Feb. 23, 2024

Northwest music faculty presenting recitals, joining guest performers

By Georgia McGonigle, communication assistant

Northwest Missouri State University is hosting a series of recitals featuring performances by faculty in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts and guest musicians this spring.

“Faculty recitals are opportunities for colleagues to collaborate toward a common goal, often exploring repertoire not regularly heard in undergraduate education,” Dr. Rachel Day, a Northwest assistant professor of music, said. “Faculty recitals also serve as demonstrations for students of what is possible—artistry, recital programming, collaboration.”

More information about the recitals, which are free and open to the public, is provided below. All recitals begin at 7 p.m. in the Charles Johnson Theater at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building.

Wednesday, March 6

Day will sing mezzo-soprano with Northwest staff accompanist Dr. Jiwon Choi on piano and Dr. Joseph Tomasso on the English horn.

Day, an assistant professor of music who teaches courses in vocal music, joined Northwest in 2022. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Smith College and master’s degrees in vocal performance and vocal performance pedagogy from Arizona State University, where she also obtained a doctorate degree in vocal performance. She has served as a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Pan American Vocology Association and currently advises the American Choral Directors Association.

Choi, who joined Northwest in 2016, is a staff accompanist who collaborates with choirs, vocal and instrumental studios, pianists, music faculty and guest artists. She has performed at a variety of venues throughout the United States, South Korea and Italy, including Carnegie Hall where she won first prize in the 2014 American Protégée International Competition of Romantic Music. She earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Dong-Ah University in South Korea, a master’s degree in piano performance from Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and a doctorate in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Kansas.

Tomasso, an assistant professor of music who teaches courses related to a variety of instruments, joined Northwest in 2017. With a bachelor’s degree in clarinet and saxophone performance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a master’s degree in multiple woodwind performance from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, a master’s degree in oboe performance from the University of Florida and a doctorate in oboe performance from the University of Cincinnati College, Tomasso has performed with musical groups throughout the country. He has appeared with the Cincinnati Boys Choir, Musica Sacra and Xavier University Choir. He also has performed with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, St. Joseph Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, Gainesville Chamber Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra.

Thursday, March 7

Dr. William Sutton will perform on euphonium and tuba with guest pianist Dr. Ling Lo.

Sutton, a low-brass and music theory instructor, joined Northwest in 2022. He has an associate degree in performing arts with a music emphasis from Schenectady County Community College, a bachelor’s degree in music education and performance from the State University of New York at Potsdam, and a master’s degree in music performance and music theory from Michigan State University, where he also obtained a doctorate in music performance. Sutton has served in teaching positions at institutions including Mott Community College, Olivet College, Saginaw Valley State University and The Flint Institute of Music. As a performer, he has appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Holland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of Northern New York, Capital City Brass Band, Mountain Town Brass Band and Mid-Michigan Brass Band. 

Lo, an assistant professor of music at the University of North Dakota, is a pianist and chamber musician who has performed at a variety of universities throughout the country. She has served as a rehearsal pianist for opera productions, including “Le Nezzo Di Figaro,” “Dido and Aeneas” and “Princess Ida.” With doctorate and master’s degrees in piano from Michigan State University and Boston University, Lo has served as an instructor of music at universities, including The Flint Institute of Music, Saginaw Valley State University and State University of New York at Potsdam.

Thursday, March 21

Choi will perform on piano with Tomasso on oboe and guest cellist Ho Anthony Ahn.

Ahn is a chamber coaching artist for Kansas City Young Chamber Musicians, a classical chamber music education program for Kansas City youth. He also serves as a sectional coach for the Youth Symphony and surrounding high schools and has taught masterclasses at a variety of universities, including Drake University, Wichita State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Ahn retired from the Kansas City Symphony in 2014 after 20 years of membership.

Thursday, April 4

Kyle Jones will perform on saxophone with Choi on piano.

Jones, an adjunct instructor of saxophone, joined Northwest in 2023. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed with numerous ensembles, including The University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Northwest Wind Symphony and the University of Central Missouri Wind Ensemble. Jones has commissioned and premiered works by composers including Anthony R. Green, Gabriela Ortiz, Spencer Arias, Evan Williams, Tyson Gholston Davis and Peter Dayton and at events such as the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, the Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium and DC New Music Festival.