Dr. Suzanne Pence
Interim Director of Choral Activities
Associate Professor of Music and Human Learning/Choral Conducting
Conductor | Concert Chorale
Suzanne M. Pence is Associate Professor of Music and Human Learning and Interim Director of Choral Activities, at The University of Texas at Austin where she has been teaching since 1996. Dr. Pence is the conductor of the UT Concert Chorale, and has previously conducted the Women’s Chorus and the Choral Arts Society. She teaches undergraduate conducting, choral arranging, secondary choral methods, supervises student teachers in secondary choral music education, and teaches graduate courses in choral music education. Under Pence’s direction, the Concert Chorale has toured throughout the southern United States, performed for the regional conference of the Southwest American Choral Director Association, and performed in New York at Carnegie Hall. From 2003-2007, Dr. Pence held the administrative position of Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Butler School of Music, and from 2007-2012 she served the School as Director of Admissions, responsible for organizing recruitment and admission activities for both graduate and undergraduate students. Dr. Pence held the position of Director of Choral Activities at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina from 1994-1996. She received the DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1993 where she studied with Drs. Eph Ehly and Charles Robinson. She holds a Masters of Music Education degree from Wichita State University where she studied with Dr. René Clausen and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois where she studied with Richard Hoffland. Before pursuing the DMA, Dr. Pence was Director of Choral Music at Neosho High School in Neosho, Missouri for six years. She has enjoyed over 30 years of experience as a Director of Music in various protestant churches throughout the United States. Dr. Pence is active as an adjudicator and clinician/festival conductor throughout the country, and has been an invited conductor with the MidAmerica Productions Choral Festivals at Carnegie Hall. She is a member of MENC, TMEA ACDA, and TCDA. She has served ACDA as the College/University R&S Chair.
Contact Dr. Pence at pence@austin.utexas.edu
Dr. James Morrow
Coordinator of the Graduate Choral Conducting Program
Associate Professor of Choral Conducting
Dr. James Morrow is Coordinator of the Graduate Choral Conducting Program at The University of Texas at Austin. He is Founder and Artistic Director of the popular Bach Cantata Project and is also Founder and Artistic Director of Ensemble VIII, a professional early music ensemble devoted to historically informed performances of Renaissance and Baroque vocal works.
Under Dr. Morrow’s direction, the UT Chamber Singers have recorded two compact disks of American choral music on the Naxos label, and on the Koch International Classics label they recorded Sweet Music of Christmas , as well as Great Hymns of Faith with organist Gerre Hancock. He led the Chamber Singers in a modern-day premiere and recording of Brazilian composer José Maurício Nunes Garcia’s Missa de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao of 1810, and their latest disc of American folksongs is in post-production.
Dr. Morrow and the Chamber Singers recently performed Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers with period instruments in celebration of the works 400th anniversary, as well as the complete Tenebrae Responsories of Tomás Luis de Victoria. Dr. Morrow’s choirs have toured internationally, singing for audiences in England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The UT Chamber Singers’ most recent international concert tour was to Brazil where they performed with the University of São Paolo Chamber Orchestra in historic venues in São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro, and they toured the Northeastern U.S. in spring 2011, performing in major venues in Boston, New Haven, New York City, and Washington DC.
Dr. Morrow performed as a choral singer with Robert Shaw and the Robert Shaw Festival Singers in France and in the United States, participating in several recordings for TELARC, as well as performing in concert as baritone soloist under Mr. Shaw’s direction. He is a featured soloist on a TELARC compact disc with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus. A student of the late Gérard Souzay, he has also performed as a baritone soloist with orchestras in a variety of repertoire, including Stravinsky’s Pulcinella , Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs , Arvo Pärt’s Passio , and the passions of J. S. Bach. He was twice selected as an Artist/Fellow at the Bach Aria Festival and Institute in Stony Brook, New York. Prior to his appointment at UT, he served as Director of Choral Activities at the University of Florida and at Hope College in Michigan.
Contact Dr. Morrow at morrowj@austin.utexas.edu
Nathan Nagir
Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting
Conductor | University Chorus & Tenor/Bass Chorus
Associate Conductor | Concert Chorale
Teaching Assistant | Graduate Choral Literature
Nathan Nagir is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting under the instruction of Dr. James Morrow at The University of Texas at Austin. Nathan graduated with a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the Texas State University where he studied with Drs. Jonathan Babcock, Joey M. Martin and Craig Hella Johnson. He also holds a Certificate of Music and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the University of the West Indies.
Nathan comes from the twin isles Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. There, he is in demand as a conductor, accompanist, vocalist and educator. Having worked with several children’s, youth and adult ensembles, he has led many of them to success in competitions throughout the nation. He has worked with many primary and secondary schools, accompanied and directed the St. Augustine Girls’ High School choir and formed the student-staff/faculty choir at Hillview College. He served as the National Music Director and Conductor in 2012 for the National Convention of the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago. As a solo artist, Nathan has won several prizes and competitions for best vocal and choral performance. His personal choir – Harmonies Aloud – was selected to perform for various state functions and several times at the Diplomatic Centre and Office of the Prime Minister.
