Zora Yo, Cello
Zora Yo is a dynamic cellist and dedicated educator, actively performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. She has appeared at international festivals, including the Kirishima International Music Festival (Japan) and the Aurora Chamber Music Festival (Sweden), and currently serves as a section cellist with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra. From 2022 to 2024, she was on the faculty of the Illinois Chamber Music Festival.
Deeply committed to teaching, Zora currently serves on the faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield. As an undergraduate in the Teacher Education Program in Taiwan, she designed a successful curriculum that integrated performance-based and teacher-training coursework. She also specializes in string pedagogy and is a certified Suzuki cello teacher. Her Suzuki mentors include Shu-Yi Scott, Tanya Carey, Sally Gross, and Pamela Devenport. Her previous teaching experience includes work with the Illinois Community Music Academy, Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra, Illinois Summer Youth Music, and Illinois Wesleyan University.
Zora holds an Artist Diploma from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is currently a doctoral candidate (ABD). Her research focuses on integrating World Music Pedagogy and String Pedagogy in beginning cello group classes under the guidance of Dr. Donna Gallo. She earned her master’s degree in cello performance from Louisiana State University. Her primary mentors in cello performance include Denise Djokic, Daniel McDonough of the Jupiter String Quartet, and Dennis Parker. In recognition of her contributions to both the school and the community, Zora received the School of Music Cello Award at the University of Illinois for the 2023–2024 academic year.
Zora Yo is a dynamic cellist and dedicated educator, actively performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. She has appeared at international festivals, including the Kirishima International Music Festival (Japan) and the Aurora Chamber Music Festival (Sweden), and currently serves as a section cellist with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra. From 2022 to 2024, she was on the faculty of the Illinois Chamber Music Festival.
Deeply committed to teaching, Zora currently serves on the faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield. As an undergraduate in the Teacher Education Program in Taiwan, she designed a successful curriculum that integrated performance-based and teacher-training coursework. She also specializes in string pedagogy and is a certified Suzuki cello teacher. Her Suzuki mentors include Shu-Yi Scott, Tanya Carey, Sally Gross, and Pamela Devenport. Her previous teaching experience includes work with the Illinois Community Music Academy, Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra, Illinois Summer Youth Music, and Illinois Wesleyan University.
Zora holds an Artist Diploma from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is currently a doctoral candidate (ABD). Her research focuses on integrating World Music Pedagogy and String Pedagogy in beginning cello group classes under the guidance of Dr. Donna Gallo. She earned her master’s degree in cello performance from Louisiana State University. Her primary mentors in cello performance include Denise Djokic, Daniel McDonough of the Jupiter String Quartet, and Dennis Parker. In recognition of her contributions to both the school and the community, Zora received the School of Music Cello Award at the University of Illinois for the 2023–2024 academic year.