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Kim Nam-yun used his experience overseas to establish Korea W Philharmonic. The orchestra will give a cinema-themed concert on March 15 at Seoul Arts Center./ Courtesy of
Korea W Philharmonic |
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Once upon a time, a group of friends voluntarily collected money so that a high school music teacher could realize his dreams of becoming a conductor.
In the early 1980s, local music schools didn't even have a conducting major. It was almost like a fairytale that Kim Nam-yun was able to pursue his studies in Chicago, with just $3,000 raised by friends and family. There were only three other Koreans studying conducting in the United States at the time.
After years of training as a penniless student, along with a failed business venture on the side to support his family, Kim made a place for himself in the American music scene. In 1998, after his tenure as music director of the Chicago Academic Chamber Orchestra, Kim founded the New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra, which now performs regularly at Carnegie Hall in New York.
In addition to playing staple classical repertoires, such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the New Jersey Concert Choir (which Kim also created), the orchestra has premiered new works such as Park Beom-hun's Gayageum Concerto in 2005. This led to the Korea premiere of the piece featuring the Korean 12-string zither in 2008.
But new challenges for Kim do not end in New Jersey. Three years ago, the conductor was invited to launch and lead an orchestra in his home country, the Korea W Philharmonic.
``I was away from Korea for 26 years and I was surprised to see how the number of concert halls and music ensembles had multiplied,'' the musician told The Korea Times in a recent interview, about returning in 2007.
``But I was disappointed with the quality of city-run orchestras. Most of the time members are employed for life, like civil servants, and there would be very few performances. That would often leave little room for growth.''
In the case of many civilian orchestras, they are more similar to event-based ensembles, with frequently changing members.
``It is difficult to maintain and develop artistic quality that way, so even though it was costly I decided to have players that would be fully employed for at least three years,'' he said. Philharmonic members are motivated to improve their artistry as contracts are renewed after an annual audition.
Less than a year after it was founded, the orchestra has won The Korea Times' sister paper Hankook Ilbo's Grand Prize for customer satisfaction in the arts and culture section. It has become one of the most active musical ensembles, giving as many as 90 concerts last year, including five at Seoul Arts Center and numerous charity events.
Moreover, last October, Seongbuk-gu designated the Philharmonic as its representative ensemble, and thus the group performs for the district under the title Seongbuk Symphony Orchestra. It is the first time a district office has chosen a civilian orchestra.
In recent years, many local ensembles are undergoing changes to improve their quality. The Seoul Philharmonic, for example, has become an independent corporation, with a monitoring system to motivate members.
``That's the direction orchestras should be going. City-run orchestras should receive less financial support from city government, so they can be more independent,'' he said, further explaining that state backing comprises at most 25 percent of the budget for most American ensembles. The rest is up to the orchestra and its ability to attract fans and sell tickets.
``The orchestra is still a rather new institution for many Koreans, and we have no choice but to increase our exposure,'' he said. But the maestro said he is glad to see many children and youths in the audience. ``About 10 to 20 years from now I believe the local arts scene will be extremely dynamic, even more so than the United States,'' he said.
The orchestra's initial "W" stands for positive words such as win, we, world, wish and wow.
Kim said he wishes to pursue music that is fun and exciting. ``The levels of local orchestras tend to be inconsistent; they play extremely well under talented conductors but perform poorly when led by not-so satisfactory conductors. I think it's a Korean characteristic to outperform itself when inspired positively,'' he said, smiling.
The orchestra has various concerts lined up for the year, from staple classical repertoires to jazz. On March 15, it will give a cinema-themed concert at Seoul Arts Center, featuring popular scores from films such as ``Titanic'' and ``Harry Potter.'' Guitarist Jun Jang-soo will appear as a soloist. Tickets cost from 22,000 to 77,000 won. Call (02) 3442-4285.
hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr |
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yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
