Incheon launches new music festival today

Sejong Soloists / Courtesy of Sejong Soloists

By Yun Suh-young

Poster of "IncheonMusic, hic et nunc"

A new music festival will begin in Incheon's Songdo city today under the title "IncheonMusic, hic et nunc."

The name means "here and now" in Latin and carries the vision of introducing new trends in music.

The Sejong Soloists, with Incheon National University, have organized the event. The Sejong Soloists is a string orchestra that the Juilliard School and Yale School of Music professor Kang Hyo established in 1994.

Kang Hyo is the festival’s artistic adviser, utilizing seven years’ experience as artistic adviser to the PyeongChang music festival. Kang Kyung-won, general manager of the Sejong Soloists, is the festival director.

The festival will be held from 6 p.m. at Incheon National University's Songdo Campus concert hall. It will begin with a discussion between Robert Blocker, dean of the Yale School of Music, and President Cho Dong-sung of Incheon National University on the topic "Music and Leadership."

The opening concert will be performed by nine musicians, including actor Yoon Suk-hwa, and Shin Soo-jung, dean of Seoul National University's music school.

The concert also has a social contribution program scheduled for July 2 for children and July 5-6 for the Incheon city hall and the Incheon metropolitan police agency.

On July 4, the organization will host a concert titled "Professor and the Young Virtuoso" at the Tri-bowl in Songdo and on July 7 at the Elim Art Center in Cheongra. Julliard School professor David Chan, who is also concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, will perform.

Starting next year, the festival will invite renowned musicians to become artists-in-residence to organize new programs. German composer, conductor and clarinetist Jorg Widmann has been named the first artist-in-residence.