John M. Koch | General Director, Resident Conductor

In 1997, John Michael Koch, baritone, began teaching at the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts at Illinois State University's School of Music in Normal, Illinois.
Koch has performed over 35 operatic and 50 oratorio roles throughout the world. He is General Director and Co-Founder and of MIOpera, Inc. which had its inaugural season in 2011 with Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Subsequent seasons included Don Giovanni in 2012, Le nozze di Figaro in 2013, Bizet’s Carmen and Dan Shore’s The Beautiful Bridegroom in 2014, La Cenerentola and Hansel and Gretel in 2015, Falstaff and The Dialogues of the Carmelites in 2016, Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Pirates of Penzance in 2018, La bohéme and Die Fledermaus in 2019, Amahl and the Night Visitors and Il Barbiere di Siviglia in 2021, The Sound of Music and Carmen in 2022 and The Pirates of Penzance in 2023 . This summer opera program was created to give young emerging singers from all over the world the opportunity to stage and perform complete operatic roles.  MIOpera is proud to offer this unique opportunity to central Illinois audiences. As a soloist, Prof. Koch is highly regarded for his interpretation of Orff's Carmina Burana, with past performances at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Caracas Contemporary Ballet (Venezuela), Karmi'el Dance Festival in Israel (Tel Aviv Opera and Jerusalem), The Chautauqua Institution, Cincinnati Ballet and Symphony, Princeton University Symphony and Glee Clubs, the Southwest Michigan and Green Bay Symphony Orchestras, the Montréal Philharmonic, the Canadian Ballet, and Illinois State University and performances of Mendelssohn’s Elijah in Cairo, Egypt.  His world premieres of David Maslanka’s A Carl Sandburg Reader and his Symphony No. 9 have been released on CD by Albany Records. Another world premiere presented a Daron Hagen work based on the famous Civil War letter of Major Sullivan Ballou to his wife Sarah entitled: The Banner of my Purpose. Performances of the work were given at Illinois State University, Western Illinois University, and Pacific Lutheran University with Prof. Koch as a featured soloist with military band. Local solo performances have included Verdi’s Requiem, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Britten’s War Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat mater, Haydn’s Creation and Mass in Time of War and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. He maintains a full voice studio in addition to conducting the Illinois State University Civic Chorale since 2010.