JuHyeon Han '19
DMA, Voice

Where are you from originally?
I was born in Korea, but grew up in New Zealand.

Why Stony Brook?
I heard about Stony Brook from a friend, who started her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree the year before I applied. I decided to study at Stony Brook because I felt the DMA was very individualized and offered a good balance between academics and performance. I also had a good rapport with Professor Goldstein, my academic advisor, and Professor Scarlata, my voice teacher, when I came to check out the school.

On her major:
My parents instilled in me a love of music from a very young age, and I discovered as a child singing brought me the greatest joy. I also discovered as a child that I loved performing, and sharing my love of music with an audience. I always knew music would be my life, and I never thought about doing anything other than studying music and becoming a classically trained singer.

On her mentors:
Professor Goldstein has been incredibly supportive from day one. I couldn't have asked for a better academic advisor, and not only that, he truly cares about his students and it shows.

I feel that he is largely instrumental in making the music department a safe and nurturing place where students can find their passion and grow.

On her favorite class:
That's a hard one, but I would have to say Opera Workshop.

In the Spring semester of 2017, I was cast as the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten. It was a fully staged production, and I learned so much about performing in an opera. Many of my previous teachers said I could never be in an opera as a blind singer, but the music department thought otherwise.

Read more about Ju Hyeon’s role in The Rape of Lucretia. 

On her greatest achievements:
There are several things. Singing the role of the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia at Stony Brook; successfully completing my studies here; and finding out that as well as being a performer, I also love to teach and work with students of all abilities. I have been volunteering as a teaching assistant in the music department, teaching voice to undergraduate music and non-music majors, and I realized very quickly how much I love fostering the love of music and singing in my students.

On her greatest challenges:
The biggest obstacle I faced and will face for the rest of my life is that everything I need, music or research materials, must be put into an accessible format. This meant waiting for days to weeks for the materials to come back from a braille transcriber, spending hours having books or articles read to me while I took notes, or waiting for my reader to scan or type out articles and chapters from books so they could be converted into braille. I've had to be extra organized and start my projects earlier than everyone else, and I've also had many all nighters when I received my materials at the last minute and had to frantically work to meet due dates.

Another obstacle I faced, although not at Stony Brook, was the low expectations from professors who thought because of my blindness, I wouldn't be able to learn or keep up with everyone in class. I had to work twice as hard in those classes to prove those professors wrong, and they were all pleasantly surprised.

After graduation:
I hope to teach music and vocal studies at the college level, while also finding opportunities to work as a concert singer.

Advice to new students?
Take full advantage of the wonderful educational opportunities you have been given at Stony Brook, and take this time to find your passion and find ways to achieve your dreams.