Helen Cha-Pyo

Conductor| Music Educator | Arts Leader

Helen H. Cha-Pyo is currently in her sixth season as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts. Under her leadership, Wharton Arts has flourished into an organization serving nearly 2,000 students from 13 New Jersey counties. She oversees four cornerstone programs: the Wharton Performing Arts School, New Jersey Youth Symphony, New Jersey Youth Chorus, and the Paterson Music Project. As the driving force behind the New Jersey Youth Symphony, she has orchestrated international tours to Italy and France, expanded the jazz program, and dedicated herself to amplifying the voices of underrepresented composers through innovative concert programming and new commissions, supported by prestigious grants from organizations like New Music USA and Chorus America. Cha-Pyo and NJYS Chamber Orchestra will return to Carnegie Hall next month to perform at the 2024 Juneteenth Celebration concert.

Previously, Cha-Pyo held the position of Music Director and Conductor of the Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) for 16 years. She led ESYO on three international tours and founded ESYO’s CHIME program, providing music education for underprivileged youth in Schenectady, NY. ESYO established the Helen Cha-Pyo Golden Baton Award and Scholarships for students who embody her passionate commitment to music as a means to uplift and enrich communities.

Cha-Pyo is a sought-after guest conductor and clinician for All-State and Regional Festival Orchestras throughout the country. This summer, she will conduct at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival (TN). She served as a Visiting Associate Professor of Conducting at the John J. Cali School of Music, Montclair State University (NJ), and the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University (NJ).

For her stature as an arts leader who inspires young people around the world, Cha-Pyo received The Dove Leadership Award, the Angelos Artist Award, and the Eastman Centennial Award for her commitment to creating access and equity in music education for young people.

She currently serves as a board member for the Youth Orchestra Division of the League of American Orchestras and contributes as a mentor at Girls Who Conduct. For more about Helen Cha-Pyo, visit helenchapyo.com.