DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC

A native of Hong Kong, Dr. Biffa Kwok studies with Chu Tong Lo and graduates with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2013. Kwok holds a Master Degree in Violin Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, under the tutelage of Mikhail Kopelman, former leader of the legendary Borodin and Tokyo String Quartets. Kwok also holds a Doctorate degree at the Mead Witter School of Music in the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the tutelage of David Perry, the leader of the Pro Arte Quartet.
In light of his outstanding achievements and accomplishments in performance, Dr. Kwok is the recipient of numerous awards, including the ExxonMobil Scholarship, Chan Ho Choi Enchanting Music Scholarship and the Eastman Graduate Assistantship. During his years at the UW-Madison, Kwok is a recipient of the prestigious Paul Collins fellowship, where he also serves as the concertmaster of the UW-Symphony orchestra and was selected as the winner of the 2016 concerto competition as well as the James R. Smith Orchestral Leadership award. During his time at Madison, Kwok is selected to play in the Madison Symphony Orchestra as a section violinist. In addition to his private teaching experiences for many years, Kwok also has extensive experiences in teaching instrumental classes in different schools including the Yaumati Catholic Primary School, Kowloon Tong School (Primary Section), Methodist School, Eastman Community Music School, and UW-Madison Community Music Lessons. In recent years, Kwok also teaches in the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts as an Honours Project advisor. As a freelance musician, he frequently performs with different orchestras, such as the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, Opera Hong Kong, In-heritage Philharmonic e.t.c.