Concert Program

World Music Festival Concert Series

Music of East Asia

Korean Drumming Ensemble, Suwan Choi, director
Chinese Music Ensemble, Wei Yang and Jui-Ching Wang, directors

Special Guest Performers
Hong Da Chin, dizi
Amely Zhou, erhu
Di Zhang, yangquin

and
Taylor Atkins, Jodeen Coulter, Eric Schroeder and Sophia Varcados, ukelele and bass

Wednesday, April 8, 2026
7 pm
Recital Hall

Program

Ensemble Information

Korean Drumming Ensemble

After a semester piloting the course in Spring 2021, NIU is proud to launch the first Korean Drumming Ensemble as the foundation to initiate a traditional Korean music program with the generous sponsorship from Korean National University of Arts in Seoul, South Korea and Korean Performing Arts Institute in Chicago (KAPC). Under the direction of master percussionist, Suwan Choi, the NIU Korean Drumming Ensemble teaches traditional Pungmul style and contemporary stage performance of Samulnori. This ensemble is open to all interested, no pre-music knowledge/skills required. For more information about this course, please contact director, Suwan Choi (suwan.choii@gmail.com).

Members:
Emma Cho, Suwan Choi, Jovana Cortez, Kacee Dugas, EmVi Nullas Legaspi, Elizabeth Vieyra, Matthew Zelkowitz, Lydia Ziegler

Chinese Music Ensemble

The Chinese Music Ensemble was one of the first college Chinese music groups in the U.S. and currently is the only one in Illinois. Established by Professor Emeritus Kuo-Huang Han in the 1970s, it gave several national and international concert performances between 1976 and 1978. Members of the ensemble learn to play assorted authentic Chinese instruments.

Individual lessons and group rehearsals make up the major part of the curriculum, and Chinese musical instruments are available for short-term loan on a semester basis. In addition, members of the ensemble will also be introduced to basic Chinese music theory, the standard repertoire of Chinese instrumental and chamber music, and knowledge about performance practice along with the aesthetic values and symbolism of Chinese traditional music.

Members:
Dizi: Hong-Da Chin*, Breanna Negele
Erhu: Kacee Dugas, Mei Lin McDermott, Gabriel Roethle, Nila Senthilkumar, Jui-Ching Wang, Amely Zhou*
Pipa: Totus Tuus Keely, Wei Yang
Ruan: Mason Brooks, Nick Nelson, Victor Wright
Yangqin: Patcharita Pankaew, Di Zhang*
Guzheng: Emma Bell, Aftyn Naylor
Cello: Oskar Kaut*
Percussion: Jenna Brown*, Emma Cho*

*indicates guest performer