David Chin

David Chin is the founder and Artistic Director of Bachfest Malaysia and the conductor of the acclaimed Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra. In 2022, he was named a Senior Fellow of the prestigious Bach-Archiv Leipzig in Germany, becoming only the fourth person to receive this honor since the institution’s founding in 1950. He currently serves as a Long-term Visiting Professor of Music at Augustana University in the United States, where he directs the inaugural Augustana Bach Collegium and Bach Cantata Lecture Concert Series, conducts various ensembles, and teaches conducting and music history.

David’s will be conducting the Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the first International Bachfest Malaysia 2025. He recently conducted Emmanuel Music Boston in a performance of Bach's Easter Cantata and the Augustana Bach Collegium in Bach’s St. John Passion, led a concert tour of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis across major cities in East Malaysia, and conducted a performance of Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity in New York City. He also led the Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra on a concert tour in Germany, performing at iconic Bach landmarks, including the St. Thomas Church during the prestigious Bachfest Leipzig. Their performances garnered widespread critical acclaim, earning rave reviews from the Leipziger Volkszeitung, which prominently featured David in its headline.

David Chin has conducted choirs and orchestras worldwide, leading performances of major works by composers spanning from the Renaissance to the 21st century. His repertoire includes everything from world premieres and a cappella pieces to choral-orchestral masterworks, as well as vocal jazz and Broadway musicals. His musical engagements have taken him across the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, and Italy, where he has both performed and taught.

David is equally active in the fields of education and musicology. He has served as Director of Choral Activities and Music Professor at multiple universities in the United States, and his conducting students have been admitted to graduate programs at prominent institutions. He recently presented papers and lectures at the American Bach Society in Philadelphia, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore, UCSI University in Malaysia, and Silpakron University in Thailand. He is currently the music committee advisor of the National Chinese Independent High Schools in Malaysia, where he writes for the music textbook, and trains music teachers throughout the nation. Through Bachfest Malaysia, David organized the Mr. Bach children and family concert series in 2023 and 2024, blending education and entertainment to inspire young audiences. In 2025, he launches the inaugural Southeast Asia Bach Competition, aiming to broaden the appreciation of Bach’s music and showcase exceptional talent from across the region.

David is also a published author, which includes his Chinese translation of world-renowned German Bach scholar Michael Maul’s Bach: A Pictorial Biography from German into Chinese, his children’s book A Day in the Life of Bach, and co-authorship on Bach: His Musical and Philosophical World, published by Shanghai’s People Publishing House. David produced Encountering Bach, a documentary film on the life and music of J.S. Bach, which was filmed exclusively in Germany. It is available in both English and Mandarin versions, and has drawn a large viewership from across the globe.

David holds both Master’s and Doctoral degrees in conducting from the Eastman School of Music, where he received full scholarships to pursue both degrees. He was also awarded the prestigious Harvey Fellowship by the Mustard Seed Foundation in 2015, and the Burton Fellowship Awards for German Studies in Germany in 2017.

His motto is Philippians 4:12-13.

Official website: www.davidchinmusic.com