Kyoung Cho

Professor of voice & head of usf voice program

Email: kyoung@usf.edu
Phone: (813) 523-5190 

Dr. Kyoung Cho, renowned for her exceptional vocal artistry, is an internationally acclaimed Korean soprano and serves as Professor of Voice and Head of the USF Voice Program. Praised by critics for performances described as "sublimely beautiful, transcendent, serene, dazzling, and heavenly," and noted for her "refined tone color and dignified sound that effectively touches the heart," Dr. Cho is renowned for her exceptional vocal artistry.

Her extensive performance history includes collaborations with prestigious organizations such as the Haydn Festspiele in Eisenstadt Austria, Komische Kammer Oper Munich in Germany, Slovak State Opera in Slovakia, The Oltenia State Philharmonic Orchestra in Hungary, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra & Gyeongbuk Provincial Symphony Orchestra in Korea, Il Clavicembalo Verde Concert Series in Milan Italy, Washington Concert Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Birmingham, New Jersey Verismo Opera, Yale Opera, Yale Glee Club/Orchestra, The Hartt Opera Theater, Connecticut Virtuosi Orchestra, New Britain Chorale/Orchestra, Waterbury Symphony, Boston University Chamber Orchestra, Lawrence University Chorus/Orchestra, Cedar Falls/Waterloo Symphony, and Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus & Orchestra. Dr. Cho has also performed at the Israel International Vocal Institute with Maestro Paul Nadler and Maestra Joan Dornemann of The Metropolitan Opera.

Since joining USF in 2007, Dr. Cho has received twenty-six prestigious research and teaching grants, including the Faculty Research Award from the Women in Leadership Philanthropy (WLP) Program at the University of South Florida for the “Korean Art Song CD by Leading Korean Women Composers Project,” and a Certificate of Global Achievement from USF in 2016. Dr. Cho’s repertoire spans oratorio and opera. She has performed major works such as Brahms' Requiem, Mozart Requiem, Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, John Rutter’s Requiem, Fauré Requiem, Mozart C minor Mass, Bach's Magnificat, Messiah, and The Creation. In opera, she has portrayed roles including Violetta, Mimi, Liù, Gretel, Pamina, Fiordiligi, Antonia, Donna Anna, Susanna & Contessa, and Cio-Cio San.

A leading advocate for Korean vocal music, Dr. Cho is a prominent performing scholar in this genre. Her expertise in Korean Art Songs is internationally recognized, and she was featured in an interview on WCNY-FM 91.3, New York NPR classical music station’s “Vocal Point,” to introduce Korean Art Songs and Folk Songs. Her CD recordings, released by Centaur Records, North/South Recordings, and SonArt Records, have received critical acclaim. Her recent CD, Korean Tapestry: Korean Art Songs by Leading Korean Women Composers, released in 2023 by Naxos Records, earned the Silver Medal from the Global Music Awards. Dr. Cho also co-authored Technique for Classical Singers: A Practical Guide with renowned physician and an avid singer, Dr. Divya-Devi Joshi in 2024.

In addition to her achievements as a performer and scholar, Dr. Cho is a distinguished voice teacher and vocal pedagogue. 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, and Yale University, and have pursued successful careers in performance and university teaching. She has served as Artist Faculty at the Vianden International Music Festival & Nei Stëmmen International Vocal Institute in Luxembourg, CMS Vienna Europe Vocal Camp, Assisi International Music Festival, and Yanbian University in China. Dr. Cho has conducted master classes and delivered solo performances in numerous countries, including Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, France, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Israel, Serbia, Kazakhstan, China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Canada, and the United States, performing at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, and Merkin Concert Hall in New York City.

Dr. Cho holds a B.M. in voice from Yonsei University, an M.M. from the Manhattan School of Music, and pursued post-graduate studies in opera performance at Yale University. She completed her DMA at the University of Memphis, where she was a Hohenberg-Scheidt Opera Fellow. Before joining USF, she taught at the State University of New York at Fredonia and Luther College in Iowa.

“In the magical first moments of the opening ‘Kyrie,’ the soprano (Kyoung Cho) sings some sublimely beautiful lines, transcendent, serene, like something out of a Mozart opera. The effect was dazzling. The cadenza in which Cho was joined by the orchestra's woodwinds was especially heavenly.”
- Mozart’s C minor Mass with The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra
The Buffalo News, NY