Tsung Yeh was the first conductor to hold music director positions at a Chinese orchestra and a Western symphony orchestra at the same time. In the mid-'80s, Yeh served as assistant conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and as principal conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. After stints as resident conductor of the Florida Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, he was appointed musical director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra in 1988. Yeh remained with the South Bend Symphony until 2016. In 2002, Yeh became music director of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, at the time, a traditional Chinese ensemble. In 2015, Yeh conducted the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on a release containing the Shanghai Reminiscences of composer Ge Gan-Ru. In 2023, he and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra joined violinist Joshua Bell on the album Butterfly Lovers.