While at the Butler School of Music, Nathan serves as the Teaching Assistant for the Graduate Choral Literature class, the conductor for the University Chorus and Tenor/Bass Chorus. He is also the Associate Conductor to the Concert Chorale and performs with the Bach Cantata Project.
Contact Nathan at nathannagir@utexas.edu
Junghyun Kim
Master of Music in Choral Conducting
Associate Conductor | Concert Chorale
Junghyun Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1993. Growing up in a musical environment, Junghyun started learning piano at an early age, and then studied at Deokwon Arts High School as a vocal performance major. Later, attracted by the beauty of choir’s sound, she began to study at Korea National University of Arts (KNUA), and received her Bachelor’s degree in Choral Conducting summa cum laude. At KNUA, her professors included Hong Soo Kim, Jung-Hoon Song, and Daewoo Lee.
She has worked with a variety of choirs in Korea. She conducted Ehwa Chorus and Unison Choir. She also was a choir directer at In Samgak Presbyterian Church, Gabong Prebyterian Church, Su-In Presbyterian Church, and Galilee Presbyterian Church. Based on her interest in children’s choir, she directed Seoul Enjung Elementary School choir. In addition, as an active choir singer, she has performed in KNUA Chamber Choir, KNUA Recital Choir, and Ainos Choir.
Her academic training has been influenced by a wide range of music: conducting, vocal performance, piano, organ and music theory. After moving to the United States, she is currently pursuing a Master of Music at the Butler School of Music, The University of Texas at Austin, studying with James Morrow and Suzanne Pence. She is also serving as a teaching assistant for Chamber Singers and the University Treble Chorus. Additionally, she is working as a choir director in The Great Light Presbyterian Church at Austin.
Contact Junghyun at junghyun@utexas.edu
Jisu Oh
Master of Music in Choral Conducting
Associate Conductor | Concert Chorale
Teaching Assistant | Undergraduate Choral Conducting
Jisu Oh is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Choral Conducting under the instruction of Drs. James Morrow and Suzanne Pence at The University of Texas at Austin.
Her music is deeply rooted in church and her musical talent has been developed through immersion in church performances. From an early age, she started singing in a choir and has progressed to serving as an accompanist for more than 10 years, leading in worship at Incheon Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church. She is proficient in playing both the piano and organ.
Jisu graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Choral Conducting from the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA) where she studied with Hong Soo Kim, Chunghan-Yi, and Jung-Hoon Song. She also holds a minor degree in Vocal Music from KNUA.
She expanded her musical knowledge and experience by conducting various choirs in Korea. She conducted a choir from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Incheon Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church. She also performed Rheinberger’s Mass in Eb, “Cantus Missae” with the Collegium Vocale Seoul, and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with KNUA Chamber Choir.
Jisu now serves as a Teaching Assistant for the Undergraduate Choral Conducting class.
Contact Jisu at jisuoh@utexas.edu
Jinho Cho
Master of Music in Choral Conducting
Associate Conductor | Concert Chorale
Teaching Assistant | Undergraduate Choral Conducting
Jinho Cho (born June 16, 1993 in Seoul, Korea) has been awarded a Bachelor of Music degree from the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary where he studied under Dr. Chang-Hoon Park. He originally majored in voice until his sophomore year under his teacher Sung-Hwan Cho since his earliest music interests were in classical vocal music. Cho changed his major to conducting from his junior year and graduated in 2020.
During his B.M., he was chosen as student conductor of the Seoul Oratorio Festival in 2017, 2019 and 2020 where he conducted masterpieces: Bach Cantata ‘BWV 80’, Mendelssohn ‘Elijah’, Haydn ‘The Creation’ and Handel ‘Messiah’. Not only that, he has performed in Jahng-Shin Concert Choir, Moffet Choir and Collegium Vocale Seoul in the meantime. In addition, Jinho served as student president of the department of music in 2018. Jinho Cho has studied conducting with Drs. Jong-In Kim, Kent E. Hatteberg, Yeong-Hoe Cha, Won-Il Noh, Dong-Kyu Lee, Profs. Joong-Dae Lee, Sun-Ah Kim, Choon-Bok Han and Dae-Han Kim.
In the meanwhile, Jinho has been music director at Skylight church since 2017. Moreover, Jinho was able to work in music festivals with artistic director Hyun-Joon Park in 2019, and there, he has learnt tremendous things regarding the structures of classical concert planning. After his graduation, he established ‘Harmony World’, a concert promoter, with his colleagues, and get involved as a cooperation agency in some of the concerts in Korea.
Mr. Cho is presently pursuing the Master of Music in choral conducting at The University of Texas at Austin, under the introduction of Drs. James Morrow and Suzanne Pence. In the Butler School of Music, Jinho currently serves as a Teaching Assistant for the undergraduate choral conducting class and he is also the associate conductor to the Concert Chorale.
Contact Jinho at jinho1629@utexas.edu
