Daniel Cho

Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra Music Director and Alabama Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor
Daniel Cho Portrait

Daniel Cho is a Korean-American conductor and violinist, who has proudly served as the Assistant Conductor of Eugene Symphony since 2019, as well as Conducting Fellow of Eugene Ballet and Orchestra NEXT since 2021. Beginning the 2022/23 season, Daniel also began his tenure as the Assistant Conductor of the Yakima Symphony in Washington. He has previously held positions as Assistant Conductor of the Oregon Mozart Players and Eugene Opera. Daniel has traveled the United States and served as cover conductor for orchestras around the country, including the Orlando Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, and Santa Rosa Symphony in California.

Daniel began his journey as a conductor at the age of sixteen when he was selected to be Assistant Conductor of the Napa Valley Youth Symphony, where he also served as concertmaster. He continued his music education with a Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance from New England Conservatory in Boston, MA and upon its completion in 2016, began a Master’s Degree in Wind Ensemble Conducting at the same institution in 2017. In 2018, he attended the International Conducting Institute Czech Republic Workshop in Kroměříž and led the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic in a performance at the Archbishop’s Palace. In 2021, Daniel was invited to Atlantic Music Festival as Conducting Fellow, working extensively with the orchestra and premiering fifteen new works over the course of four weeks with the festival’s acclaimed Contemporary Ensemble. The winter of 2022 saw Daniel’s ballet debut, with a run of Eugene Ballet’s Nutcracker production; he also joined the Company on tour to Anchorage, Alaska. He holds his second Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, where he received the Award of Excellence in Graduate Teaching.

When not making music, Daniel enjoys reading short stories and fantasy, rewatching the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings movies, and taking long walks with his red golden retriever, Lucy.