The UTC Music Department will present the UTC Orchestra, directed by Jooyong Ahn, in concert Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the UTC Fine Arts Center, Roland Hayes Concert Hall, 752 Vine St.  They will be joined by guest conductor, Daemyung Cho and guest pianists Sylvia Hong and Michael Rector.  It is presented free of charge and is open to the general public.

The first half of the evening’s concert will feature Franz Schubert’s “Symphony No. 4 (Tragic) in C Minor”, conducted by guest conductor Daemyung Cho. Composed when Schubert was only 19 years old, the first movement of the fourth symphony breathes a spirit of sorrow and resignation, although not maintained, which is in stark contrast to the more joyful, first three symphonies. The latter part of the program consists of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Concerto for two pianos, K. 365, E-flat Major”, featuring Sylvia Hong and Michael Rector and, directed by Jooyong Ahn. Composed in 1779 Mozart wrote this piece to play with his sister, Maria Anna. This piece denotes a dialogue between pianos, as they exchange musical ideas. The cleverness of the work lies in its seamlessness. It is challenging for both soloists, as the more striking passages are equally assigned between the two pianos.  

Korean born and Vienna educated conductor Daemyung Cho comes with highest honor from Konservatorium der Stadt Wien in Vienna, Austria. He studied conducting with legendary conductor Herbert von Karajan’s protégé R. Schwartz and G. Mark and, composition with Professor C. Minkowitsch. He has won several international awards and mentions, and has sung with Arnold Schoenberg Choir under Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Nicholas Harnoncourt, Helmut Riling and Roger Norrington respectively. Daemyung Cho has been a guest conductor with several national and international orchestras and is currently the music director of Seoul Soloists Chamber Orchestra in Seoul, Korea.

Though they have been performing together professionally for less than a year, pianists Michael Rector and Sylvia Hong have already achieved considerable success. Their broad repertoire ranges from Mozart, Brahms and Rachmaninoff to contemporary and American composers. Their engaging programming reflects the joy of discovery that led them to start playing together as undergraduates. Sylvia and Michael have been playing together for eleven years. The first ten, including their student years, were devoted to playing together informally, exploring the orchestral, chamber and operatic repertoire in duo arrangements. Their first public recital was on Feb. 11 at the Belhaven University Center for the Arts in Jackson, Ms.

Since 2004, Jooyong Ahn has been a tenured professor of conducting and director of orchestras at UTC. A citizen of the United States and native of Seoul, South Korea, he has performed with several major orchestras around the world at many notable music venues. Ahn has held the music directorship of orchestras in Korea and the United States and guest conducted many orchestras on four continents. In addition, he has held many master classes and concerts worldwide, as well as worked with several youth orchestras. Most recently, his orchestra world premiered Harvey Stokes’ “Clarinet Concerto” at UTC and he conducted the Chattanooga premier of Scott Joplin’s opera “Treemonisha”. He recently served as visiting professor at Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea and was also invited to Harbin, China, in the summer of 2012, to guest conduct China’s oldest western instrument orchestra.

For more information or any other UTC Music Department performance, call the Music office at 425-4601 or see the Music Department website at http://utc.edu/music.