Graduate Conductor Fellows
The following graduate student conductors have been selected for the NCCO11 Graduate Conductor Fellowship Program:
- Dami Choi - University of British Columbia
- Daniel Myeongjun Kim - Indiana University
- Soo Jin Min - University of Notre Dame
- Steven Olson - Florida State University
The Fellows will participate in the NCCO11 Conducting Masterclass, taught by NCCO11 Featured Artist Dr. Iris S. Levine and featuring the voices of the California State University Long Beach Bob Cole Chamber Choir. The conducting fellows also receive a $500 travel stipend and a complimentary (fee-waived) registration to the NCCO11 Conference.
Dami Choi
University of British Columbia
MM candidate in Choral Conducting
Dami Choi is a second-year M.M. student in Choral Conducting at the University of British Columbia, where she studies with Dr. Graeme Langager and Dr. Hyejung Jun. She was a graduate assistant for the university’s Tenor-Bass Choir and is currently for the Soprano-Alto Choir and Chamber Choir. Her conducting experience includes co-conducting a seasonal chamber community choir and directing a children’s choir and local high school choirs as a student teacher and clinician. Recently, she was selected for the Conducting Track of the Montreal Summer Choral Academy at McGill University, studying under Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée. She has also participated in a conducting masterclass at Eastman with Dr. William Weinert, Dr. Deanna Joseph, and Dr. Daniel Bara. During her undergraduate studies, she was the winner of the Phoenix Choir’s 2022-2023 Composition Competition.
Daniel Myeongjun Kim
Indiana University
DMA candidate in Choral Conducting
Daniel Myeongjun Kim is a conductor and organist active in Korea and the United States. He is the music director of the Seoul Youth Choir and assistant conductor of NOTUS, the Contemporary Vocal Ensemble at Indiana University. Since winning first prize at the 2020 Korean Next-Generation Choral Conducting Competition, he has conducted at major venues including the National Theater of Korea and KBS Hall. In the United States, he served as associate conductor of the Grammy Award-winning Singing Hoosiers, performing at the 2024 ACDA National Conference, and was Assistant Chorus Master for the world premiere of the opera The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier and Clay, a co-production with the Metropolitan Opera. A native of Korea, he studied Church Music and Communication at Yonsei University, earned his Master’s in Choral Conducting at Indiana University, where he is now pursuing his Doctorate while teaching as an Associate Instructor.
Soo Jin Min
University of Notre Dame
DMA candidate in Choral Conducting
Soo Jin Min is pursuing her DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Notre Dame. She serves as assistant conductor with the South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestra, Notre Dame Children’s Choir, and SMND Chamber Choir, and has also worked with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and Concordia Vocal Ensemble. In July 2025, she was selected as a conducting fellow at the Chorus America Choral-Orchestral Conducting Academy. She won third prize in the 2020 National Chorus of Korea Choral Conducting Competition. Soo Jin holds a master’s degree in choral conducting from Louisiana State University, a bachelor’s degree in church music with a concentration in conducting from Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in South Korea, and an organ certificate from the Czech Brno Conservatory.
Steven Olson
Florida State University
PhD candidate in Music Education and Choral Conducting
Steven Olson is a conductor–teacher and Ph.D. student in Music Education/Choral Conducting at Florida State University. In 2023, Olson was a featured conductor for NCCO10 in Atlanta with the Florida State Chamber Choir on their performance of The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci by Jocelyn Hagen. He has also conducted choirs on international tours in France, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Further, he presents regularly at state and regional conferences and is a published arranger, with recent work appearing in MusicSpoke’s conduct(her) series. Before doctoral study, Olson taught in Georgia and North Carolina public schools. His work has been recognized with the Cary Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Teaching Award and the North Carolina ACDA Outstanding Emerging Choral Director award. Olson holds previous degrees from the University of Kentucky and Florida State University.