Conductor: PARK Eun Seong (Korea)
Maestro Park Eun Seong graduate from college of Music, Seoul National University, studied conducting at Vienna University, and was the first-ever Korean musician to receive a conducting diploma from this prestigious institution.
He made his musical debut conducting the National Symphony Orchestra at the age of 25 in 1970 and served as a chief conductor for Seoul Philharmonic after returning from Vienna. Since then, Maestro Park has been performing actively on many international stages, including those in Austria, United States, Czech, Hungary, and Japan while conducting regular concert staged by major symphony orchestra in Korea. In particular, Maestro Park received excellent review from New York Times when he conducted a concert to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1991. He also conducted more than 30 operas and ballets, including a Korean opera staged during the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.
He received a presidential award in 1990, and then the following year, “Musician of the Year” award given by Korean Music Association. Maestro Park has been serving as a professor at college of music, Hanyang University since 1993, and has been educating many successors. He became the first President of Korean Conductor’ Association, and now appointed as a Music director and conductor of Korean Symphony Orchestra.
Orchestra: KOREAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Korean Symphony Orchestra was founded in March 1985 as a private orchestra by its conductor Yun Taik Hong. About 100 concerts – regular concerts, Youth concerts, Opera- and Ballet-performances as well as local area concert-tours and other special concerts – were played annual. In 1987 Korean Symphony Orchestra signed an exclusive agreement with the National Theatre. Now the orchestra became partner of the National Opera, the National Ballet and the National Choir, and two years later it was approved as a corporation of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
In March 2001, when the Seoul Arts Centre at its 16th anniversary got a new status as a foundation, the new company took the Korean Symphony Orchestra as its permanent orchestra.
Now the orchestra has about 80 members and is one of the ‘top three’ orchestras in Seoul. The schedule is as pretentious as ambitious. Different Concerts alternate with Operas and Ballets and demand an extensive repertoire for every musician. In 1990 it performed the largest musical event ever held in Korea ‘The Grand Choir’ with more than 5,000 chorists participating in chorus at Jamsil Gymnasium. It also realized more than 50 records and accompanied world famous singers as ‘Placido Domingo’ in 1995, ‘José Carreras’ in 1999 and 2005 and the “Three Great Tenors’ Concert in Korea” in 2001. ‘Dame Gwyneth Jone’ in 2003. The Korean Symphony Orchestra has contributed to the development of classical music in Korea by its sphere activities.
Going through many difficulties over the years, it has proved that a private orchestra can reach highest level of quality and so give an example for other private orchestras. The orchestra achieved a remarkable standard not only under musical aspects but also with a view on administration and operation of a professional orchestra.
*updated April 2008