Joann Cho
Composition, Piano
Pianist, composer, and improviser Joann Cho (b. 1985) has been a soloist with Chicago-based contemporary music ensembles Picosa and Fonema Consort and has performed with members of Dal Niente, Eighth Blackbird, and Spektral Quartet. Recently, Cho presented solo recitals at Preston Bradley Hall (Chicago Cultural Center), Garfield Park Conservatory, and Huis van Oombergen (Gent, Belgium). Her compositions and arrangements have been premiered at concert halls and venues across the United States as well as in Belgium, Portugal, and Spain.
As a pianist, Cho recently performed a recital of Afrikaans art songs alongside soprano Henriët Fourie at Frank Lloyd Wright's historic Unity Temple (Oak Park, Illinois). In 2014, she premiered 17 new works by living composers, including Guggenheim fellow Katherine Young, Clarence Barlow, and Michael Pisaro, as part of her ongoing project, Elaeth Songs. Her composition, inter luna for prepared piano, was premiered by pianist and Guggenheim fellow Amy Williams as part of her ongoing project, Sonatas and Interludes... and Interludes.
Cho received her M.A. and Ph.D. in 2012 from the University of California, Santa Barbara in music composition, and her B.M. in 2007 from Northwestern University in piano performance and music composition. From 2014-2019, she was the Director of Choral and Band Activities at Triton College in River Grove, IL, and is the founder and director of the Oak Park School of Music, a community music school serving 250+ students based in Oak Park, Illinois. Cho lives with her husband, Jonathon, and their children, Elaeth, Matthias, and Sara, in River Forest, Illinois.