Gene Cho

Submitted By jlk0041 on Thu, 11/09/2023 - 11:16am

Gene ChoGene Jinsiong Cho, 90, Regents Professor of music theory who taught at UNT from 1972 to 2016, died Oct. 27. He earned his Ph.D. in music theory from Northwestern University and was a guest professor in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

At UNT, he taught pedagogy of theory, music theory analysis and aural skills. He also taught a sequence of courses in music and culture of China and Japan and directed field study programs to Asia.

His compositions and arrangements for voice, piano, ensemble and orchestra have been performed in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He was commissioned to write incidental music for a stage play, Confucius, and a musical setting of a literary tone poem, Abraham Lincoln: The Whole Heart, for orchestra, chorus, soli and narrators.

Dr. Cho was a charter editorial board member of the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy and an editorial board member of the Journal of Music in China. His publications include theory pedagogy manuals and monographs in music theory and historical ethnomusicology, such as Theories and Practice of Harmonic Analysis and The Discovery of Musical Equal Temperament in China and Europe in the Sixteenth Century. One of his monographs, The Replica of the Ark of the Covenant in Japan: The Mystery of MiFune-Shiro, fused religion studies with Japanese cultural history for a glimpse into the interplay of new and old traditions.

He presented lectures, clinics and workshops in theory, conducting and composition in six countries outside the U.S. and was honored by the UNT International Education Committee for his distinguished service to international education. 

Outside UNT, he served as the choir director at Southmont Baptist Church in Denton and later at the Mayflower Congregational Church in Lewisville (renamed Flower Mound Community Church). He also led church programs and initiatives in the U.S. and Asia throughout his lifetime. He's remembered for his humor and wit as well as his devoted teaching and leadership.

A memorial service will be held Nov. 18 at Southmont Baptist Church, 2801 Pennsylvania Dr. in Denton. Viewing will take place at 10 a.m. and the service will begin at 11 a.m. 

Gene ChoGene Jinsiong Cho, 90, Regents Professor of music theory who taught at UNT from 1972 to 2016, died Oct. 27. He earned his Ph.D. in music theory from Northwestern University and was a guest professor in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

At UNT, he taught pedagogy of theory, music theory analysis and aural skills. He also taught a sequence of courses in music and culture of China and Japan and directed field study programs to Asia.

His compositions and arrangements for voice, piano, ensemble and orchestra have been performed in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He was commissioned to write incidental music for a stage play, Confucius, and a musical setting of a literary tone poem, Abraham Lincoln: The Whole Heart, for orchestra, chorus, soli and narrators.

Dr. Cho was a charter editorial board member of the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy and an editorial board member of the Journal of Music in China. His publications include theory pedagogy manuals and monographs in music theory and historical ethnomusicology, such as Theories and Practice of Harmonic Analysis and The Discovery of Musical Equal Temperament in China and Europe in the Sixteenth Century. One of his monographs, The Replica of the Ark of the Covenant in Japan: The Mystery of MiFune-Shiro, fused religion studies with Japanese cultural history for a glimpse into the interplay of new and old traditions.

He presented lectures, clinics and workshops in theory, conducting and composition in six countries outside the U.S. and was honored by the UNT International Education Committee for his distinguished service to international education. 

Outside UNT, he served as the choir director at Southmont Baptist Church in Denton and later at the Mayflower Congregational Church in Lewisville (renamed Flower Mound Community Church). He also led church programs and initiatives in the U.S. and Asia throughout his lifetime. He's remembered for his humor and wit as well as his devoted teaching and leadership.

A memorial service will be held Nov. 18 at Southmont Baptist Church, 2801 Pennsylvania Dr. in Denton. Viewing will take place at 10 a.m. and the service will begin at 11 a.m. 

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