'Dancing conductor' Baek Yoon-hak brings passion, playfulness to classical music

Set to "Overture" from Jacques Offenbach’s opera “Orpheus in the Underworld,” a conductor turns from the podium to signal the audience to quiet down. Facing the orchestra again, he hops lightly with arms spread wide, his legs moving as if waltzing to the rhythm, in a YouTube video that went viral.

As the piece builds toward its finale, the pounding drums grow louder and his movements more intense. His arms shake vigorously, almost as if he were a shaman attempting to connect with the spirit world.

The Korean conductor is Baek Yoon-hak of the Seoul Festa Philharmonic Orchestra. Many of his videos have went went viral, with one short-form surpassing 10 million views. The unexpected fame turned him into a social media sensation, earning him an invitation to the popular talk show “You Quiz on the Block,” hosted by Yoo Jae-suk.

Conductor Baek Yoon-hak / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Many viewers were drawn to his unconventional conducting style, dubbing him the “dancing conductor.” Comments also praised the way he brought visual excitement to classical music.

But is he really dancing? It is one of the questions Baek hears most often. His answer is no.

“I am not dancing. In dancing, you move along with the music,” Baek told The Korea Times in an interview in Seoul, Wednesday. “As a conductor, my role is to lead the music.”

He said his gestures are carefully calculated through detailed study of the score.

“Every movement has a reason behind it. I believe audiences sense the correlation between the music and the movement. I make that relationship visible and people respond to it,” he explained.

What drives his movement at the podium? Is it a performance aimed at gaining views?

Baek points to an old video from 2013, when he was conducting the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra. Even then, he moved energetically — the only difference was that he looked much younger.

What motivates him, he said, is a desire to communicate with audiences: "I do this because I want to deliver the full mood of the music to the audience."

Although he is best known for his dynamic movements, Baek adjusts his style to the repertoire. When conducting classical works by composers such as Mozart or Beethoven, he remains relatively restrained. In contrast, his movements become more dramatic and expressive when leading film or animation soundtracks.

Conductor Baek Yoon-hak during rehearsal at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in October / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Engineer-turned-musician

Baek’s background differs from that of many traditionally trained classical musicians. He learned piano as a child, but only as a hobby. Excelling in mathematics — and even winning competitions — he entered Seoul National University as an electrical engineering major.

After graduation, he made a dramatic turn and reentered the university as a music student.

“I sang in a choir during college and one opportunity to conduct planted the seed,” he said, recalling the moment that changed his life’s direction.

His family’s initial reaction was harsh.

“My mother became ill [because she was disappointed at me],” he said. “But a week later, my father came to me and said, ‘Thank you for being a good son. You’re free to follow your passion.’ I was so grateful that I cried.”

After completing his studies at university, Baek moved to the United States to continue his musical training. He graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music and completed an opera coaching program at Temple University.

Conductor Baek Yoon-hak moves emphatically during a performance with Seoul Festa Philharmonic Orchestra. Captured from the orchestra's YouTube channel

Upon returning to Korea, he took a teaching position at Yeungnam University near Daegu — a post he still holds — while building his career as a conductor.

Since joining the Seoul Festa Philharmonic Orchestra last year, he has led a sold-out concert series titled “Ghibli and Disney OST FESTA.”

“I sometimes wonder whether this is the classical music I like,” he said. “But I’ve realized if audiences enjoy it and consider it classical music, then it can be classical music.”

Gugak collaboration

A poster for the National Theater of Korea's 2025 Winter Concert / Courtesy of National Theater of Korea

Among Baek’s upcoming projects is a seasonal concert with the National Orchestra of Korea, blending Western classical music with gugak, or Korean traditional music. Scheduled for Dec. 24 at the National Theater of Korea on the eastern edge of Mount Nam, the performance will mark his first collaboration of this kind.

“Western music doesn’t really have the same sense of 'heung,' Korean-style joy or excitement,” he said. “It’s more about bursts of energy. Korean music, by contrast, has a rhythmic flow — a sense of pushing and pulling — giving and releasing energy.”

The concert will feature works from the Korean-style orchestra’s repertoire and saxophonist Brandon Jinwoo Choi as a guest musician.

“There will be plenty to enjoy, including my movements on the podium,” Baek said with a smile. “Please look forward to it.”