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Jessica Schwefel, mezzo soprano
Youngjoo Hong, soprano
Susan Gaeddert, piano
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Program
님이 오시는지 (Nimi Osi-neunji) Will You Draw Near 김규환 / Kim Kyu Hwan (1925-2011)
봉숭아 (Bong sung-ah) Balsam Flower 홍난파 / Hong Nanpa (1897-1941)
고향 (Gohyang) Hometown 채동선 / Chae Dong Seon (1901-1953)
이별의 노래 (lee Bul e No Rae) Farewell Song 김성태 / Kim Sungtae ( 1910-2012)
고독 (Go dok) Solitude 윤용하 / Yun Yongha (1922-1965)
파초 (Pa cho) Canna 김순애 / Kim Soon Ae (1920-2007)
그대 있음에(Geu-dae isseu-mae) Because You Are Here
달밤 (Dal bam) Moonlit Night 나운영 / Na Un Young (1922-1994)
코스모스를 노래함 (Kosmoslul Norae Ham) Singing Cosmos. 이흥렬 / Lee Hung Rul (1909-1980)
도요새 (Do-yo sae) Sandpiper 천득우 / Jeon Deu Koo
돌아가는 꽃 (Dol-ah-ga-neun ggott) A Dying Flower 임태규 Lim Tae-kyu (b. 1990)
연꽃 만나고 가는 바람같이 ( Yunkot Manago Ganun Baramgatye) Like the Wind That Met With the Lotus 김주원
Kim Ju Won
이화우 (Ihwau) Pear Blossom Rain 이원주 / Lee Wonju (b. 1979)
신 아리랑 (Shin Arirang) New Aririang 김동진 Kim Dong Jin (1913-2009)
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Since our founding in 2023, the Wisconsin Gagok Ensemble has been dedicated to the promotion and performance of Korean Art Song in Wisconsin and beyond. Soprano Youngjoo Hong, Mezzo Soprano Jessica Schwefel, and Pianist Susan Gaeddert curate programs of music by 20th and 21st century Korean Art Song composers. We strive to make this art form more accessible for western audiences. We collaborate with other artists and performers to cultivate other aspects Korean and Korean American culture in our state. Please visit www.wigagokensemble.weebly.com for more information.
Performers
Youngjoo Hong, soprano, is a dynamic musician in both the concert and teaching fields. Along with her interpretation of standard repertoire, Youngjoo is a passionate performer and advocate of contemporary and early music. She holds a Music Education degree (BM) and a Master of Music (MM) in Voice Performance from the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Her recent performance of a Korean Art Song Recital at Grace Episcopal Church in Madison was impressively received. In 2023, Youngjoo performed her solo voice recital in Seoul and Pusan, South Korea. Also, Youngjoo’s Master’s Recital at UW–Madison at the Hamel Music center in February 2020 was a huge success. Prior to entering the master’s program in UW– Madison, Youngjoo taught General Music and Choral Music in the Middleton Cross plains Area School District. As a church choir director, Youngjoo has served in the Korean Catholic Community mass for many years at the St. Paul University Center. Youngjoo maintains a private voice studio and is a member of the voice and piano faculty at Harmony Conservatory of Music in Waunakee. She is currently the Vocal Music Teacher at St. Maria Goretti Catholic School.
Youngjoo currently resides in Madison, WI with her husband, researcher in UW-Waisman Center, Jinkuk Hong.
Dr. Susan Gaeddert is a seasoned collaborative pianist who has spent more than two decades as a professional accompanist, coach and teacher working with students of all ages as well as professionals to prepare repertoire for recitals and auditions. She has toured with Opera For The Young, taught at Edgewood College, and performed with a number of local musicians at festivals and recitals in the Madison area.
Susan holds masters degrees in Piano Performance, Pedagogy, and Collaborative Piano from UW-Madison, where she earned a doctorate in 2007 and was a winner of the Shain Competition for piano and woodwind duos. Susan recently obtained a degree in Urban/Regional Planning, and she now works for Transportation Services at UW-Madison.
Mezzo soprano, Dr. Jessica Schwefel, is currently a Lecturer of Voice at the Mead-Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has performed in over 35 operatic productions with Madison Opera, Opera for the Young, Fresco Opera Theatre, UW Opera, Music By The Lake, among others. Jessica was also a member of the Florentine Opera Chorus for over a decade, where she had been involved in a number of productions and outreach performances. Her involvement with the Florentine Opera resulted in a GRAMMY award nomination in 2020, and three GRAMMY awards in 2012 and 2013.
An accomplished solo singer, Jessica has held recent engagements with the Madison Choral Project, LunART Festival, Four Seasons Theatre, the Civic Symphony of Green Bay, Madison Bach Musicians, Present Music, Oshkosh Chamber Singers, and many more.
Jessica’s articles have been published in the VOICEPrints Journal of the NYSTA, the NATS Journal of Singing, as well as the Wisconsin School Musician (WSMA). She resides in McFarland, WI where she maintains her private voice studio, the Timman Music Studio. Jessica has taught studio voice previously at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Madison College, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jessica’s students have been recipients of numerous music scholarships and awards and also perform in a variety of venues around the country. Jessica received a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently the Corresponding Secretary for the Wisconsin NATS Board (National Association of Teachers of Singing) and Treasurer for the Madison Youth Arts (MYArts) Board.
