Alvin Ho
“ Excellent qualities as a musician and as a conductor... very successful performance. He has my support and recommendation.”
Riccardo Muti, Music Director Emeritus for Life, Chicago Symphony
“ Under Ho's interpretation, I had an opportunity to hear my piece in a new light, which is very exciting”
Anna Clyne, composer-in-residence BBC Philharmonic, Chicago and Baltimore Symphonies
““The orchestra is soaring with new feathers, and seeing a surge in popularity… thanks to its new director”
The Naples Press
About
Alvin Ho is a Hong Kong–born conductor whose performances are recognized for their refined musicality, precision, and expressive clarity across the symphonic, operatic, and ballet repertoire.
He is the First Prize winner of the Princess Astrid International Conducting Competition in Trondheim, Norway, where jury chair Han-Na Chang described him as “a very exciting future conductor.” He was a semifinalist of the XIII International Guido Cantelli Conducting Competition and a recipient of the Karajan Conducting Fellowship with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which placed him in residence at the Salzburg Festival. Other honors include his appointment as Bruno Walter Conducting Fellow at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
Ho currently serves as Cover Conductor of the Sarasota Orchestra. He previously held assistant conductor positions with both the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Florida’s Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, where he conducted subscription concerts, ballet productions, and education programs.
During the 2024–25 season, Ho made debut appearances with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, in addition to performances with the Naples Philharmonic. Other international engagements include the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Luzern Festival Strings, Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini, Jena Philharmonic and Cabrillo Festival Orchestra.
In opera and ballet, Ho has conducted Strauss’s Elektra at the International Festival of the Aegean and led Verdi’s Macbeth in concert at the Ravenna Festival following a residency with Riccardo Muti. His opera credits include collaborations with renowned singers such as Riccardo Zanellato, Kristinn Sigmundsson, Peggy Steiner, and Keith Ikaia-Purdy. At the Indiana Opera and Ballet Theatre, he served as Assistant Conductor and Ballet Conductor for multiple seasons, working on seven mainstage productions including Parsifal, Ariadne auf Naxos, and Peter Grimes, alongside conducting both classical and contemporary ballet performances.
Ho is deeply engaged in ballet conducting, with repertoire spanning works by Balanchine, Robbins, and Bournonville. He has collaborated with ballet companies and principal dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Ballet X.
His principal mentor is Riccardo Muti, who continues to invite him as an understudy for his performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Ho also understudies with Sir Antonio Pappano in his work with the London Symphony Orchestra, and previously studied conducting with Bernard Haitink.
A strong advocate for the next generation of musicians, Ho has worked with youth ensembles including the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of China, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Symphony Orchestra, and Empire State Youth Orchestra. With the Naples Philharmonic, he has curated and led educational programs reaching over 15,000 students annually, including Carnegie Hall Link Up, Young Person’s Concerts, Trip to the Philharmonic, and So Much Drama, a theatrical retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He initiated the Meet the Conductor program and regularly visits local schools to coach young musicians.
Since 2023, Ho has served as Artistic Director of the Naples Community Orchestra, where his leadership has marked a period of exceptional artistic and institutional growth. Ticket sales have tripled, donor support has increased by a quarter, and the ensemble is actively pursuing a transition to a professional model, supported by a long-term endowment initiative. The Naples Press has described the orchestra as “an organization in ascendancy.”
He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Arthur Fagen. He resides in New York City, where he enjoys exploring global cuisine and dialing in the perfect espresso in his free time.
“Continually sympathetic to the demands of the work”
Edinburgh Classical Review
Concerts
- Jan 24, 2026, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PMNaples , 791 Harbour Dr, Naples, FL 34103, USA
- Feb 12, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PMSarasota Orchestra, 709 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA
- Feb 21, 2026, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PMNaples, 791 Harbour Dr, Naples, FL 34103, USA
- Feb 27, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PMSarasota Orchestra, 709 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA
“A very thoughtful musician, extremely well prepared and meticulous in the approach”
Bernard Haitink (1929-2021)
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“Captured our hearts … a very exciting future conductor”
Han-Na Chang, jury chair of Princess Astrid International Conducting Competition
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“A tremendously gifted musician…”
Thomas Wilkins, Principal Conductor Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; Artistic Partner for Education and Extrernal Engagement Boston Symphony Orchestra
“The intensity of feeling he is able to convey through his gestures marks [him] out from other conductors”
Martyn Brabbins, Chief Conductor of Malmö Symphony
For all inquiries:
Artistic Director (2022-)
Cover Conductor,
Sarasota Orchestra
(2025-)
Assistant Conductor,
Naples Philharmonic
(2022- 2025)
Assistant Conductor,
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (2020-2022)
