Senior Sooho Cho is immersed in music: In a variety of music classes and programs at Northwood, he plays piano, trumpet, drum and French horn. But for this Orange County Artist of the Year nominee, his most note-able work is his musical composition.
Typically, Cho’s process starts with a thematic idea: a collection of notes and rhythms that create a motif. These take one to two months to develop and usually have clear influences from jazz’s extended chords and ornamentation. Cho later builds on these ideas within a structured thematic development typically found in classical music. He is currently using these influences in a piece he is composing for Wind Symphony’s set at Northwood’s 2026 Pops Gala Concert.
“Figuring out different ideas is the most challenging part of writing music, because that’s how you get the overall feeling of the whole piece and how it’s going to go,” Cho said. “You get the initial idea, and once you start writing, you get different variations.”
While a basic understanding of Western music theory gives him a starting point to develop his works, Cho has learned to compose according to his own creative desires and emotional experiences. In fact, the piece he is currently composing for Wind Symphony, under the guidance of instrumental music director Cole Quizon, is lively and follows a quick tempo. (Quizon nominated Cho for artist of the year, and the piece is included as part of his submission for the award.)
“It’s very technically challenging, and some parts are also super fast,” clarinetist junior Isabelle Yang said. “He squishes a lot of notes into one measure, but I think the piece itself is very interesting. There are a lot of creative elements to it.”
Cho was inspired to start composing through an Instagram reel featuring notation software MuseScore during his freshman year.
“When I first started writing music, I was eager to create something super huge,” Cho said. “And that led to me falling into a trap of not trying different things, like experimenting with music.”
Adding his unique voice and style to music was originally a struggle as he relied on taking inspiration from existing pieces—such as John Mackey for his percussive instrumentation, as well as Roy Hargrove for his interactions between instruments.
As his compositional skills improved over three years of experience, he gradually grew comfortable with taking risks and learning from mistakes. Most importantly, his growth has been driven by the continuous feedback and support of his fellow musicians.
“As he developed over the course of the past year, he’s started to break away from mimicry,” Quizon said. “He incorporates his own ideas into his compositions, which I think has really been the biggest change.”
When he moved to the United States from South Korea during middle school, Cho didn’t know many students at first. Forming friendships in the band encouraged him to continue playing and helped make music an enjoyable experience for him.
Cho said that making his ideas accessible for others to hear and play in the form of a song gives him personal fulfillment. After graduation, he hopes to continue playing in a band and creating music as a means of conveying emotion.
His compositions are posted on @playthemusic2026_sooho on Instagram. “Fire Orange Phase,” Cho’s composition, will be showcased at the 2026 Pops Gala Concert on May 29 at Northwood’s Performing Arts Center.
