Introducing our music directors

David Štech is a conductor, pianist, and organist in New York City, where he serves as organist at St. John’s Anglican Church in Passaic, NJ, artistic director of the New York Conducting Institute, and artistic director of the Westchester Oratorio Society.

He is Music Director Emeritus of the American Opera Group in Chicago and the Astoria Symphony Orchestra in Queens, and served as assistant conductor at Sarasota Opera and St. Petersburg Opera. Recent guest conducting engagements include The Florida Orchestra, Brooklyn Ballet, dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, and the inaugural season of the Lyric Arts Festival in southern France. He recently conducted the Midwest premiere of John Harbison’s Fifth Symphony with baritone soloist Nathan Gunn. As a vocal coach, he has worked at the Opera Theater of Lucca, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, and at the Manhattan School of Music, where he served for eight years.

David earned his Bachelor of Arts in organ performance at California State University, Chico, and his Master’s in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University. He studied Collaborative Piano at the Manhattan School of Music, and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of North Texas, where he conducted their production of Puccini’s La Rondine. He studied conducting at Tanglewood with Kurt Masur and Christoph von Dohnányi, and is an alumnus of the Pierre Monteux School.

MunTzung Wong, Co-music Director

Recognized for her artistry and musical versatility, MunTzung Wong leads a professional career as a pianist, conductor, mezzo-soprano, vocal and instrumental coach, and pedagogue. Ms. Wong is currently Music Director and Choirmaster at St. John’s Anglican Church in Passaic. Recently, she was the guest conductor of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena with Dell’arte Opera Ensemble. She has served as assistant conductor at the International Vocal Arts Institute, St. Petersburg Opera Company, New Rochelle Opera, Regina Opera, Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Macau Youth Symphony, and Orchestra dell’Opera di Parma.

MunTzung has seamlessly combined her roles as a conductor and pianist. She has appeared as a pianist on WQXR and performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, Alice Tully Hall, Steinway Hall, and Lincoln Center. As a mezzo-soprano, she has appeared as a soloist in performances of the Mozart Requiem and Mass in C minor, Vivaldi Gloria, Bach Magnificat, and Duruflé Requiem, Bach St John Passion, and Händel’s Messiah. She recently debuted as Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte at Opera America and as Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlo in Philadelphia. Featured in an article on music entrepreneurship in Forbes Magazine, Ms. Wong is the founding executive director of the New York Conducting Institute. She maintains a private instrumental and vocal coaching studio in New York City. She has been on staff at the Manhattan School of Music since 2008. As a guest collaboration artist at The Juilliard School and Mannes School of Music, she also serves as an adjunct faculty at Columbia University.

Ms. Wong received a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and earned diplomas from the Royal School of Music and Trinity College, London. She obtained two advanced degrees in Piano Performance from the renowned Manhattan School of Music and has participated in myriad masterclasses and workshops, studying under luminaries such as Nicholas Mann, André-Michel Schub, David Krakauer, Larry Rachleff, Donald Schleicher, and Paul Nadler.