Dr. Koi Hin Samuel Kwok has been serving at Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church in Tampa since September 2021. Samuel plans and schedules our four music ensembles, musicians, and invites guest musicians and artists throughout the year. He conducts the Lake Magdalene Chancel Choir, Children’s Choir, Orchestra and the Lake Magdalene Ringers in our traditional worship service. He has arranged and composed music used in our worship services. He also assists and coordinates our worship ministry. Samuel always welcomes those interested in learning and sharing their music to glorify our Triune God.
Samuel was born in Hong Kong and grew up in a Christian family. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting and Graduate Certificate in Sacred Music at the University of Iowa. He was the Director of Worship and Music Ministries at First United Methodist Church of Iowa City for seventeen years, where he oversaw nine music ensembles in both traditional and contemporary worship service.
Prior to arriving in Iowa, he taught music theory, composition, choral conducting and piano at Hong Kong Baptist University and at the Hong Kong International Institute of Music. Samuel conducted choirs in Germany, China, Italy and the United States. As a pianist, Samuel has performed piano concertos with orchestras in Texas and Hong Kong. He also gave solo recitals in Hong Kong, Texas and Iowa. As an accompanist, he performed with the Hong Kong Children’s Choir in Australia and at the Hong Kong International Airport Opening Ceremony in 1998. As a composer, his works have been performed in Asia, Europe, Australia and the United States. His choral work “Psalm 67” has been broadcasted worldwide by BBC radio in 1997. He was invited to compose the Festival Song for the “Hong Kong Franklin Graham Festival (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) 2007”, in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Hong Kong. His spirited Mandarin setting of “Psalm 100” was performed by a 150-voice massed varsity choir as a featured work in several cities in Australia in 2008.
Samuel loves to share his musical gifts with everyone! His passion is to use his music to bring joy to everyone, especially to seniors, young children, the sick and the poor. His ultimate goal of making music is to spread the Gospel to every corner of the world!