SAC Hosts Orchestra Festival Throughout April

Classical music aficionados may be disappointed by the cancellation of tours by many foreign orchestras, but performances by domestic troupes will be in full swing throughout April with the Seoul Arts Center’s annual Orchestra Festival featuring 17 top Korean ensembles.

Violinist Stefan Jackiw
/Courtesy of Seoul Arts Center

The 2009 program will take place April 3-21, beginning with the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra. The opening night will feature violinist Stefan Jackiw, a noted Korean-American artist who is known here as a member of the popular chamber group Ditto and as the grandson of the famed writer Pi Cheon-deuk. The 17-day relay concert will continue with performances by a different orchestra each day.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event, which began in 1989 with the opening of the center’s Concert Hall. It has developed into a major music festival that gathers top national artists in one place.

Expectations for the event are high, as top musicians will appear as soloists for concertos ranging from Brahms to Beethoven and Berlioz. Future leaders of classical music will participate, including up-and-coming pianist Kim Tae-hyung (Daejeon Philharmonic, April 4); cellist Koh Bong-ihn (Jeonju Philharmonic, April 5), who is balancing a medical career at Harvard with playing alongside artists like Yo Yo Ma; and Lim Dong-min, who is a star pianist here along with his brother Dong-hyek (Suwon Philharmonic, April 17).

Conductor Yeo Ja-kyung
/Courtesy of Seoul Arts Center

Also notable is that a prominent female conductor, Yeo Ja-kyung, has been invited to lead the KBS Symphony Orchestra, April 16, which is a first for the event. Other maestros such as Kim Hong-je (Ulsan Philharmonic, April 8), Jesus Amigo (Gyeonggi Philharmoinc, April 11) and Baldur Bronnimann (Seoul Philharmonic, April 13), will take the baton. Child-prodigy-turned-maestro pianist Ian Yung-wook Yoo will close the festival with the Busan Philharmonic, led by Alexander Anissimov, April 21.

For the first decade, the event helped to promote the growth of classical music in Korea, and the last decade was devoted to enhancing the performance level of individual musicians. In doing so, new talents across the country were discovered and these musicians matured and developed their own musical color over the years.

As such, two newcomers selected through the Guest Players Audition ― violinist Kim Hyun-gi and bassoonist Lee Min-ho ― will appear with the Seoul Philharmonic, April 13, and Changwon Philharmonic, April 14, respectively.

The performances will take place at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center. Tickets cost from 10,000 won to 30,000 won. Discounts are available for members of the Seoul Arts Center as well as for students and group reservations. For more information on the event, call (02) 580-1300 or visit www.sac.or.kr/eng (English).