Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Korean symphony orchestra unveils 2022 program led by new conductor, David Reiland
Newly appointed artistic director David Reiland of the Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) / Courtesy of the KSO
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
The poster for the 2022 season of the Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) / Courtesy of KSO
The Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) announced its 2022 season program, Thursday, under the leadership of newly appointed artistic director David Reiland, who is Belgian and whose background is shaped by various cultures of Europe, featuring German and Austrian pieces, as well as works from France.
Under the theme, “New Wave,” the new director, who was given the title of “Schumann Guest” at the Dusseldorfer Symphoniker, and who has served as a guest conductor for many orchestras in Europe, will open up the season with Schumann's Symphony No. 2, Op. 61 on Jan. 23. The KSO, conducted by the new director, will play Mozart's “Clarinet Concerto,” one of the highlights of Reiland's conducting, and Haydn's “The Creation.”
A number of leading and emerging conductors will perform during this upcoming season. Conductor and violinist Guy Braunstein, who was appointed the youngest ever concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic in 2000, will lead the orchestra in March; British conductor Finnegan Downie Dear, the winner of the Mahler Conducting Competition in 2020, will conduct in May; and Elias Brown of the United States, the first prize winner of the first KSO International Conducting Competition, will conduct the orchestra in February.
“Subito con Forza,” a new piece by Chin Un-suk, will be played for the first time in Korea in the opening performance of the season in January, as well as Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, played by 17-year-old pianist Lim Yun-chan. Lim was the winner of the IsangYun International Competition in 2019, its youngest winner ever at the age of 15. He also won the second prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists in 2018.
Israeli violist Amihai Grosz, the principal violist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and cellist Kim Doo-min, the principal cellist of the Dusseldorfer Symphoniker, will be collaborating with the KSO.
The works of composers made through the art troupe's “Composer Atelier” program, an incubating program launched this year to foster promising composers, will be also premiered.
In addition to these programs, the KSO is planning to continue its projects to expand its audience and cultivate young talent.
The KSO will hold its international orchestra academy, a chance to experience daily life working with the KSO, launched this year, where members of the orchestra and music students can attend lectures, master classes and participate in workshops for conductors.