PyeongChang’s music fest sets example

By Do Je-hae

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province — Local music lovers have longed for a world-class summer classical music festival in Korea.

The compelling success of the 8th Great Mountains International Music Festival & School (GMMFS) is a clear demonstration of that aspiration transformed into reality.

The GMMFS is a rare mixture of concerts, recitals and master classes by the world’s top musicians, advancing the nation’s status as an Asian frontrunner in nurturing the next generation of classical music leaders.

This year, the 8th GMMFS is proving to be the most successful and diverse of its series, largely owing to the musical and administrative leadership of the two co-directors, cellist Chung Myung-wha, 67, and her younger sister Kyung-wha, 63, the celebrated violin virtuoso.

As the GMMFS nears its conclusion on Aug. 13, it would be useful at this point to organize its successes to serve as a benchmark example for other regional music festivals.

Focus on genre (chamber music)

It is imperative for a music festival to craft its own identity for enduring success, particularly for festivals based in remote regions detached from the musical capitals of the world.

For example, La Roque d’Antheron, a small town in southern France, has made a name for itself through an annual festival that features only piano music.

During an impassioned performance of the Mendelssohn String Quintet no. 2 in B-flat major, Sunday, many listeners were convinced of the GMMFS’ central identity as a chamber music festival of unprecedented quality in Korea.

The performance was reminiscent of the unparalleled harmony of a 1993 chamber music recital that had spawned this reporter’s fascination with chamber music — a performance of the Schubert Piano Trio No.1 in B-flat major by the U.S. piano virtuoso Andre Watts and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

The PBS broadcast of the New York recital also carried an intermission segment on how the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center was transforming the lives of youngsters through community engagement.

As a serious piano student at the time, it was an unforgettable experience to be introduced to the role of chamber music in nurturing a sense of accomplishment and collaborative spirit among the young.

A penchant for the genre is common among seasoned musicians like the Chung sisters, who are not just virtuoso instrumentalists but also dedicated teachers. While the program of the GMMFS is diverse in genre and time periods, its focus is undoubtedly rooted in the promotion of chamber music.

“I am mostly asked to play concertos, but I insisted on playing the Brahms Piano Trio in B major because chamber music is vital for growth as an artist,” said Chung Kyung-wha during a recent press conference prior to the opening of the festival.

Korean soloists have so far been less attentive to chamber music, but this is changing among young musicians, largely due to education and festivals like the GMMFS.

“As a pianist, I am alone in trying to communicate with the audience. But chamber music is an interactive process that entails working in multiple directions, such as rehearsing and studying together,” said pianist Son Yeol-eum in a Korea Times interview. “It’s important for musicians to build experience with chamber music.”

“When I was a student at the Korea National University of Arts’ pre-college program, students hated doing chamber music. It was just something students had to do. But it is something through which you can learn so much,” cellist Koh Bong-ihn told The Korea Times. “Chamber music has yet to become popular in Korea but I actually think Koreans have an advantage since Korea is a collective society.”

Educational drive

An undeniable trademark of the GMMFS is education.

The grounds of Alpensia, the main venue of the festival, were filled with young music students, some of them carrying instrument cases with Juilliard stickers attached them, possibly hoping to emulate the Chung sisters.

Benchmarking the renowned Aspen Music Festival and School in the United States, the GMMFS was first initiated in 2003 by the Juilliard violin teacher Kang Hyo, an ardent champion of chamber music and founder of the International Sejong Soloists (ISS).

Since 1949, the Aspen festival has produced numerous alumni who have gone on to become some of the most powerful figures in classical music, including conductor, pianist and opera director James Levine, Taiwanese-American violinist Cho-Liang Lin, Israeli violin virtuoso and conductor Itzhak Perlman, among many others. More than 350 classical music events take place in eight weeks every summer, from July to August.

Some musicians like Cho-Liang Lin first participated in Aspen as students and have come back as teachers. This is the kind of tradition that the GMMFS organizers hope to establish in the years ahead.

“The world’s classical music community is becoming more interested in Korea, as the nation continues to produce outstanding musicians not just in strings, but also voice and orchestral ensembles,” said Chung Kyung-wha. “To advance our level of excellence in music, we must not rely on only a few popular soloists.”

“We must upgrade the entire culture of classical music in this country. In this regard, the GMMFS is playing a leading role, as it combines concerts and education,” Chung added.

Chamber music has always been an important education tool for musicians, particularly because it is a collaborative endeavor requiring perseverance, attention to others and open-mindedness.

Reflecting the GMMFS’ dedication to young musicians, the organizers invited some top educators in classical music, like violist Roberto Diaz, who serves as the president and executive officer of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

The former principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra played in three concerts here and held an intimate talk with students on July 29 at the PyeongChang Hall.

In an interview with a Korean-language daily published after the talk, he urged students to delve into the background of the music being studied.

“A proper interpretation of Mahler or Beethoven is not possible without understanding the historical context of their works,” Diaz was quoted as saying.

There are 95 professors and around 160 students at Curtis, and Asians account for 10 percent of the student body.

Enhanced corporate funding

What sets this year’s festival apart from past entries in the GMMFS series is an expansion of corporate sponsorship. Prior to every performance, a special announcement by the festival’s executive director Samuel Koo paid tribute to different corporations that had sponsored the concerts.

The GMMFS has become famous outside the country as well, thanks to professor Kang’s solid foundation.

This year, there were 21 corporate sponsors, including Tods, Samsung Card, Breguet, Yamaha and Jaguar, among others. Last year, there were just seven.

This reflects increasing attention paid by the business sector to the calls for support of the arts through increasing corporate sponsorship activities.

But Korea still lags far behind other advanced nations in this regard.

After joining the Juilliard faculty in 2007, Chung Kyung-wha established a foundation to support young musicians, but she has noted a lack of sufficient sponsorship.

Leadership of artistic directors

This year’s GMMFS is the largest of its series, featuring around 45 top musicians from all over the world. More than 160 students from 12 countries participated in the school portion of the event.

The GMMFS has evolved into a truly global event. Unlike many English language brochures published in Korea, all relevant material was written in impeccable English.

The expansion of the GMMFS, both in musical scope and financial sponsorship, is the result of years of networking and know-how accumulated by the Chung sisters as soloists and teachers.

The cellist Chung has had an extremely successful career both as performer and teacher. The violinist Chung is one of the most influential classical musicians of the 20th century as an Asian and female pioneer in violin.

There is still room for improvement in the future of GMMFS.

Ahead of the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, this mountain city has much to do to make itself known to the outside world and the GMMFS could play a big role, according to co-director Chung Myung-wha.

“We would like to let the world know that Gangwon Province is a culturally mature region and not just a place for winter sports,” Chung said.

For the moment, PyeongChang is relatively unknown compared to other small towns around the world that hosts famous music festivals like Verbier in Switzerland or Spoleto, South Carolina, in the United States.

But now that the GMMFS has the most able artistic and administrative leadership it could hope for, expectations are mounting for it to become a definitive Asian music festival, along with Japan’s Beppu Music Festival directed by the legendary Argentine pianist Martha Argerich.