. His previous engagements have taken him to an impressive roster of international ensembles, including the Deutschen Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, WDR Sinfonieorchester, SWR Symphonieorchester, NDR Radiophilharmonie, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Tonkünstler-Orchester, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Taiwan Philharmonic, NCPA Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
The young conductor from Taiwan burst onto the global stage after winning the 2015 Malko Competition in Copenhagen, following prizes at the Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition in Frankfurt and the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in Bamberg. In 2010, he received the Edwin B. Garrigues Fellowship at the Curtis Institute of Music, and a year later launched the Curtis Japan Benefit Concert in Philadelphia, donating all proceeds to victims of the March 2011 earthquake. Known for his audacious creativity, he went on in 2012 to stage Taiwan’s first orchestral ‘flash mob’ as Principal Conductor of the National Taiwan University Symphony Orchestra.
Born into a family of professional musicians, Chuang began studying the horn and piano and playing in orchestras from an early age. Drawn to the orchestral palette of sound, colour, and expression, he soon set his sights on conducting. Alongside his musical studies, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Statistics from Purdue University before refining his conducting craft at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Hochschule für Musik “Franz Liszt” in Weimar. His mentors include Sakari Oramo, Nicolás Pasquet, Gustav Meier, Otto-Werner Mueller, and Mark Gibson. Chuang lives in Bochum with his family.