By Do Je-hae
The Asia Philharmonic Orchestra (APO) led by conductor Chung Myung-whun will tour Korea, Japan and China this summer.
The festival orchestra brings together more than 90 musicians from the world’s finest orchestras, such as the Chicago Symphony, Munchner Philharmoniker and the New York Philharmonic, among others.
The pan-Asian ensemble will perform Brahms’ “Symphony No. 1” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7” on July 30 at the Incheon Culture and Arts Center. The orchestra will perform the same program the following day at Seoul Arts Center.
In Japan, the APO will repeat this program at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall on Aug. 2, followed by a Mahler performance in Beijing on Aug. 4.
Making a successful debut in 1997, the festival orchestra has grown in reputation over the years and is now recognized as one of the continent’s best.
It was inspired by Chung’s aspiration to bring Asian countries closer through musical collaboration.
The birth of the orchestra can be traced back to 1995, when Chung was invited to conduct a show for the opening of the Tokyo International Forum.
Chung began his career as a pianist and won the second prize at the 1974 Tchaikovsky piano competition in Moscow. He made his conducting debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1986 with “Simon Boccanegra.”
He has since conducted virtually all the prominent European and American orchestras, and currently serves as the musical director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
Chung will be the first principal guest conductor from the 2012/2013 season in the history of the Dresden Staatskapelle, one of the oldest orchestras in the world, founded in 1548.