Dr. USEON CHOI, native of South Korea, currently holds the Associate Director of CHIME and Chamber Music position at Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO). Prior to moving to ESYO he was the conductor for the Concerto Orchestra at Youth Music Illinois (Peoria, Illinois), Gimhae Jungang Girls’ Middle School Bridge Youth Orchestra (South Korea) and Viva Chamber Orchestra (South Korea).
Dr. Choi taught clarinet at the collegiate level as Adjunct Professor at Silla University and Inje University in South Korea. He held the principal clarinet position with the KNN Broadcasting Philharmonic and the The Soloists Philharmonic Orchestra, Great Falls Symphony Association (Montana), Ft. Collins Symphony (Colorado), and acting principal clarinetist for Sinfonia da Camera (Illinois). He is currently the Backun Music Services and Silverstein Works world artist.
In 2022, Dr. Choi was invited to Busan Maru International Music Festival to conduct the youth orchestra and worked with K-12 orchestras. In the clarinet realm he has received third place at the National Busan Music Competition and performed concertos with numerous orchestras such as the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Dong-A University Orchestra and Kyungsang Philharmonic Orchestra.
Internationally, Dr. Choi has given performances in Belgium, Spain, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, collaborating with international clarinetists. A devoted enthusiast of the clarinet choir, Dr. Choi has directed the UIUC Clarinet Choir, Busan Clarinet Choir, Kansai Clarinet Society and now leads the Jubiler Clarinet Ensemble based in South Korea. Dr. Choi is very passionate about chamber music and his experience blossomed when he held the position as resident clarinetist with the Chinook Winds Woodwind Quintet in Great Falls, Montana under the umbrella of the Great Falls Symphony Association.
His past conducting teachers include Vančo Čavdarski, Steve Pratt, James Keene, Wes Kenny, Dr. Anthony Marinello III and Dr. Glenn Block.
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, DMA (teaching assistant scholarship), Indiana University (Merit Scholarship), Illinois State University (graduate teaching assistant scholarship), Donga University (South Korea)