Currently Music Director of the Reno Chamber Orchestra and Associate Artistic Director of American Lyric Theater, Kelly Kuo has consistently championed the development of the next generation of musical talent and demonstrated a commitment to innovative programming, creative initiatives and advocacy of underrepresented voices in the concert hall.

Praised by the Cincinnati Enquirer as “a leader of exceptional musical gifts, who has a clear technique on the podium and an impressive rapport with audiences,” Maestro Kuo brings a dynamic versatility and nuance to a diverse repertoire, which includes over 100 operas and an expansive symphonic repertoire as well. Highlights of recent seasons included productions with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Minnesota Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Merola Opera Program, Kentucky Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Opera Columbus, and the Brevard Music Center, and concerts with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Sunriver Music Festival, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Walla Walla Symphony, Olympia Symphony Orchestra, and Ballet Fantastique.

In 2008, Maestro Kuo became the first conductor of Asian descent to lead a performance at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, making his company debut with Porgy and Bess. He was named Emeritus Artistic Director of the Oregon Mozart Players in 2024 after having served the longest tenure in the organization’s history.  Upcoming engagements include a return to Minnesota Opera (The Snowy Day) and a debut at his alma mater, the Manhattan School of Music (Rusalka).

An Oregon native and recipient of a Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistant Award, Kuo continues to concertize as a keyboardist as the only pianist to have studied with two pupils of the Russian virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz.