Encountering Bach
David Chin is the founder and the Artistic Director of Bachfest Malaysia, and the conductor of the award-winning Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra, as well as Mendelssohnchor Malaysia. The recent performances of St. Matthew Passion by the Malaysia Bach Festival Singers & Orchestra under David’s direction was awarded “Best of 2019” and “Best Choral Ensemble Performance” for the 17th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards. He has also won awards in piano solo, harpsichord concerto, piano concerto, as well as original compositions for chorus and orchestra. David recently produced Encountering Bach, a documentary on the life and music of J. S. Bach filmed at all the Bach landmarks and institutions in Central Germany. He has been appointed to translate the latest Bach’s biography by renowned Bach scholar Michael Maul from German into Chinese. David has been named Senior Fellow of Bach-Archiv Leipzig, and became the fourth person who receives this honorary title since the founding of the institution in 1950. He currently assists Bach-Archiv Leipzig in producing a Chinese version of the monumental J.S. Bach database website. Since 2020, David has been serving as a committee member of the national Chinese independent high schools in Malaysia, where he serves as a music textbook editor, and provides music training for music teachers throughout the nation.
David was the Artistic Director of the Hong Kong Bach Festival from 2013-2017, the Artistic Director of East Malaysia Bach Cantata Singers and Orchestra from 2014-2018, the Principal Conductor of the Association of Toronto Chinese Evangelical Church Musicians in Canada from 2015-2019, and the Music Director of the Chinese Choral Society of Rochester from 2011-2014. He also recently served on the music faculty at Sunway University in Malaysia. Additionally, he was the Assistant Professor of Choral Music at University of Minnesota, Duluth from 2018-2019, Visiting Artist and Professor in Choral Music at Bucknell University in Spring 2018, and the Director of Choral Activities at Roberts Wesleyan College from 2012-2017.
David conducted the inaugural East Malaysia Bach Cantata Lecture Concert Tour from 2015-2018, and became the first conductor to introduce Bach’s music to major cities throughout East Malaysia (Borneo). In 2013, he initiated an annual concert series featuring Bach cantatas, which has now grown to four presentations per year and has included ten different conductors at the Eastman School of Music. He was also invited to conduct the Bach Cantata Lecture Concert Series organized by A&O Company in Hong Kong and Yin Qi Choir in Malaysia. In addition, David has conducted the Twin Ports Choral Project in Minnesota, Duluth, the collaborative concerts of Madrigalia and Musica Spei in New York, and performances of the Kuala Lumpur City Opera Company in Malaysia. David has prepared choruses for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in multiple concerts. He has been a regular conductor and lecturer at the International Christian Choral Conductor Society since 2012, and was appointed to teach and perform at the World Sacred Music Conferences in New Zealand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.