Northern Illinois University
School of Music
College of Visual and Performing Arts

Korean traditional performing artist, Suwan Choi has been performing and teaching Korean traditional music for more than 20 years.

Since making Chicago his home in 2015, Choi has established himself as a leading practitioner of Korean drumming, performing at Harris Theater, Millennium Park, the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival, as well as venues such as universities and cultural events across the U.S. Formally trained in Korean traditional performing arts, Choi specializes in the drumming tradition called pungmul and samulnori. 

His experiences as an active percussionist and cultural bearer of Korean traditional music in Chicago have opened up his eyes to diverse musical traditions from around the world that he later decided to pursue graduate studies in world music at NIU and was awarded a master's degree in 2021. Choi currently serves as the Artistic Director for the Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago, a leading Korean cultural arts group in metropolitan Chicago that reaches an audience of 25,000 annually.