Devoted to the performance of sacred choral works for orchestra and chorus to the glory of our Triune God, Soli Deo Gloria Symphonic Chorale seeks to welcome all vocalists who possess a passion for lifting their voices harmoniously unto the Lord. Our mission is to achieve musical excellence in the symphonic tradition while fostering an intergenerational and cross-cultural community of faith and praise, uniting voices from all stages of life and backgrounds in a shared song of worship.
— Soli Deo Gloria Mission Statement
Artistic Team
Thomas Hong
Hailed by Kurt Masur as “one of the most talented young conductors of his generation,” THOMAS HONG enjoys the distinction of being one of many successful protégés of the great Maestro. Having won titled positions with the Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Seattle Symphony Orchestras as well as Orchestre National de France, Hong has conducted countless concerts with those orchestras, ranging from classical, community, education and pops concerts. Presently, he is the artistic director and conductor of the University of Pennsylvania Orchestras. Recent activities include being principal conductor for the inaugural season of the DSO on the “GO” series with the Dallas Symphony, performing in neighboring venues of the North Texas area, and a re-engagement with the Utah Symphony, where he was the conductor for the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City.
Orchestras that Hong has conducted in the past include the Utah, Fort Worth, Virginia, Richmond, Spokane, and Winnepeg Symphonies as well as the Seoul, Buffalo, and Lutosławski Philharmonics. More recent invitations include the Berlin Symphony, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica di Siciliana and Cairo Symphony Orchestra. Among his operatic and vocal performances are Copland’s The Tenderland, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, and Donizetti’s L’exisir d’Amore at the Wortham Opera Theatre in Houston. Awards that Hong has received include the Leopold Stokowski Felowship, the Whitaker Opera Prize and a residency aware by the Brahms society of Baden-Baden. His latest recording was from the show “From the Top” with pianist/host Christopher O’Riley and the DSO at the Meyerson Symphony Center.
Hong was born in Incheon, Korea and immigrated to the United States with his family. He began his musical training as a pianist with Dr. Samuel Hsu at Cairn University. Later, he went on to earn a Master’s degree in choral conducting at Temple University and an artist diploma in orchestral conducting from The Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Maestros Alan Harler and Otto Werner Meuller, respectively. He concluded his artistic training with Larry Rachleff at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Currently, Hong lives in Philadelphia with his wife Rachel Ku and their daughter Esther.
Ramsey Reyes
Ramsey Reyes is a collaborative pianist, vocal coach, and conductor. Fluent in five languages, Ramsey has largely focused on coaching languages with singers. Ramsey has worked as a pianist at the Academy of Vocal Arts, Opera North, Opera Orlando, the Vienna Summer Music Festival, and Opera NexGen. He was the music director of Mousaverse, an opera company operating in the Metaverse, where he casted and directed their productions of Cavalleria Rusticana and Ariadne auf Naxos. Currently Ramsey is the music and choir director at St. Agatha-St. James Church, an apprentice conductor for the Philadelphia Ballet, an assistant conductor for the University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, and a piano instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. He also founded the Virtú Institute, a summer program for middle and high school students in California. He holds degrees from Temple University, where he studied Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano with Charles Abramovic and Lambert Orkis, as well as the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied with Amy Yang.
