Robert Porco Director of Choruses Frances P. and Chester C. Bolton Endowed Chair The Cleveland Orchestra
Robert Porco became director of choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra in 1998. In addition to overseeing choral activities and preparing the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and the Blossom Festival Chorus for a variety of concert programs each season, Mr. Porco has led many Cleveland Orchestra concerts at both Severance Hall and as part of the summertime Blossom Music Festival. He has also served as director of choruses for the Cincinnati May Festival since 1989. In 2011, Mr. Porco was honored by Chorus America with its annual Michael Korn Founders Award for a lifetime of significant contributions to the professional choral art. The Ohio native served as chairman of the choral department at Indiana University 1980-98, and in recent years has taught doctoral-level conducting there. As teacher and mentor, Mr. Porco has guided and influenced the development of hundreds of musicians, many of whom are now active as professional conductors, singers, or teachers. As a sought-after guest instructor and coach, he has taught at Harvard University, Westminster Choir College, and the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
Lisa Wong
Assistant Director of Choruses
Lisa Wong became assistant director of choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra with the 2010-11 season, helping to prepare the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Blossom Festival Chorus for performances each year. With the 2012-13 season, she took on the added position of director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. In addition to her duties at Severance Hall, Ms. Wong is an associate professor of music at the College of Wooster, where she conducts the Wooster Chorus and the Wooster Singers and teaches courses in conducting, choral literature, and music education. She previously taught in public and private schools in New York, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Active as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator, she serves as a music panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. Recent accolades have included work at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, as a part of Tunaweza Kimuziki, and as a conductor for “Conducting 21C: Musical Leadership for a New Century” in Stockholm, Sweden. Ms. Wong holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from West Chester University and master’s and doctoral degrees in choral conducting from Indiana University.
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Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
The Cleveland Orchestra