Dr. Sunbeam Choi's The Sound of Light Piano Concert Heartens Audience in Cebu

Beautiful and inspiring music filled the halls of the Kamputhaw Chapel on the night of July 30, 2022, as renowned Latter-day Saint pianist, Dr. Sunbeam Choi, played classical and sacred music to a full house. Among the guests were members of the Arts Council of Cebu, the Cebu Interfaith Movement, enthusiasts from the music community, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Eleven members and officers of the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc. attended the piano concert. These were owners of businesses, leaders in civic organizations, and leading figures in society. These were the same key persons who helped organize the BYU Symphony Orchestra concert in Cebu in 2016.

“We enjoyed the music because you could feel love in life which is what we really need today,” Maia Franco, an officer of the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc. expressed her appreciation of the performance.

Members of the Cebu Interfaith Movement, organized by the Cebu City local government and Uniharmony Partners Cebu also attended the event.

“I really feel the love of Jesus Christ through his music, and I think we have to do it again,” says Henry Tomalabcab, a member of the Cebu City Interfaith Movement.

Members and missionaries who attended the musical devotional brought their family, neighbors, and friends of other faiths including Dr. Rudolf Golez, a renowned classical pianist who attended the event together with his wife who is a member of the Church. He showed his desire to offer his music for free for any Church events or projects in the future.

At the end of his performance, Dr. Sunbeam Choi shared his testimony. He said that music is a gift from Heavenly Father. He added, “When I think about my Heavenly Father the first word that I could think of is love. Whenever I think about Him, I know that He loves me so much and I know that He wants me to be happy. Not only me, but He also loves you so much and He wants you to be happy.”

Other guests were Lahug Barangay Chairman, Hazel Ann Muana Empleo and her team. Faculty members of the University of Southern Philippines AB Music Department were also in attendance.

“This is a wonderful evening for all of us. We have felt the spirit and we’re grateful to be able to witness the performance of Dr. Sunbeam Choi. My heart is filled with joy and I was comforted by the presentation tonight,” Elder Edmarc Dumas, a member of the Area Seventy of the Church stated.

In his closing remarks, Elder Yoon Hwan Choi, Second Counselor to the Philippines Area Presidency shared an excerpt from Doctrine and Covenants 25: “Yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.”

He added, “No matter whether you are members of the Church or not, you all love Heavenly Father. We all feel His love as Sunbeam performed, focusing on how he felt His love and also how he expressed it through his talent in music.”

Sunbeam Choi was born in Seoul, Korea and he began his piano studies at age five. He received the Bachelor of Music degree at Yonsei University in Seoul where he was awarded “The Jinli Scholarship” in addition to being awarded “The Honor Student”, studying with Yeong-Nan Han and Bang-Sook Lee. He continued his study in the Master of Music degree program at The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University where he was awarded “The Norman J. And Sarah J. Groves Endowed Scholarship”, under the instruction of Marian Hahn. Sunbeam earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Texas at Austin with Teaching Assistantship, studying with David Renner and Gregory Allen.

Currently, he is residing in Korea where he is instructing an adjunct faculty at Sejong Conservatory at Sejong University in Seoul and as an instructor at Sunhwa Arts High School and Gyewon Arts Middle School. Not only does he lecture on piano performance, but he also instructs in “Digital Sound” and “Creative Idea Thinking” at Gwangwoon University. He is also teaching private piano lessons online and in his private studio.