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Brian Chatpo Koo is a Sydney-based musician. He has worked as a violinist, cellist and as a conductor in several professional symphony orchestras before settling down in Sydney in 1993.

He studied music at the University of Hong Kong (Bachelor of Arts in music and Master of Philosophy in music), the University of Sydney (Doctor of Philosophy in music) He was the first person in Australia to receive a PhD degree in music composition. He also studied music at International Summer Course for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany, and obtained his Licentiate, Fellowship Diplomas from Trinity College of Music London.

He has conducted many premieres of his own works, including both his operas. Other notable performances include those by Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra (Japan), Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Tasmania Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Symphonic Winds, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Zelanian Ensemble (New Zealand), Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, Ensemble Kochi (Tokyo Japan), Taiwan National Ensemble, Hamburg New Music Ensemble (Germany), Darmstadt Ensemble (Germany), Accordes Quartet (Toronto Canada) .

As a composer, he has been commissioned by a variety of organisations, including the Hong Kong Composers' Guild, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and the Symphony Australia. His compositions have been performed and broadcasted over Asia, Europe, North America and Australia.

He won the Hong Kong Young Musicians' Award in 1985 and the Himalaya Cup Award in the First International Competition for Piano Composition in Beijing in 1995.

As an academic member, he has worked as a tutor/teaching assistant for the Music Department in the University of Hong Kong, a senior faculty member of the Australian Institute of Music, (where he established curricula for the Bachelor degree in Music Composition), and an external examiner for the University of Wollongong.

He is the Founding Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Contemporary Orchestra. Since 2013, the SCO has hosted 10 concerts - Music Contemporary 2013, 2014, 2015, Contemporary Piano Music 2014, Chamber Music 2014, and the Sydney New Music Festival 2016 which consists of six open rehearsals and 3 public concerts (Contemporary Piano Music 2016, Contemporary String Quartets 2016 and Contemporary Chamber Music 2016), International Composers Concerts 2017, and has performed and promoted 52 new works of the composers from 33 countries around the world. The SCO also hosted and video recorded a Chinese New Year Concert for the celebration of the Chinese Spring Festival in 2015 which was highly acclaimed.

Brian Chatpo Koo — current to June 2018