Take the course offering or join the student club for opportunities to refine your singing skills, perform live, make friends, and have fun
The IHCC Choir and Choir Club invite all students at Inver Hills Community College and Dakota County Technical College (DCTC), not just music majors, to explore choral music, enhance their musical talent, perform in live concerts, and make new friends all while having a great time.
MUSC 1105 IHCC Choir is a 2-credit course offering at Inver Hills in the Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.) in Music electives curriculum; the course is open to all students at Inver Hills and DCTC.
Inver Hills also features Choir Club, a student club that does not have a credit requirement and is more casual. Choir Club, which also welcomes both Inver and DCTC students, meets on Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.—the same time as the IHCC Choir class.
“In both the IHCC Choir and Choir Club, we can develop our vocal techniques through various genres and styles of choral music,” said Kyung Ko, DMA, Inver Hills music faculty, choir director, and the student club’s faculty advisor. “It is also enjoyable to sing with others who can share their own life journeys and musical backgrounds. Experiencing cultural competence is another way to learn about the worlds and cultures that we may not have encountered in our small or big towns!”
Music faculty/IHCC Choir director perspective: Dr. Kyungouk Ko
Kyung Ko, DMA, joined the music faculty at Inver Hills at the start of fall semester 2023. Kyung teaches two courses, IHCC Choir and Applied Voice (see below for details). Along with his duties as a music instructor and directing the IHCC Choir, which gives concerts during spring and fall semesters and performs at other college events, including Creative Crash, Midterm Mix-Up, and commencement, he also serves as Choir Club faculty advisor and leads a high school choir workshop as a guest conductor.
Before arriving at Inver, Kyung taught at Augsburg University, directing the Riverside Singer (SSA<Soprano I, Soprano II, Alto). He currently serves as minister of music for Immanuel Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where he directs music ensembles, choirs, and instrumentalists while overseeing a comprehensive music program for all ages.
Kyung has tremendous experience as a music director and professional chorister. His music career began in 2003 in Seoul, South Korea, where he served as music director for Young-Nak Presbyterian Church, conducting a united choir with 300 voices and 80 instrumentalists. He has presented at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) national and regional conferences since 2008.
Kyung earned a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) in Conducting from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2018. He holds a Master of Music (M.M.) in Choral Conducting from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in Church Music from Yonsei University in Seoul. He belongs to the ACDA, Chorus America, and Associations of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM).
Kyung is a native of Seoul, the South Korean capital and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the world with a population topping 26 million. He is married, and his wife, Jiwhi Eo, is a music teacher at Sejong Academy in St. Paul. Kyung and Jiwhi Eo have two children, Jeremiah and Esther.
MUSC 1105 IHCC Choir
Credits: 2
MnTC Goal Areas: 06, 08IHCC Choir encompasses a vocal performance experience open to any student who wishes to sing in an ensemble. The choir performs at least one concert each semester on campus with additional performances for special events every term.
The musical selection and themes, which vary from semester to semester, cover choral music from Medieval times to the present day in the western classical, popular, vernacular, and global music traditions.
Attendance is required at the final performance and all other scheduled performances. This course performs/features new musical repertoire/content every semester and may be repeated as often as desired.
NOTE: This course DOES satisfy requirements for the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC).
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Future offerings: Fall semester 2025; Spring semester 2026Course Outline (PDF)
MUSC 1132 Applied Voice
Credits: 2
Applied Voice provides individualized voice instruction to students through regularly scheduled lessons. Lessons are arranged directly with the instructor and a course of study will be chosen based on the student’s current skill level, abilities, and needs. These credits may be repeated as often as desired. An extra fee is required for this course.
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Future offerings: Fall semester 2025; Spring semester 2026Course Outline (PDF)
Dr. Kyungouk Ko • Q & A
What insights and advice would you give students who are thinking about joining the IHCC Choir?
Life is full of fun, opportunities, and experiences in every situation, whether we can see them or not! I believe that music, especially choral singing, provides the perspective and attitude we need every day in all circumstances. Students in our time and community have developed their own paths, desires, and goals, which may change or remain constant.
Singing with others is an opportunity to enjoy our voices—not just as a specific sound or tone, but as a way to convey messages that can influence others in positive ways. This influence is not harmful or forceful; rather, it is artistically beautiful!
What do you enjoy most about leading and directing the IHCC Choir?
Our singers have a genuine passion for singing, which is a fundamental human instrument that we don’t purchase, but rather nurture and care for. Working with them brings me fresh energy and prompts questions I never considered before.
In my view, directing is not only about providing guidance, but also about connecting with singers who understand musical direction and need a safe space to collaborate with their peers. My goal is to enjoy the sound we create together and engage with the musicians who live in our community.
What do you like best about the choir’s live performances?
In live performances, there are several expectations, such as showing up, preparing effectively, and delivering the message we wish to share with our audiences. At the same time, we have an audience that appreciates our voice, seeking to understand and support the life journey we are on. Unlike a CD or recorded performance, live performance is more akin to our lives, filled with both highs and lows. I strive to incorporate all aspects of human expression into my live performances.
What choral song or songs do you like the most?
“Sure on This Shining Night,” composed by Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943), was recently performed by a chamber choir that I created as a project choir. The song features beautiful texts that provide comfort, encouragement, and acceptance through various life events. The understanding of the poem, along with the musical composition, aligns perfectly; not only does it create a beautiful sound, but it also clarifies why we enjoy the poem alongside the choral language crafted by the composer.
The connection between the text and music allows me to discover deeper nuances and expressions of humanity within the song. At times, there are many emotions and expressions, yet it can be challenging to find the right words or approach to convey these deeper gestures. His composition is a perfect example that we don’t need to say or talk too much to share such rich emotional contours and gestures. Music is the language, and it is more than enough!
IHCC Choir galleries
Inver Hills Commencement Class of 2025
Inver Hills Commencement Class of 2024
Creative Crash Spring 2024
Creative Crash Fall 2023
Midterm Mix-Up Fall 2023
More about the A.F.A. in Music…
The 68-credit Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.) in Music degree program gives you a strong foundation for transfer to a four-year school with junior-year status. The degree program also offers you opportunities for hands-on learning in the music industry, including an internship, while securing connections with industry experts and professionals that can lead to meaningful employment in the music field.
You will gain a holistic understanding of music by taking courses that explore all aspects of one of humankind’s greatest art forms from history to theory to applied lessons and much more.
As a student in this A.F.A. degree program, you will complete the Music Curriculum (20 credits), the Music Electives Curriculum (10 credits), the Business and Economics Curriculum (8 credits), and the General Education Curriculum (30 credits) for a credit total of 68.
>>> Music Program Planning Guide
LEARN MORE…
IHCC Choir performance videos
Learn more about the IHCC Choir and Choir Club at Inver Hills by contacting:
Kyung Ko, DMA
Music Faculty
Inver Hills Choir Director
Inver Hills Community College
kyung.ko@inverhills.edu
651-450-3655
Learn more about the A.F.A. in Music at Inver Hills by contacting:
Admissions Team
admissions@inverhills.edu
651-450-3902
866-576-0689
College Center
- Want more information? Fill out an inquiry form.
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Want to connect with an advisor? Check out our virtual drop-in hours or email admissions@inverhills.edu to request a campus-based or phone appointment.
