Hyo-Won Woo facts for kids

Hyo-Won Woo (born in 1974) is a talented composer from South Korea. She is especially known for her choral music. Choral music is music written for a group of singers, like a choir. Hyo-Won Woo creates unique sounds by mixing traditional Korean music with modern Western music styles.

Hyo-Won Woo's Musical Journey

Woo was born in Seoul in 1974. Her father was an artist, and her mother was a pianist. She studied music at Sungshin Women's University.

In 1995, she became a composer for the Seoul Ladies' Singers. This means she wrote music especially for them. She met their conductor, Hak-Won Yoon, while singing in a church choir.

Early Compositions

Woo was asked to write a short mass, called a missa brevis, for women's choir. This piece was performed during a tour in Asia in 1996. From 1999, she also composed music for the Incheon City Chorale. This group was also led by Hak-Won Yoon.

In 2002, she wrote a piece called Gloria for the Asian Youth Choir. They performed it during their concert tour. In 2011, she wrote a longer musical story called an oratorio, titled Moses.

Blending Music Styles

Hyo-Won Woo is famous for combining different music styles. She mixes modern Western music with traditional Korean music. This creates a new kind of Korean choral music.

For example, in her piece Gloria, she uses traditional Korean scales and rhythms. She also uses something called Sikimsea. This is a Korean way of adding special touches to melodies. It involves subtle changes in how a note is sung, like using vibrato or sliding the pitch.

Vibrato is a wavering effect in singing. In Korean music, vibrato can be used differently. On a long note, it might start slowly and then get faster. On short notes, it might start right away.

Teaching and International Performances

Woo has taught music at several universities. These include Seoul Theological University and Hansei University. She has also taught at the Chorus Center Academy in Seoul. She has even been a guest lecturer at the University of Michigan in the United States.

Her music has been performed all over the world. Her oratorio Creo is based on the story of the Creation. It was performed in Seoul in 2014. It was also performed in New York in 2016 and in Reims, France, in 2016.

Selected Musical Works

Here are some of Hyo-Won Woo's important musical pieces:

• Missa brevis, for women's voices without instruments (1996)
• Cheo-Yong, for eight voices without instruments (1999)
• Oh! Deahanminguk, for mixed choir, two pianos, timpani, and Korean drums (2002)
• Gloria, for mixed choir without instruments (2002)
• ME-NA-RI, for mixed choir in three groups, with Korean percussion (2005)
• Alleluja, for eight voices without instruments (2005)
• Choral Panso-ri Su-gung Ga, for mixed choir, a Korean traditional solo singer, and a buk (a Korean drum) (2007)
• Pal-So-Seong for eight voices without instruments (2008)
• O Magnum Mysterium, for eight voices without instruments (2008)
• Te Deum, for mixed choir without instruments (2010)
• Jung gwaJung, for mixed choir with a gayageum (a Korean string instrument) (2011)
• Moses, for mixed choir with orchestra, two pianos, and other instruments (2011)
• Creo, an oratorio for mixed chorus, horn, strings, and percussion (2014)