Helen Cha-Pyo

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Helen Cha-Pyo is a Korean-born American conductor and organist. Described as being "on the front edge of a lustrous career as a conductor” by the Mail Tribune of Oregon, Cha-Pyo has gained international prominence as both a renowned conductor and organist.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Cha-Pyo won numerous competitions and awards as a young pianist, including Grand Prize in the Young Musicians Competition in Los Angeles. At age 13, her family migrated from South Korea to the United States and settled near Poughkeepsie, New York. Before graduating from Poughkeepsie High School in 1986, Cha-Pyo had already studied both piano and organ at The Juilliard School (pre-college division) in New York City.

After graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, Cha-Pyo relocated to Rochester, New York, where she earned Master of Music degrees in both conducting and organ performance from the famed Eastman School of Music. While at Eastman, Cha-Pyo served as the Assistant Conductor of the Eastman Philharmonia and the Eastman Chorale, and studied with the renowned organist, David Higgs. Cha-Pyo was the recipient of the prestigious Charles Nicholls Memorial Award at Eastman.

From 1996 through June 2003, Helen served as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Riverside Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir in New York City. She also served as the Associate Director of Music at the famed Riverside Church in New York City. Cha-Pyo also pioneered the Riverside Music Educational Program, which currently serves thousands of inner-city students in New York City. Since 1995 she has been the Assistant Conductor of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon and has guest conducted several orchestras and choruses throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States. Cha-Pyo has conducted orchestras such as the Altenberg Festival Orchestra, Beethoven Chamber Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, Eastman Philharmonia, Aspen Music Festival Chamber Orchestra, New Washington Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington Korean Orchestra. She has also served as the Musical Advisor at the Rachmaninoff International Music Festival in Russia. As winner of the 1992 John Rodland Memorial Organ Competition sponsored by the American Guild of Organists, she performed numerous organ recitals throughout the Northeastern United State and Asia, including appearances with symphony orchestras as an organ soloist.

In 1999, Cha-Pyo worked with the Asian Youth Orchestra in Hong Kong, as the rehearsal conductor and assistant to Sergiu Comissiona. That same year, she conducted the U.S. premiere of "A Garland for Linda", a musical tribute to Linda McCartney. In the fall of 2000, Cha-Pyo conducted the world premiere performance of "No Easy Walk to Freedom", an opera based on the life of Nelson Mandela, at the New Opera Festival at Hofstra University.

Cha-Pyo is currently the Music Director and Conductor of the Empire State Youth Orchestra in Albany, New York, a position that she has held since September 2002. Helen began her fifth season with the orchestra in September 2006.

Preceded by Jin Kim

Music Director/Conductor, Empire State Youth Orchestra 2002 –present

Succeeded by incumbent