The St. Croix Chamber Orchestra was founded in 2024 to serve the communities surrounding the St. Croix river separating the province of New Brunswick and the state of Maine. While we are formally based out of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, we serve the communities from both sides of the border, and feature amateur and professional musicians from as far away as Eastport, Maine, and St. John, New Brunswick.
Conductor - Hok Kwan
🎶 About Maestro Hok Kwan
Hok Kwan is an experienced conductor, concert violinist, and educator whose musical journey has spanned more than three decades across Asia and North America. Since 2024, he has served as Music Director and Conductor of the St. Croix Chamber Orchestra, guiding a vibrant ensemble of musicians from New Brunswick and Maine. With a thoughtful and collaborative approach, Maestro Kwan fosters a shared artistic vision that highlights the orchestra’s commitment to cultural connection through music. As The Chronicle Herald noted:
“Conductor Hok Kwan gave Rimsky-Korsakov a run for his money… Kwan conducted the orchestra throughout the evening with vigorous tempi and thoughtful control of phrasing.”
🌍 A Global Journey Rooted in Community
Born and raised in Hong Kong and educated in the UK, Hok graduated from London’s Guildhall School of Music in 1989. Since moving to Canada’s Maritimes in 1992, he has served as concertmaster, principal violinist, and artistic director across respected institutions, including Symphony New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra, and the St. Andrews Arts Council.
👥 An Artistic Vision
From launching youth apprentice programs to building orchestras from the ground up, Maestro Kwan is known for his visionary leadership and commitment to fostering connection and mutual growth. His approach combines artistic rigor with deep community engagement. A co-founder of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Kwan’s background as an orchestral player deeply shapes his approach to conducting, reflecting a close connection between leading and playing. As he puts it, “I like to think that I am the conductor and player at the same time.”
🎶 Creating Connection Through Music
Through mentoring emerging musicians, collaborating with community ensembles, performing as a soloist, chamber artist, and conductor, he continues to share his experience, talent, and love for music. His performances reflect this spirit—balancing precision with expressive depth—and his work continues to bring together diverse musical communities.
🌉 Music That Carries Forward
Through his leadership of the St. Croix Chamber Orchestra, Maestro Kwan continues to embrace and carry forward the role of music in bridging communities, honoring shared traditions, and enriching lives.
Concert Master
Dmitry Myzdrikov came to Saint John via the Soviet Union, Mexico, and Alberta. From age 6 to 17, Dmitry studied violin in the USSR. While in Moscow, he performed with Ensemble XXI. In Mexico, Dmitry was Principal 2nd violin of Torreon’s Camerata de Coahuila Chamber Orchestra. There, he met and married Melissa. Their family grew to four and they moved to Alberta, where Dmitry performed with the Calgary Phiharmonic and Red Deer orchestras. In 2016, Sistema hired Dmitry to teach violin in Saint John. At this time, Dmitry teaches privately and in addition to being an accomplished violinist, he is an author. His first book is now available: “Amazing Violinist” was published and distributed worldwide in January of 2020.
Land Acknowledgment
We respectfully acknowledge the land where we gather to rehearse and perform as the ancestral homelands of the Peskotomuhkati people. We strive for respectful relationships with all the peoples of the Skutik (St. Croix) river area – on both sides of the border – as we search for collective healing and true reconciliation, and honour this beautiful land together.