Baritone Jeremy M. Wong enjoys a wonderfully varied career as a singer, conductor, and voice teacher. He has performed on both the international and U.S. stages with focuses in oratorio, art song, and ensemble singing. After an incredibly turbulent pandemic season, the year 2021 has seen Jeremy relocate from his home of Honolulu, Hawai'i, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he sings with Cantus Vocal Ensemble, one of two full-time professional ensembles in the United States. Thrilled to call the Twin Cities his new home, he is excited and grateful to be making music once again.
Past seasons have seen Jeremy premiering solo roles in major choral compositions celebrating the culture of the Hawaiian Islands. Recent (pre-pandemic) highlights have included a joint recital at Harvard University with mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Eschen; Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem with Hawai‘i Pacific University (HPU), the Windward Choral Society (WCS), and members of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra (HSO); and other collaborations with the HSO and the O‘ahu Choral Society, where Jeremy played a role in originating the solo quartet for the world premiere of Michael-Thomas Foumai’s Raise Hawaiki, a choral symphony chronicling the maiden voyage of the Hokule‘a and the story of Eddie Aikau, a major figure in contemporary Hawaiian culture. Additionally, he has had the honor of soloing in the premiere of Herb Mahelona’s Kinohi, a full-length oratorio in ‘olelo Hawai‘i (the Hawaiian language). Jeremy made his debut with the HSO in 2016, singing the bass solo to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under the baton of JoAnn Falletta. As an ensemble singer, he has appeared as a member of the Carnegie Hall Chamber Chorus, performing in a joint concert with Peter Phillips’s Tallis Scholars. Jeremy has had the privilege of lending his voice to many other project choruses, including the Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble—where he also made his international solo debut; the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy under the baton of maestro Helmuth Rilling; and as a core member of the Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival under the direction of Matthew Halls and maestro Rilling. He is an active recitalist whose major interests include German Lieder and American art song.
As a conductor, Jeremy has experience and success teaching a wide variety of ages and skill levels. He is passionate about bringing vocal health and awareness into the choral classroom, and finding musicality through efficient vocal technique. He has served as an assistant conductor with the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, has collaborated with Early Music Hawai‘i as guest conductor and ensemble singer, and has led choirs at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and HPU. In demand as a clinician and lecturer, he has led workshops in efficient choral singing technique with WCS, the Kona Choral Society, and the Oregon Chorale; given guest lectures at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA; and has given choral clinics at numerous high schools on O‘ahu, as well as the Seattle and Portland areas.
Jeremy holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa with Maya Hoover; and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from DePauw University, where his primary instructor was Caroline B. Smith. Additionally, he has performed in the masterclasses of Sylvia McNair and Dawn Upshaw. His conducting mentors include Miguel Ángel Felipe, Gregory Ristow, Kathy Saltzman Romey, Henry Leck, and Rodney Eichenberger.
Past seasons have seen Jeremy premiering solo roles in major choral compositions celebrating the culture of the Hawaiian Islands. Recent (pre-pandemic) highlights have included a joint recital at Harvard University with mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Eschen; Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem with Hawai‘i Pacific University (HPU), the Windward Choral Society (WCS), and members of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra (HSO); and other collaborations with the HSO and the O‘ahu Choral Society, where Jeremy played a role in originating the solo quartet for the world premiere of Michael-Thomas Foumai’s Raise Hawaiki, a choral symphony chronicling the maiden voyage of the Hokule‘a and the story of Eddie Aikau, a major figure in contemporary Hawaiian culture. Additionally, he has had the honor of soloing in the premiere of Herb Mahelona’s Kinohi, a full-length oratorio in ‘olelo Hawai‘i (the Hawaiian language). Jeremy made his debut with the HSO in 2016, singing the bass solo to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under the baton of JoAnn Falletta. As an ensemble singer, he has appeared as a member of the Carnegie Hall Chamber Chorus, performing in a joint concert with Peter Phillips’s Tallis Scholars. Jeremy has had the privilege of lending his voice to many other project choruses, including the Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble—where he also made his international solo debut; the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy under the baton of maestro Helmuth Rilling; and as a core member of the Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival under the direction of Matthew Halls and maestro Rilling. He is an active recitalist whose major interests include German Lieder and American art song.
As a conductor, Jeremy has experience and success teaching a wide variety of ages and skill levels. He is passionate about bringing vocal health and awareness into the choral classroom, and finding musicality through efficient vocal technique. He has served as an assistant conductor with the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, has collaborated with Early Music Hawai‘i as guest conductor and ensemble singer, and has led choirs at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and HPU. In demand as a clinician and lecturer, he has led workshops in efficient choral singing technique with WCS, the Kona Choral Society, and the Oregon Chorale; given guest lectures at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA; and has given choral clinics at numerous high schools on O‘ahu, as well as the Seattle and Portland areas.
Jeremy holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa with Maya Hoover; and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from DePauw University, where his primary instructor was Caroline B. Smith. Additionally, he has performed in the masterclasses of Sylvia McNair and Dawn Upshaw. His conducting mentors include Miguel Ángel Felipe, Gregory Ristow, Kathy Saltzman Romey, Henry Leck, and Rodney Eichenberger.