Praised by Opera News for her “potent presence” and acclaimed by Cincinnati Post as “regal in bearing, with vocal endowments to match,” lyric mezzo-soprano Soon Cho has gained recognition for her sensitive artistry and winning execution on the recital, concert, and opera stages in Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Canada, France, Great Britain, Italy, New Zealand, South Korea, and across the United States.
Her repertoire is especially wide ranging--from canonical works from the 18th through 20th centuries to contemporary music by living composers. Cho has been featured as a soloist in works by Mozart (Requiem at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in China), Beethoven (Choral Fantasy with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus), Dvorak (Stabat Mater with Honolulu Symphony Orchestra), and Mahler (Kindertotenlieder with the Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra). On the operatic stage, she has sung leading roles in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, Bizet’s Carmen, Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, and Adams’s Nixon in China.
Shin earned degrees with the highest honors from the Interlochen Arts Academy, Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory, including the esteemed Performer’s Certificate at the Eastman School. As instructor of chamber music and flute at the University of Rochester and the Eastman School of Music, she was awarded the “Eastman School of Music Excellence in Teaching” prize. During her doctoral studies at Eastman, she became the first woodwind player in the school’s history to be nominated for the highly coveted Artist's Certificate. During the summer months, Shin performs as artist-teacher at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Tennessee, ARIA International Summer Academy in Massachusetts, and Snowater Flute Festival in Washington. In previous summers, she led study abroad course in northern Italy, performed at the Bay View Music Festival in Michigan, and coordinated the Young Artist Competition for the National Flute Association.
An advocate of new music and a lover of chamber music, Cho has premiered works by Dominick DiOrio, Michael Fiday, Joel Hoffman, Michael Ippolito, Scott McAllister, and Jake Heggie. Notable performances as a recitalist and a chamber musician include concerts at the Paris American Cathedral and Beaune International Festival in France, Ghent New Music Festival in Belgium, King Charles the Martyr Falmouth Summer Series in England, Grandin Music Festival in Cincinnati, International Viola Congress in New Zealand, and Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival in Leavenworth.
While maintaining an active performing career, Dr. Cho is an artist teacher deeply committed to education. While holding herself and her students to the highest standards, Dr. Cho always adopts a nurturing, holistic, learner-centered approach that brings out the best in young singers. Her students have been accepted to prestigious music programs and have won major competitions. Currently an Associate Professor of Voice at Pacific Lutheran University, Dr. Cho received the Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice and Artist Diploma in Opera from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), M.M. from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and B.A./B.M. from University of Washington.