Tracy
ICCF
BIO
Tracy Wong hails from Malaysia and is a choral conductor, music educator, vocalist, pianist, and composer. Currently residing in Toronto, Canada, Tracy is the Assistant Professor and Choral Director at McMaster University’s School of the Arts, where she conducts the University Choir and Cantemus Ensemble. She also serves as the Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir in Kitchener, Ontario. Tracy holds a Doctor in Musical Arts and Master in Music Performance (Choral Conducting) degrees from the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt. She is also a proud recipient of the 2016 & 2017 Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowship in Choral Conducting. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Piano Performance from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and was awarded the Madge Hoy Prize for the best final year pass in Piano Studies.
She was a member of The University of Newcastle Chamber Choir, Australian National Champions for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Choir of the Year 2006. Tracy has diplomas in both piano performance and voice from the Australian Music Education Board and Trinity College London. As a conductor, Tracy has led choirs in Malaysia and Canada. At U of Toronto, Tracy was the co-conductor of the Soprano & Alto Chorus, and assistant conductor of the Chamber Choir and MacMillan Singers. She is a guest artist of the Hamilton Children’s Choir. Tracy’s choral leadership in the community includes the Young Choral Academy Malaysia’s resident youth and adult choirs (all of whom travelled extensively and received local and international awards), Kuala Lumpur Children’s Choir, Young Voices Toronto, and Mississauga Festival Youth Choir. Tracy has been selected as the co-conductor of the 2020 Asia Pacific Youth Choir, a choir which she is a proud alumna of. As an active clinician and educator, Tracy has conducted workshops for choirs in North America, Malaysia, Brunei, France, and Portugal. Tracy has presented workshops at the 2019 International Kodály Symposium in Malaysia and 2018 Podium National Choral Conference & Festival in St. John’s, Canada. She was also the Guest Conductor and Clinician at the 2019 Windsor Choral Festival and the 2018 Vozes Em Movimento Choral Workshop in Portugal. Tracy’s choral works are currently published by Cypress Choral Music (Canada) and Young Choral Academy (Malaysia) and have been performed by Malaysian, North American, European, and Southeast Asian choirs at international competitions and festivals. Her pieces are also featured at numerous reading sessions. Tracy collaborates regularly with choral organizations on commissioned choral projects. As a researcher, Tracy has completed the compilation of Canadian composer Nancy Telfer’s choral compositions, a resource for music educators and choral directors. This has led to her doctoral research, “From Page to Performance Through Pedagogy: The Choral Legacy of Nancy Telfer” (2018). It examines Telfer’s choral works and pedagogical materials, highlighting her inventiveness in using choral repertoire as a teaching tool for singers. It also represents the first comprehensive study of Telfer’s choral legacy to encompass both her choral compositions and her choral pedagogy publications. Other areas of inquiry include the performance practice and movement in Southeast Asian folk-based choral music.
