Led by world-renowned conductor and USC Thornton School of Music Professor Dr. Cristian Grases, this masterclass offers music educators and choral enthusiasts a premier platform for artistic enrichment and exchange. Dr. Grases will draw upon his extensive international career to deconstruct the nuances of choral conducting, from the precision of physical gestures to the profound depths of score interpretation.
In this special session, Dr. Grases will provide live coaching to selected local conductors, with the USC Thornton Chamber Singers—HKICF 2026 Guest Choir of the Year serving as the demonstration ensemble. The repertoire includes works by Bruckner, Lauridsen, and Hong Kong composer Alex Tam. We warmly invite music educators and choral lovers to join as observers, experiencing master-level teaching at close range and drawing inspiration to enrich both pedagogy and artistic vision.
About Dr. Cristian Grases
Venezuelan native Cristian Grases joined the University of Southern California faculty in the Fall 2010 semester and is currently a professor of choral music, conductor of the USC Thornton Chamber Singers, and Chair of the Department of Choral and Sacred Music, after serving as the Vice Dean for the Classical Performance and Composition Division for three years. As a sought-out conductor, clinician, academic, and adjudicator, he has traveled to Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Australia, conducting in prestigious halls such as Carnegie Hall, and presenting in numerous international conventions and symposia. Grases is also an award-winning composer whose works have been commissioned and sung by numerous prestigious ensembles around the world. Grases served as the Vice-President for Latin America of the International Federation for Choral Music until December, 2020, and was the chair of the Ethnic Music Repertoire and Resources Committee for the Western Division of the American Choral Directors Association (2009-2018). He has served in many international committees including the artistic committee for the World Youth Choir and the World Symposium on Choral Music.
