Chung Myung-whun to lead Italy’s La Scala as first Asian music director starting 2027

Korean conductor Chung Myung-whun is appointed music director of Italy’s Teatro alla Scala, becoming the first Asian to hold the post. Courtesy of La Scala

Maestro Chung Myung-whun, one of Korea’s most celebrated conductors, has been appointed music director of Italy’s Teatro alla Scala, becoming the first Asian to hold the post in its 247-year history.

The opera house, commonly known as La Scala, announced Monday (local time) that Chung will assume the role in 2027, following the conclusion of current music director Riccardo Chailly's tenure. The decision marks a turning point for the Milan-based opera house, long considered one of the so-called "Big Three" alongside the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera House in London.

Chung, 72, will serve for approximately three years, overlapping with the term of La Scala’s new general manager and artistic director Fortunato Ortombina, whose tenure runs through February 2030.

Chung’s relationship with La Scala spans more than three decades. Since making his debut at the Milanese opera house in 1989, he has conducted nine operas across 84 performances and led 141 concerts, holding the record for the highest number of appearances, apart from its official music directors. In 2023, he was named the Filarmonica della Scala’s first-ever honorary conductor, reflecting his long-standing ties to the orchestra.

“Maestro Myung-Whun Chung has, over the years, developed a particularly close and fruitful relationship with both the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro alla Scala, as well as with the Filarmonica della Scala,” the theater said in a statement.

"He is also one of the most beloved artists among the Milanese public, as evidenced by the enthusiastic response to the concerts held on March 17, 19 and 21, and is the conductor who has most contributed to the international prestige of the Teatro alla Scala, excluding its music directors.”

La Scala also noted Chung’s broad repertoire and his contributions to the theater’s international prestige. His landmark performances include productions of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra,” “Don Carlo” and “La Traviata” as well as works by Mozart, Puccini, Strauss, Shostakovich, Weber and Beethoven. He was also at the podium for La Scala’s tour to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 2016. A new tour in Asia is expected to be announced soon.

Born in Busan in 1953, Chung studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York. A pianist and conductor, Chung has led major orchestras around the world, including the Paris Opera from 1989 to 1994, the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome from 1997 to 2005 and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra from 2005 to 2015.

He is currently honorary conductor of KBS Symphony Orchestra and Tokyo Philharmonic and was named inaugural artistic director of the new Busan Opera House, set to open next year, and Busan Concert Hall, which opens in June.