The Korean-born conductor John Jihwan Lee holds a Bachelor of Music degree in choral conducting from Keimyung University in South Korea and is a graduate of the Orchestral Conducting Program at California State University, Northridge working under Dr. John Roscigno. Jihwan led glee clubs as a choral conductor in South Korea for five years winning numerous national competitions. His official debut as an opera conductor was a Bizet Carmen at Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) - Northridge, CA in October 2014. In 2020, he was invited by Denver Philharmonic Orchestra as a guest conductor, and he has been appointed music director of the Orange County Philharmonic Orchestra in the USA.