“The orchestra is smoking hot”: Hope Orchestra’s ambitions for the future and the man behind the spark

At the beginning of last school year, Hope College’s Symphony Orchestra found itself face to face with the man who would spend the next twelve months revolutionizing it. Samuel Pang, conductor, violist and theologian, has brought the dedication and energy that the orchestra needed to create some incredible progress. 

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Samuel Pang first came to the States to study viola performance, before returning home to teach music at a high school. However, he was soon discouraged by the idea that he had learned all he ever would. A desire to expand his education took him back to America, where he got a degree in conducting from Eastman School of Music. Pang then returned to teaching, where he remained until an opportunity arose for his wife to complete her PhD, taking the pair to Vancouver. It was in Vancouver where he developed an interest in theology. This became his new pursuit, but was quickly followed by questions about where he could put both callings to work. Pang describes “a fight with God” concerning his future. Yet, despite this struggle, he soon realized the power of God’s providence in his life after receiving an invitation from Hope College’s Dr. Hornbach, offering him a position as Orchestra Director. 

The Hope College Orchestra, with its unique merging of music and religion, promised to be a good match for Pang’s combination of skills. It also provided him with a challenge. He recalls the orchestra he first encountered was eager, but had lacked understanding of how an orchestra should operate. The biggest leap they’ve taken over the course of last year, he says, is how they now work together. Since getting to know each other better, both musically and personally, they’ve had many moments that Pang considers to make them “indistinguishable from a professional orchestra.” 

From reteaching bowholds to learning to breathe together, a lot of work on the fundamentals has gone into making the orchestra what it is today. But it wasn’t all work on Pang’s end. Equally as invaluable has been the work of individual students and the work of one of the orchestra’s most distinctive institutions: the Orchestra Board, a student leadership body formed by elected representatives from each section of the orchestra. These elected leaders act as advocates for the students and executors of the orchestra’s plans and visions. They meet with Professor Pang every week to discourse, allowing the students in the orchestra an active role in their future. 

That future is shaping up to be bright, as they are currently raising funds to take the orchestra to Carnegie Hall in April where they will perform as an exhibition ensemble with other bands, orchestras and symphonies from as far away as the Netherlands. This is in line with Professor Pang’s goals for the orchestra. Connecting the Hope and Holland community began last year with their Hymn Sing Concert in November. He believes the orchestra can be powerful in bringing people together through music, and Carnegie Hall is the next step on that journey. As a cosmopolitan musical epicenter, Carnegie Hall in New York City brings people to the orchestra, allowing them to start interacting with audiences and other ensembles from around the world. “I want people to feel like the Hope College Orchestra belongs to them,” says Pang. 

Professor Pang believes in this orchestra. He describes their progress as quickly moving forward, and the bond as very united: “I see people taking care of each other.” Unfortunately, funding still stands in the way of their aspirations. They are determined that money should not be a limiting or divisive factor, but as it stands, they cannot afford to take every musician to New York. The Hope College Orchestra needs the help of the community to take this “smoking hot” potential from the Jack Miller Auditorium to a world stage. If you would like to be a part of this world takeover, visit the Hope College Music Department website under “Tours” to learn more!