Joseph Choi, a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting, has been invited to the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City for his conducting debut on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Choi will serve as guest conductor for a concert, titled “Beyond Boundaries,” organized by the Altino Brothers, a pianist duo comprised of brothers Nerva and Robenson Altino. Nerva Altino, a college friend of Choi’s, contacted him earlier this year to ask that Choi join the program because of his previous conducting accomplishments and his comfort with conducting both choir and orchestra members at the same time.
“I am honored and blessed to be able to walk on a stage where great musicians have walked before,” said Choi. As the date of the concert grows closer, Choi said he is slowly realizing “that this is reality and NOT a dream.”
The concert will feature piano concertos by Tchaikovsky and Liszt, popular and Broadway favorites, and the world premiere of a double piano concerto based on the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” for two pianos, orchestra, and chorus, composed by Nerva Altino.
Performers include Nerva and Robenson Altino on piano, the Altino Brothers Concert Chorale, the Oakwood University Aeolians choir, the Altino Brothers & Chorale, and the Beyond Boundaries Symphony Orchestra, an 80-piece professional orchestra comprised of mostly Juilliard and Manhattan School graduates.
Choi studies under the guidance of Shenandoah Conservatory Director of Orchestral Studies and Professor of Conducting Jan Wagner.
“This is every serious musician’s dream to be able to perform on the Carnegie Hall stage one day,” said Choi. “This is a new milestone in my career as a conductor, and I hope that this concert will lead further opportunities in the near future. I would like to thank Shenandoah Conservatory, especially my professor, Jan Wagner, for believing in me and always encouraging me to do my best.”
