Sojung Lee Hong has communicated her joy of music making with the Judson University community since 1998. Prior to coming to Judson, she studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with Professor Ian Hobson and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature with a minor in Accompanying. During her doctoral studies, she was awarded the first prize at the Irene Tintner Piano Competition, which resulted in her performing solo and chamber recitals in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Born in Seoul, Korea, she graduated from Seoul Arts High School and received both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from Seoul National University. In Korea, she has performed in such major venues as the Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Arts Center, and Hoam Arts Hall. In the U.S. she has appeared with the Valley Civic Orchestra, the Elgin Community College Civic Orchestra, the Judson University Community Orchestra, and the Germania Orchestra.

Dr. Hong has enjoyed her dual career as an educator and performer since she joined music faculty at Judson University. She was invited as a clinician at the conference of Illinois State Music Teachers Association held at Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois. She also taught and performed as a guest artist-teacher at the EumYoun Summer Piano Academy, Korea. As a church musician, she serves as the music director at West Alliance Church in Warrenville.

Dr. Hong received MA, BA from Seoul National University, Korea and DMA from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nazar Dzhuryn is a native of Lviv, Ukraine. He began his cello studies at the age of six and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the Lviv Music School under Mr. Evgeny Shpitzer. Mr. Dzhuryn earned his Master of Music degree from the Moscow State Conservatory under Professor Igor Gavrysh. Upon graduation, he taught for two years at the Moscow State Conservatory as the Assistant to Professor Gavrysh.

Nazar Dzhuryn was the principal cellist of the Moscow Conservatory Symphony and the Moscow State Symphony “Young Russia”. He performed in numerous solo recitals throughout Russia, Ukraine, South America, Africa and the United States and was a soloist with the Moscow Conservatory Symphony, the Moscow State Symphony, and the Lviv Philharmonia Symphony. He participated in the Rostropovich Festival in Evian, France, the Boulder Festival in Boulder, Colorado and the Mozart Festival in Woodstock, Illinois. As an active chamber musician and orchestral player, Mr. Dzhuryn appeared in concert with many classical music legends such as Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, Daniel Barenboim, Mstislav Rostropovich, Georg Solti, Boris Pergamenchikov, Hellmunt Rilling, Mark Peskanov, Rachel Barton Pine, Cyrus Forough and James Galway.

Nazar Dzhuryn currently maintains active private studios in Chicago and Elgin while sustaining teaching positions with the music faculty at Northeastern Illinois University, Elgin Community College, and the Naperville School for the Performing Arts.  Mr. Dzhuryn serves as the assistant principal cellist of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra.

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