Mound of music

Violinist Chung Kyung-wha speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. She has been leading the Great Mountains International Festival & School (GMMFS) since 2010 with her cellist sister Myung-wha. / Courtesy of the GMMFS Organizing Committee

Gangwon Province's Great Mountains summer music festival reaches a decade

By Do Je-hae

The Great Mountains International Festival & School (GMMFS), Korea’s top summer music event, celebrates its 10th anniversary season next month with a focus on composers from Northern Europe.

Set in the lavish Alpensia resort in Gangwon Province, the GMMFS, will be organized around the theme “Northern Lights.” “We wanted to design a program that was unlike anything we had done before,” said cellist Chung Myung-wha, co-music director of the festival, during a press conference Wednesday in central Seoul.

Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen, who left behind popular symphonies and violin concertos, are some of the most familiar composers from the region. The St. Michel Strings, a chamber orchestra based in Mikkeli, Finland, will play the opening concert on July 14, focusing on the works of Edward Grieg.

Over the years, the teaching aspect of the festival has been a priority for organizers. It has a tradition of inviting some of the most renowned teachers, such as Curtis Institute of Music President Roberto Diaz who is a celebrated violist.

“In Finland, Sibelius enjoys the status of a national hero,” co-music director and violinist Chung Kyung-wha said. “Musicians from Finland and other countries from the region will come to our festival to teach local students. We believe that this will provide a great source of inspiration for the students.”

Besides featuring works by Nordic composers and musicians from Northern Europe, the festival will introduce specially commissioned works for the festival and some operatic highlights featuring the National Chorus of Korea and the Festival Orchestra.

The festival has run the “Prominent Artists” each year, which has brought some world renowned musicians to Gangwon Province. Cellist Gary Hoffman and Jian Wang will play Bach’s suites for unaccompanied cello.

Korean pianists Son Yeol-eum and Kim Da-sol will play together in the piano version of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” The revolutionary work celebrates its 100th year since its scandalous premiere in Paris in May 1913.

The GMMFS has transformed the cultural landscape of the region, with an ultra-modern 640-seat auditoriam and a tented theater with a seating capacity of 1,300. The festival has grown over the years to fulfill its aim of becoming Korea’s “Aspen Music Festival.”

“The festival has gained an international reputation since its establishment 10 years ago. It is one of the most successful in Asia,” Chung Myung-wha said.

It was founded by Kang Hyo, Juilliard and Yale professor of violin. The Chung sisters have served as music directors since 2010.

The GMMFS runs until Aug. 6. For more information, visit www.gmmfs.com.