Kenneth Kwok

Over two decades in the Singapore public service with a focus on arts and culture, education, and community engagement. 

I started my career as a secondary school English Literature and Drama Club teacher, Head of Pupil Welfare and vice-principal before taking on management positions in different government agencies (Ministry of Education, National Arts Council and Ministry of National Development) and now my current role heading the Singapore Symphony Group, where I oversee the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and the Singapore Symphony Choruses.

My priorities at the Singapore Symphony have been music excellence, audience development, community partnerships, international engagement and recognition, ticketed income, fundraising, and organisational development and company culture as well as our role as the national orchestra to foster national pride and nurture the next generation of musicians and music-lovers. As Assistant Chief Executive of the National Arts Council, my portfolio included Arts Education, Youth Arts, Capability Development, Policy and Planning, Research and International Relations.

I have served on the boards of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Arts House Group, and *SCAPE; and advisory committees for the Singapore International Film Festival, NAFA School of Music, Association for Music Therapy Singapore, Singapore Armed Forces Band and Very Special Theatrics. 

I am a member of the Singapore Drama Educators Association, and have taught Educational Drama as a part-time lecturer at the National Institute of Education (NTU). My plays have been staged at the Substation, and my short stories and essays on arts and culture have been published online and in print in Singapore and across Asia (China, Japan, Malaysia). I was also the editor of The Flying Inkpot, an online arts journal covering Theatre and Dance in Singapore, for which I contributed over 100 performing arts reviews. 

I have been invited to moderate, speak at and conduct workshops for various meetings and conferences in Singapore and overseas. I have been a mentor to young public service officers over the years, and am a trained counsellor, receiving a Long Service Volunteer Award for my role as a Senior Counsellor and trainer with Action for AIDS.

. BA Hons English Literature, University of York, UK

. Postgraduate Diploma in Education, National Institute of Education, Singapore

. Ed. M Arts in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, US

. MA Creative Writing, LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore

Arts Leadership

Cultural Policy and Cultural Leadership: Kenneth Kwok, in conversation (with Michelle Loh)
Cultural Leadership in Practice: Beyond Arts Management and Cultural Policy, Routledge · Mar 14, 2024
Cultural Trends, Routledge · Apr 20, 2023

Puppetry: The Hand and the Heart
The Esplanade · Apr 21, 2022

Chong Tze Chien: Far From Home
The Esplanade · Jan 18, 2022

Anchors and Bridges: The Work of the Singapore National Arts Council in Cultural Diversity
Arts Education and Cultural Diversity: Policies, Research, Practices and Critical Perspectives / Springer · Jun 28, 2019

A Shared Identity: A Case for Arts and Culture (with Sharon Chang)
Cultural Connections Vol 4 / Culture Academy · Apr 25, 2019

Asian Boys and Gemuk Girls: Singapore Playwriting, 2000 - 2010
The Esplanade · Dec 28, 2017

Academy of Principals Prize for Leadership Learning (Leaders in Education Programme)
Academy of Principals Singapore · Sep 2010

Outstanding Youth in Education Award for Young Teachers
National Youth Council and Ministry of Education · Jul 2002