Honduran Musician Works With Seoul Philharmonic
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
If French horn player Hector J. Rodriguez hadn't showed up to renew his passport, the Embassy of Honduras might not have noticed that he was performing with Chung Mung-whun's Seoul Philharmonic, a position he has had for the past two years.
It was about a year ago when first secretary Fabricio Perez-Cadalso Arias of the embassy heard that his fellow countryman was working with the orchestra.
"When I came back to the office, my ambassador told me a Honduran national, who has been working with the orchestra, came by to renew his passport," he said.
Arias immediately called the musician out of curiosity, since he had not recognized anyone at several concerts by the Seoul Philharmonic that he had attended.
So their acquaintance began. As he got to know Rodriguez's extraordinary background and passion for music, the player grew to become not only Arias' personal hero, but also fostered a national pride in Korea, a country in which Honduras is hardly known.
"He is amazing," the diplomat said repeatedly, when he introduced the musician.
Rodriguez was born in Honduras. American French horn player Gary D. Gardner discovered Rodriguez's musical talent.
Rodriguez embarked on a lone voyage of music in the United States when he left his country at the age of 11.
He said he went to school for musical education in Mississippi. He continued his education with a bachelor's degree in music and a master's degree in science, waiting for the right opportunity to come.
"I wanted to play with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra," he said.
All along, he was alone, away from home without any family, but it didn't seem to leave him exhausted or homesick. Instead, he kept working to climb the ladder.
"When my friends called me on a Friday evening for a party, I would tell them that I wasn't feeling good. Obviously, I then spent a couple of hours practicing the French horn," Rodriguez said.
Finally, the moment came, and he began studying music in Chicago, and, since 2002 he has played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as an adjunct performer, replacing those on leave.
In 2005, he won an audition to perform with the Hyogo Performing Arts Orchestra in Japan for two years.
He also frequently played with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, he said.
That's when he met Chung Myung-whun, director of the Seoul Philharmonic. After the performance with the NHK Symphony, "He (Chung) came to me and asked whether I was interested in coming to Seoul to play with him."
That was in 2007.
"Maestro Chung has been great," he said. Rodriguez signed a two-year contract with the Seoul Philharmonic. And he is still invited all over the world to play with other orchestras, such as in Italy, Switzerland and Miami.
But, with his two-year contract up in September, he is heading back to Chicago.
Arias is sad about Rodriguez's departure, as it means losing a Honduran representative in Korea. Plus, his departure on a personal level means no more free tickets to the Seoul Philharmonic concerts.
"I am sad that he is leaving," he said.
Rodriguez's last performance in Seoul will be on Korean Independence Day on Aug. 15 at Seoul Plaza in front of the City Hall.