CEOs leave offices to create some tunes

By Han Sang-hee

They may seem too busy for anything like a choir, but the 21 members of Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) CEO Chorus were up and ready for their first annual concert, Wednesday night.

Despite the chilling weather, the Jangcheon Art Hall in Cheongdam-dong was packed with friends and family of the chorus members, who all looked excited with program books and flowers in hand.

“The world of business is cold and sensitive, but if you look closely, it’s also about emotions. It works based on people and that is what makes deals,” Chung Chan-woo, CEO of Hyun Woo Trading and leader of the chorus, told The Korea Times.

The KOIMA CEO Chorus was founded in 2009 and has been performing at events for the past year — in May, the group performed at Seoul Arts Center during an event held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Czech Republic. The group finally decided to take the stage on their own as the main act.

“The members of the association have been on the cornerstone in revamping the nation during difficult times, and after spending some 40 years on the forefront of all this work and responsibility, we realized that we need to turn to the field of arts and culture,” said Chung.

That small seed of interest spurred Chung to start a chorus, and although it was difficult for him and fellow members to get together to rehearse, they did the best they could.

“We started out with two and three members and then expanded to 30. It was difficult to have everyone come in, sometimes we had 12, 13, at other times we had 15 which was a pretty good number considering all the packed schedules these men were going through.”

For the past year, the choristers gained confidence through small performances both here and abroad, and prepped for their first anniversary and charity event.

Led by conductor Park Byeong-cheol, the members, dressed in neat black suits and bow ties, sang classics such as “Nella Fantasia” and “Green Green Grass of Home” and then left the stage for a short break. Meanwhile, the Gwanjingu Childrens’ Choir took over the stage, singing “Over the Rainbow” and “In My Heart.”

The conductor apologized that some of the members of the children’s choir had to miss the event as they had exams at school and some were sick due to the grueling weather. This drew laughter from the audience, and the children went on singing the famous tunes from the musical.

The CEOs returned in new outfits and went on to sing carols and Korean folksongs. It was followed by a special performance by Pierre Clement Dubuisson, the ambassador of Belgium and bassoonist.

“For a long time, KOIMA and Belgium have had a strong relationship in many ways. I am happy to send a congratulatory message to all KOIMA members and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of KOIMA,” the ambassador wrote in the congratulatory message.

“My gratitude goes to KOIMA which supports this chorus and promotes mutual understanding by combining economy and a delightful music project,” he added.

The concert wrapped up with the chorus singing traditional folk song “Arirang” and their long-awaited first anniversary event came to a close.

“Because some of the CEOs didn’t know how to sing or how to read notes, it was difficult and frustrating. But we had passions and now we are confident and satisfied with the results,” Chung said.

“We hope to further enhance both out professional and cultural lives through KOIMA and the chorus in the future.”