Kyoung Cho
Professor of voice
Email: kyoung@usf.edu
Phone: (813) 523-5190
Dr. Kyoung Cho, an internationally acclaimed Korean Soprano, has been serving as a Professor of Voice in the School of Music at the University of South Florida since 2007. She has garnered high praise from critics for her performances, often described as "sublimely beautiful, transcendent, serene, dazzling, and heavenly," and “her refined tone color and dignified sound that effectively touches the heart.” Over her 16-year tenure at USF, she has received a twenty-five prestigious research grants from the university, in addition to several awards from national and international organizations and competitions during her career.
Before joining USF, Dr. Cho taught at the State University of New York Fredonia and Luther College. While she is a versatile artist, she has particularly distinguished herself as a performing scholar, specializing in Art Songs and earning a reputation as one of the world's leading experts on Korean Art Songs. Dr. Cho was featured in an interview to introduce Korean Art Songs by “Vocal Point” on classical music station WCNY-FM 91.3, New York NPR station.
Her CD recordings, published by Centaur Records in the US and the SonArt Records Company in Italy, have been met with critical acclaim. Notably, her recent CD, "Korean Tapestry: Korean Art Songs by Leading Korean Women Composers," released in 2023 by the renowned Naxos Records, received the Silver Medal from the Global Music Awards, as reported in Classical Music Daily (https://www.classicalmusicdaily.com/2023/08/korea.htm)
Beyond her accomplishments as a performer and scholar, Dr. Cho is a renowned voice teacher and vocal pedagogue. She has conducted master classes and delivered solo performances in countries such as Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, France, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Israel, Serbia, Kazakhstan, China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Canada, and several cities in the United States, including prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, and Merkin Hall in New York City. Many of her former students have been accepted into esteemed institutions such as the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, Eastman School of Music, Peabody Conservatory, Yale University, and others. Several of them have gone on to successful careers in both performance and university voice teaching, nationally and internationally.
Dr. Cho's repertoire includes oratorio performances in works such as Brahms' Requiem, Mozart's Requiem, Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, John Rutter's Requiem, Fauré's Requiem, Mozart's C minor Mass, Bach's Magnificat, Messiah, and The Creation. In the world of opera, she has taken on roles such as Violetta, Mimi, Liù, Gretel, Pamina, Fiordiligi, Antonia, Donna Anna, and Cio-Cio San.
Dr. Cho's educational journey includes a B.M. in voice from Yonsei University, one of Korea's most prestigious institutions, followed by an M.M. from the Manhattan School of Music. She further pursued post-graduate studies in opera performance at Yale University. Her academic achievements culminated in a DMA degree from the University of Memphis, where she was the recipient of the Hohenberg-Scheidt Fellowship.