Fang-Ju Kuo is a distinguished Taiwanese conductor whose artistry combines clarity, depth, and emotional insight. She is the winner of both the Orchestra Prize and the Special Talent Award at the 4th BMI International Conducting Competition in Bucharest (2022). In July 2024, Kuo made her debut at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), conducting Stravinsky’s The Firebird. In recognition of her outstanding potential, she has been selected as the Conductor for the 5th NTSO International Music Talent Elite Program (2026–2027).

 

Kuo currently serves as Music Director of the LeCheng Symphony Orchestra and the Hsinchu County Symphony Orchestra. She has also been invited multiple times to appear as a guest conductor in Milan. Her past collaborations include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Choral Arts Society, the Taipei National University of the Arts Symphony Orchestra, and the Taitung Echo Symphony Orchestra.

 

Beyond the concert stage, Kuo has worked closely with the Hsinchu County Government to organize numerous charity and outreach projects for students in rural and mountainous communities. Under her guidance, local high school wind ensembles have achieved top honors in Taiwan’s National Student Music Competition for consecutive years.

 

A graduate of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Kuo studied orchestral conducting with Marin Alsop, whose mentorship continues to shape her musical vision and artistic voice.

 

郭芳如

 

郭芳如是一位兼具精準與深度的台灣新生代指揮家。

她於 2022 年榮獲羅馬尼亞布加勒斯特 BMI 第四屆國際指揮大賽「樂團獎」及「最佳潛能獎」。

2024 年 7 月，她於台灣衛武營國家藝術文化中心首度登台，指揮史特拉汶斯基《火鳥》組曲。

她並入選第五屆國立臺灣交響樂團（NTSO）國際音樂人才拔尖計畫指揮組（2026–2027），展現其備受肯定的指揮潛力與音樂魅力。

 

目前，郭芳如擔任樂成交響樂團及新竹縣交響樂團音樂總監，亦多次受邀赴米蘭擔任客席指揮。

合作過的樂團有巴爾的摩交響樂團、琵琶第交響樂團、華盛頓合唱藝術協會、台北藝術大學交響樂團，以及台東回響交響樂團。

 

在舞台之外，郭芳如長期與新竹縣政府合作，策劃多場針對偏鄉與山區學生的音樂公益與教育推廣活動。

在她的指導下，多所高中管樂團連續多年於全國學生音樂比賽中獲得特優殊榮。

 

郭芳如畢業於美國約翰霍普金斯大學皮博迪音樂學院，師事國際知名指揮家馬林・奧爾索普（Marin Alsop），其指導持續啟發她的音樂視野與藝術表達。