“Panis Angelicus” from Messe à trois voix, Op. 12 César Franck (1822–1890)
“Sheep May Safely Graze” Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
from Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd
Soprano: Inyoung Lee
Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
“I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady, Frederick Loewe (1901–1988)
“Till There Was You” from The Music Man Meredith Willson (1902–1984)
Soprano: Inyoung Lee
Fête Jean Langlais (1907–1991)
Gyeongsangdo Arirang Youngjo Lee (b. 1943)
“Summertime” from Porgy and Bess George Gershwin (1898–1937)
“Yo soy María” from María de Buenos Aires Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992)
Soprano: Inyoung Lee
Variations on Bach’s “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
und Crucifixus” from Mass in B minor, S 180/R24
Program Notes
This recital explores the organ not merely as a grand ecclesiastical instrument, but as a living partner to the human voice—an instrument capable of connecting eras, cultures, emotions, and memory. From Baroque counterpoint to French Romanticism, Korean folk tradition, American musical theater, and tango nuevo, diverse musical languages are woven together into a single expressive journey.
French Romantic composer César Franck is remembered for the spiritual depth and warmth of his harmonic language. Panis Angelicus, originally composed as part of his Messe à trois voix, has become one of the most beloved sacred vocal works in the repertoire. Rather than emphasizing grandeur, the piece creates an atmosphere of intimacy and devotion, with the organ gently enveloping the soprano line in luminous simplicity.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sheep May Safely Graze, drawn from the secular cantata Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, offers pastoral serenity and balance. Beneath its seemingly simple melody lies the Baroque ideal of order and stability. Here, the human voice and organ breathe together in peaceful partnership.
Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543, reveals an entirely different dimension of the organ. The Prelude surges forward with dramatic momentum, while the Fugue unfolds with remarkable contrapuntal clarity and architectural precision. In this work, the organ emerges not merely as accompaniment, but as an independent and monumental musical structure.
The music of Frederick Loewe and Meredith Willson introduces a more intimate and theatrical atmosphere. Loewe’s “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady radiates joy and exhilaration, while Willson’s “Till There Was You” from The Music Man offers warmth and lyrical tenderness. Together, these works demonstrate the organ’s remarkable ability to move beyond sacred tradition into the expressive language of musical theater and popular song.
French composer Jean Langlais, one of the major figures of twentieth-century organ music, fills the space with rhythmic brilliance and vibrant energy in Fête. Blind from early childhood, Langlais developed a highly personal musical language rooted in the French organ tradition. The work evokes celebration, vitality, and ecstatic motion.
Korean composer Youngjo Lee’s Gyeongsangdo Arirang reimagines a traditional Korean folk melody through the sonorities of the organ. Familiar melodic gestures expand into layered resonance, allowing personal memory and cultural identity to emerge within the instrument’s vast acoustic space. Through this work, Korean musical heritage finds new expression within the Western organ tradition.
George Gershwin’s Summertime, from the opera Porgy and Bess, remains one of the most iconic examples of the fusion between jazz and classical idioms in American music. Its haunting lyricism creates an atmosphere suspended between warmth and melancholy.
Astor Piazzolla’s “Yo soy María” embodies the dramatic world of tango nuevo. By blending traditional Argentine tango with elements of jazz and contemporary classical music, Piazzolla transformed tango into a bold modern art form. Rhythmic intensity and theatrical urgency fill the space with urban passion and immediacy.
The recital concludes with Franz Liszt’s Variations on Bach’s “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen”. Liszt completed the work in the aftermath of his beloved daughter Blandine's death, transforming Bach’s descending bass line into a profound meditation on grief, struggle, and faith. Through increasingly intense variations, suffering gradually gives way to transcendence, culminating in the chorale “Was Gott tut, das ist wohl getan” (“What God does is done well”). In this final work, the organ becomes not merely an instrument, but a spiritual space in which sorrow and hope coexist.
Throughout this recital, the organ and the human voice move together across different centuries, cultures and musical traditions. Between structure and song, memory and transformation, sorrow and celebration, music transcends borders and reveals the shared depth of human experience.
Biographies of Delaie Choi and Inyoung Lee
Organist Dalaie Choi is an internationally active organist whose performances have taken her across the United States, Europe, and Russia. She has presented solo recitals at distinguished venues including Longwood Gardens (Pennsylvania, USA), Santa Maríadel Coro in San Sebastián (Spain), St. Michaeliskirche and Nikolaikirche in Leipzig (Germany), and the Omsk Organ Hall (Russia). In 2018, she received the Minister of Culture Award in Russia. In 2015 and 2016, she was selected as Organ Fellow at the Oregon Bach Festival, where she performed in solo concerts under the mentorship of Paul Jacobs; in 2025, she was named a full-scholarship fellow of the Yale Sacred Music Academy summer program.
Dr. Choi earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Yonsei University. She later completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Iowa, studying with Dr. Gregory Hand. At the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, she studied with Dr. Jeremy Filsell and Prof. Donald Sutherland, earning a Graduate Performance Diploma.
She has performed in Germany with the First Presbyterian Church Choir of Davenport, Iowa. She previously served as Staff Pianist at Delaware State University and currently maintains a private organ studio; her students are active in church music, performance, and music education. Her artistry has also been featured in media appearances, including an interview and performance broadcast on KWQC News – Fran Riley Features. Dr. Choi currently serves as Director of Music Ministry at Concordia Lutheran Church in Wilmington, Delaware
Soprano Inyoung Lee is a performer and pedagogue who has performed opera, oratorio, and concert repertoire across North America, Europe, and Asia. A graduate of Seoul Arts High School, she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Seoul National University. her graduate studies in Opera were at Temple University, where she earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree. She is a prizewinner in numerous prestigious international competitions, including the Luciano Pavarotti International Competition, the Matinée Musicale Soloist Competition, and the NATS Artist Awards Competition.
Her solo appearances have been at venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, Smetana Hall in the Czech Republic, and the Grand Opening celebration of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. She has performed as a soprano soloist with numerous orchestras, including the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, Yale University Orchestra, Philadelphia Singers, Philadelphia Singing City, Korean Symphony Orchestra, the National Chorus of Korea, and the Gwangju Civic Choir.
Her operatic repertoire includes leading roles in such works as La Traviata, La Bohème, The Turn of the Screw, and The Old Maid and the Thief; she is also an oratorio soloist whose repertoire includes Messiah, Vaughan Williams’s Agnus Dei, and Honegger’s King David, among many others. Her discography includes four solo albums and three oratorio recordings. Dr. Lee currently serves as Professor of Voice at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and as Department Chair of Vocal and Keyboard.