A deep baritone voice echoes from the Music Classroom as it demonstrates proper operatic technique to a young student listening with eager ears. The voice belongs to Junhan Choi, the new voice teacher on campus from South Korea, who recently arrived at Groton after hearing about the prestigious school and its equally excellent students from a friend.
Before coming to Groton, Mr. Choi offered private lessons and took on freelance work, focusing more on performing rather than teaching. He joined Groton’s music faculty in late February, making it his first time teaching in a school setting, despite having more than a decade of experience as a private voice coach. He has just started lessons for three students and hopes to teach more in the future.
While Mr. Choi’s goal is to help his students improve their singing abilities, he says he has other, broader hopes for them, too.
“Ultimately, I want to help them become musicians who can enjoy and cherish music throughout their lives,” he says.
Mr. Choi began singing at a young age and his natural talent was quickly discovered by his parents and teachers, who persuaded him to start taking voice lessons at 14 years old. Although he initially lacked a strong connection to opera and found it difficult, he became increasingly intrigued by its charming nature and uniqueness in comparison to other forms of singing such as pop and country.
Now, Mr. Choi describes performing onstage as “one of my greatest joys and a driving force in my life.” He believes that opera singing, defined by resonant sounds and flowing vibrato, is the most wonderful sound one can produce and describes the thrill of captivating the audience onstage as “an indescribable joy.”
In contrast, Mr. Choi believes that the biggest challenges are “constantly developing oneself, facing the need to be validated by others, and struggling with an uncertain future.” He feels that even top-tier opera singers need to continually prove their worth to competitors and peers, and advises that “it’s essential to maintain a mindset that remains unshaken by constant auditions, performance critiques, and the advice of others” while enjoying the process throughout. Mr. Choi also finds comfort in his favorite opera, Verdi’s Rigoletto, as well as performing on stage and teaching his students.
Although Mr. Choi loves educating the next generation of singers, his dream as a performer continues to thrive. Currently, he receives many offers from musicians he knows and takes on freelance jobs in Boston, and he also works with his manager to secure more performances and expand his reach to other parts of the world. While he limits his teaching to what his schedule allows, he does have a few wise words of advice to offer.
Mr. Choi believes that it is never too late to start singing: “While early musical training is undoubtedly beneficial, I believe that vocal music is less restricted by age compared to other instruments.”
He also believes that passion for opera stems from “constant, unwavering effort.”
“If you can enjoy it,” he says, “those hours won’t feel so long.”
And, to those who are just beginning to explore their interest in the operatic realm, Mr. Choi suggests that you “immerse yourself in opera by watching, listening, and experiencing it fully.”
“You’re bound to fall in love,” he says.
