A love for vocal music has maintained its presence throughout Korea’s turbulent history, and Ga-Gok or ‘Art Song’ has long offered opportunities to convey personal sentiments and messages through lyrical settings of the nation’s poetry. Today’s often deeply expressive Korean art songs uniquely combine traditional Korean/Asian musical elements within the structure of Western music. They feature the finest examples of solo and duet songs by leading Korean female composers, thus providing new insights into Korean society and its modern musical culture.

Internationally acclaimed and award-winning Korean soprano Kyoung Cho is a Professor of Voice and the Coordinator of the Voice Area in USF’s School of Music where she has taught since 2007. Dr Won Cho has taken numerous leading operatic roles, and his versatility, alongside Korean music, includes oratorio and contemporary composers’ art songs.