Conductor Chung Myung-whun is joining the Yeosu Music Festival as artistic adviser as the event marks its 10th anniversary this year.
The Yeosu Music Festival Foundation said it has appointed Chung to the post. Chung will take part in shaping the festival's artistic direction and programming and support its growth.
Launched in 2017, the Yeosu Music Festival has paired classical performances with a music school that identifies and trains young musicians from the region. Students at the school have received coaching from leading musicians and members of the KBS Symphony Orchestra and performed alongside them. With Chung on board, the festival plans to move beyond its standing as the signature classical event on Korea's southern coast and grow into an international music festival.
Chung's first appearance in the new role comes at the closing concert of the 10th Yeosu Music Festival on the 5th. In the first half, pianist Sunwoo Yekwon performs Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 under Chung's baton. In the second half, music school students and members of the KBS Symphony Orchestra perform Brahms' Symphony No. 2.
Chung is currently the 10th music director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra, which is marking its 70th anniversary. From January 2027, he will become the first Asian music director of Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
"With the artistic adviser joining us, we expect the festival to take another step forward on the strength of what it has built over the past decade," a festival official said. "The closing concert, where music school students perform with the artistic adviser and the KBS Symphony Orchestra, will show what this festival means and what it is committed to in nurturing musical talent in the region."
