The Chicago Kwonsa Choir was founded on March 6, 2015, by five friends who attended a prayer meeting together. Inspired by Isaiah 43:21, "The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise," they established the choir to offer praises to God. The purpose of the choir is to offer heartfelt and devoted praise to God, promote cultural and community service through their performances, and foster fellowship and camaraderie among the choir members. The choir exclusively performs hymns that exalt God.
Currently, the choir consists of approximately 40 members. Dr. JinUk Lee, a professor at Chicago Northern Seminary, serves as the conductor, Sarah Yun Mayer serves as pianist and Inok Lee is the team leader. The choir is open to anyone who believes in and serves God, aiming to be a place where members can experience God's presence through abundant grace in their praises, often resulting in tears of confession and testimony.
Founded on the scripture Isaiah 43:21, the Chicago Deaconess Choir has grown since its inception in March 2015. Their mission is to offer heartfelt and sincere praise to God and to engage in cultural community service through their performances. They held their first concert in April 2016 and have performed five annual concerts to date. Rehearsals are held every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM at Yesurun Church. The choir continues to evolve, providing an open platform for believers to join and experience the overwhelming presence of God through powerful and emotional worship. The Chicago Deaconess Choir is diligently preparing for their 6th annual concert, set to take place in September 2023, with a unified and passionate spirit.
JinUk Lee
Conductor
Dr. JinUk Lee has an extensive and distinguished career as a baritone soloist, performing oratorio solos both in Korea and the USA. His notable performances include the baritone solos in Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s The Creation. Dr. Lee received his early training under Professor InSoo Park in South Korea and continued his studies with renowned professors Andreas Poulimenos and Carol Vaness at Indiana University.
During his time at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Dr. Lee portrayed Germont in La Traviata under the baton of David Effron and the direction of Tito Capobianco. He also brought to life the characters of Zurga in The Pearl Fishers, Silvio in Pagliacci, and the Count in Le nozze di Figaro while studying with Professor Carol Vaness. His versatility extended to roles such as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and Tiger Brown in The Threepenny Opera, earning him honors at showcase recitals and the Outstanding Performance Award in the Honors Assembly in Ohio.
Dr. Lee has earned numerous accolades, including first prize for vocal music at the National Artistic Vocal Competition and second prize at the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale competition. He is a recipient of the Sweet Adelines International Award from the Young Singers Foundation and the Albert Rees Davis Scholarship from the S. Livingston Mather Scholarship Competition in Cleveland. Furthermore, he won first place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition and was a finalist in the Mario Lanza International Singing Competition in Italy. His academic and performance excellence was recognized with the Merit Award Scholarship, and he served as an opera assistant at the Lyric Theatre at the University of Illinois for three years, performing roles such as Ford in Falstaff, Street Singer in The Threepenny Opera, and Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas.
Currently, Dr. JinUk Lee is a professor and the director of the Master of Arts in Worship Korean Track at Northern Seminary in Chicago, IL. He also serves as the music director of four different choirs in the Chicagoland area. Dr. Lee holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (DMA), Ohio University (MA), Indiana University at Bloomington (PD), and Kyungpook National University (BA). He began his teaching career as a music professor at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, and continues to be represented professionally by Vocal Artists Management as a baritone singer.
In addition to his academic and musical endeavors, Dr. Lee actively promotes his work through various media outlets. He has been featured in broadcasts and interviews on Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) in Seoul and Daejeon, MCTV-Chicago Win Media, and GOODTV in Korea. His future performance plans include collaborations with distinguished artists in both the United States and Korea, with engagements at the Chicago Korean Cultural Center and FEBC in Seoul and Daejeon. Dr. Lee's contributions to music and his dynamic presence in both academic and performance spheres highlight his exceptional talent and dedication to the performing arts.
Sarah Yun Mayer
Pianist
Members of The Chicago Kwonsa Choir
Sung Hee Lee
Helen Haeun Han
Myung Joo Kwon
Rosie Myungsook Chang
Donghwa Lee
Young Hui Park
Sandra Sook Kim
Kyung H Kil
Esther Myung Kim
Chung Ja Han
Myung Hee Choi
Hea Young Yoo
Keun Soo Cho
Yong Soon Park
Jennifer Young Lee
Pil Sun Kim
Jeong J Kim
Duk Nam Yoo
In Ja Song
Hyun Sook Yu
Youngsuk Yeon
Bok Soon Jun
Esther Ae S Yoon
Gee Young Kim
Seungeui Kang
Jung Ae Lee
Young Ok Koh
Young Hee Lee
Sun Kum Kim
Myung Hee Yi
Lady Sooknyu Joo
Jane In Ok Lee
Agatha Park
Christine Lee
Hannah Jun
