KNSO academy unites global talent for summer of learning

Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO) Artistic Director David Reiland leads an orchestra rehearsal with young talents of the 2024 KNSO International Academy at Seoul Arts Center in Seocho District, southern Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of KNSO

By Park Jin-hai

• Published Aug 15, 2024 1:00 AM KST
• Updated Aug 15, 2024 2:56 PM KST

With the double bass seated in the middle, five musicians — two violinists, a violist, a cellist, and the double bassist — exchanged glances and began playing Dvorak’s String Quintet No. 2.

The playful high notes of the two violins and the viola interlocked with the foundational sounds of the cello and double bass. The music danced fluidly, shifting between faster and slower passages as if engaging in a lively conversation with melody and rhythm.

A total of 12 international teams — ranging from violin-viola duos and wind quintets to string quartets, quintets, and brass ensembles — showcased their interpretations of chamber music before an audience of around 80 people at the Rode Arts Center in Seocho District, southern Seoul, Aug. 9.

The performance was the culmination of five days of intensive work, including mentorship from the Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO) faculty and master classes with guest musicians.

These musicians are part of the 35 international attendees at this year’s KNSO International Academy Summer Festival, which runs from Aug. 5 to 21. The festival invites participants from both established and emerging classical music regions to explore classical music and Korean culture.

During the 17-day festival, these performers collaborate with 19 young Korean counterparts and participate in various programs, including general mentoring from KNSO Artistic Director David Reiland. They also have one-on-one mentoring sessions with KNSO concertmaster Kim Min-kyun and other KNSO faculty members, discussions with conductor Reiland and composer Cho Youn-je, and master classes with notable musicians such as violinist Kevin Lin, Concertmaster of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and violinist Park Ji-yoon, former concertmaster of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

Now in its fourth year, the program received an overwhelming response with 173 applications from overseas, marking a 22 percent increase from the previous year. This surge indicates a growing global interest in Korean classical music, according to KNSO.

“My tutors gave me a lot of different perspectives than my teacher in America. The KNSO’s concert master gave me a lot of foundational advice, such as basic posture and skills. And I thought that was really what I needed, because I really need some basic stuff to be a more a solid player,” said Yen-chun Wang, 27, a Taiwanese violinist and graduate of the New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston, adding that she joined the program thanks to a recommendation from her friend.

Hong Konger Shek Wan Li, 27, another NEC graduate and a violist of the New World Symphony in Miami, traveling with Wang, said the most interesting part of the KNSO program has been meeting tutors with different styles.

“What's nice is that you get to hear different opinions … Like, picking grapes, according to my taste, I pick what comments is really helpful to me and the other comments, I still put it in my pocket,” he said.

Double bassist David Desimpelaere, principal of Switzerland's oldest Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and a guest tutor for the students, emphasized the significance of the notes during the chamber music classes.

"An interesting question to ask ourselves has been which emotions did the composer, Antonin Dvorak, want to share in different passages. For instance, by examining the composer’s tempo indications, character markings, bowings/slurs, dynamics and instrumental details, we can gain a deeper understanding of the composition. This serves as a perfect starting point for students to develop their own interpretations," Desimpelaere said.

"Of course, there is the inspiration of the artists (and) students. Rather than fixing every note in a certain manner, I prefer to allow space for the students’ own creative interpretations in the concert moment."

Musical exchange

Korean attendee Jung Da-ryeong, 24, a double bassist who studied at Yonsei University, said the festival has been an eye-opener for her. As a new member of the KNSO, it was her first experience performing with musicians from other countries.

“I was impressed by the foreign musicians’ free and easy playing style. While Korean players tend to focus on specific parts during practice, the atmosphere with the foreign performers was more relaxed and enjoyable. We agreed to just have fun and not be so rigid. Even if we made mistakes, we would just laugh it off. That’s why I was able to enjoy the performance today,” Jung said after the chamber music showcase.

Li from Hong Kong agrees that the exchange of musicians is inherently a musically enriching experience.

"I really wish we could bring the best of our music and to promote how music can be made with different kind of people. You see different people from different country, having different feeling, techniques, things about music. We all play differently, but it's amazing how everything could connect together," he said.

Participants expressed their anticipation for the upcoming orchestra concert, titled "Colorful" and slated for Aug. 20 at the Lotte Concert Hall in southern Seoul, where a harmonious blend of Korean and international musicians will take the stage as a unified ensemble.

"I really look forward to how we will turn out as an orchestra. For me, orchestra playing is so attractive because we become one big organism or creature, but has so many different lives. It's a really weird but beautiful feeling to play in the orchestra, because you feel like you become something that's bigger than yourself.," said Wang.

The "Colorful" concert will be the highlight of the festival, featuring performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto under the baton of Reiland. Composer Cho Youn-je will premiere the orchestral version of his work "The Whale," providing an opportunity to deepen the understanding of contemporary music, with Park Ji-yoon, the violinist, as the soloist.

Edward Cho, a 33-year-old Korean Canadian cellist and adjunct faculty member at Wake Forest University, expressed satisfaction with the quality of teaching. As a musician of Korean descent, he particularly appreciated the program's emphasis on sound over technical precision, finding it refreshing.

"(Other participants) were so impressed with all of the KNSO faculty. So it's really great to spread, because we think about French school of music, we think about German school of music, but when there was a Korean school of music, this is a great first step into expanding that into a new age," Cho said.

However, he noted that the lack of orchestras in Korea hinders many international musicians from pursuing a career in the country, humorously remarking that it’s "dangerous to be a musician in Korea."

"There is a shortage of orchestras in Korea compared to the number of talented musicians. This imbalance leads to intense competition for limited positions, making it difficult for musicians to find stable careers. Increasing the number of orchestras would create more opportunities for musicians and potentially expand the audience for classical music," he said.

Italian violist Lorenzo Titolo Duchini, 27, a member of the Dutch orchestra Philzuid, who visited Asia for the first time to attend this program, shared his orchestra's efforts to engage with young audiences and challenge the perception that classical music is outdated and irrelevant to today's world.

"It's just a matter of educating people to listen and to just make them understand that actually, classical music is not so complicated and difficult that you just have to study to listen, you can enjoy in any way. But of course, if we are staying in our side of the stage and never go close to the audience and explain, this will never happen," Duchini said.

"Orchestras are starting now to do some different project to get closer to the audience, for instance, my orchestra makes the audience sit, not in front of the orchestra, but inside. So they feel how it is to play in an orchestra. They can even ask questions ... If we don't actively work to make classical music accessible and appealing, we will see no people in the audience in 30 years. I think it is our job to include everyone in our space."