South Korean Musicians to Perform With, Conduct WT Symphony Orchestra

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — An acclaimed conductor and rising star pianist, both from South Korea, will team with the West Texas A&M University Symphony Orchestra for its next concert.

Dongin Youn

Jiyeon Kang

Dongin Youn, the music director and principal conductor of the CitiPhilharmoni Orchestra in Seoul, will lead the orchestra for their performance of his newly composed “Arirang Overture.”

This is Youn’s second time to lead the WT Symphony following his appearances as guest conductor for the “Music of the Christmas Season” concerts in 2017.

Also joining the orchestra: Jiyeon Kang, a winner of the CitiPhilharmoni concerto competition, for a performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. March 4 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus. Admission is free.

“We had hoped they would come to us in 2020, but the pandemic delayed their travels to us—a dream deferred, but not denied,” said Dr. Mark Bartley, director of orchestral activities and the Lilith Brainard Professor of Music in the School of Music in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities .

Also on the concert program is Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, conducted by Bartley.

Youn’s “Arirang Overture,” based on a Korean folk melody, was written for both WT and CitiPhilharmoni to premiere in their respective venues, Bartley said.

Youn studied music theory and composition at Chung-Ang University in Seoul and orchestral composition at the Khabarovsk State Institute of Arts and Culture in Russia. He earned degrees in Romania and the United States.

Kang is a graduate student at Hongik University and winner of several competitions in Korea.

A roster of orchestra members appears below.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World .

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised more than $120 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—

Violin 1: Jose Luis Forero Daza, a graduate student in music from Bogotá, Columbia; João Paulo Grissoe, a freshman music performance major from Linz, Brazil; Keila Batista, a graduate student in music from São José, Brazil; Indra Aguirre Sankar, a graduate student in music from Bogotá, Columbia; Kayla Richardson, a senior music industry major from Amarillo; Matthew Loyd, a junior music education major from Pampa; Sydney Buckner, a senior animal science major from Amarillo; Tatiana Kolesnik, a junior music performance major from Saint Petersburg, Russia; Hollie Williams, a freshman music performance major from Kress; and Raiden Fore, a senior music education major from Amarillo.

Violin 2: Josenir Junior, a graduate student in music from Criciúma, Brazil; Michael Mata, a junior music performance major from Victoria; Cassidy DeMarais, a sophomore music education major from Rockwall; Wendy Lambert, a freshman music performance major from Amarillo; Luis Lozano, a graduate student in music from Bogotá, Columbia; Marissa Partida, a sophomore music performance major from Victoria; and Elena Moreno, a sophomore music education major from Amarillo.

Viola: Jasmin Caldera, a sophomore health sciences major from Amarillo; Connor Lincycomb, a junior music performance major from Amarillo; Patrick Daly-Williams, a freshman music education major from Amarillo; Mia Brandyberry, a junior education major from Amarillo; and Dr. Robert Hansen, director of the WT School of Music.

Cello: Anna Ng, a freshman biology major from Amarillo; Bethany Mueller, a graduate student in music from Amarillo; Rodrigo Alonzo, a sophomore music performance major from Amarillo; Katherine Cook, a sophomore music therapy and performance major from Midland; Christian Morris, a freshman social science major from Amarillo; Tristan Tilman, a senior music industry major from Alamogordo, New Mexico; and Andrea Skyberg, a sophomore physics major from Lubbock.

Bass: Emily Arciniega, a sophomore music education major from McKinney; Jose Gerardo Gardea Yepiz, a graduate student in music from El Paso; Ryan Evans, a sophomore music performance major from Amarillo; Joe David Romo, a junior music education major from Amarillo; Kortni VanDamme, a sophomore music industry and composition major from Amarillo; Marcus Curnutte, a sophomore music education major from Midland; and Carson King, a freshman music education major from Rockdale.

Flute: Kyndahl Britton, a sophomore music performance major from Pflugerville; Broderick A. McQuarters, a graduate student in music from Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Abigail Wade, a junior music performance and education from Missouri City.

Oboe: Tobin Brooks, a junior music performance and education major from Canyon; and Abigail Hite, a junior music performance and education major from Nashville.

Clarinet: Dayton Scholz, a sophomore music performance and education major from Amarillo; and Joseph Henriquez, a junior music performance and industry major from Arlington.

Bassoon: Meghan Lancaster, a senior music education and composition major from Canyon; and Kegan Otoole, a sophomore business administration major from Friendswood.

Horn: Jorge C. Lopez, a junior music education major from Rio Grande City; Christopher Santiago, a sophomore music education major from Odessa; Norrin Hodgson, a junior music education major from Odessa; Luke Rodriguez, a junior music education major from Rosenberg; and Landon Proffitt, a senior music industry from Andrews.

Trumpet: Payne Morris, a senior music education major from Odessa; Brayden York, a sophomore music education major from Odessa; and Nathan Thompson, a freshman music education major from El Paso.

Trombone: Corey Nance, a senior music performance major from Carrollton; and Abraham Wood, a senior music education major from Floresville.

Bass Trombone: Justin Slaughter, a senior music education major from Odessa.

Tuba: Lucas Martinez, a junior music education major from Lewisville.

Percussion: Caleb Martin, a graduate student in music from Plainview; Hien Doan, a junior music performance and education major from Amarillo; and Colton Gallandat, a sophomore music education major from Joshua.