By Kim Rahn
An orchestra of about 1,000 amateur members comprised of district residents will take the stage in a rare concert to set the Korean record for a performance by the largest number of players at the same time.
Some 1,000 Geumcheon-gu residents in southwestern Seoul will perform outdoors during a cherry blossom festival near the ward office building at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. They will play three Korean songs.
“It is the first such challenge in Korea. The world record was set with a 6,452-member orchestra in Vancouver in May 2000,” a ward office official said.
For the event the office recruited participants who can play musical instruments between Feb. 21 and March 15. About 1,400 residents applied, ranging from elementary schoolchildren to the elderly. They have practiced the songs individually for the last three weeks.
For the first rehearsal on April 2, 650 residents came and tuned up. “We wondered if such a large number of performers could attune to each other. But it sounded pretty good,” the official said.
After the second rehearsal Friday, they will showcase the performance Saturday.
“We don’t know how many people will come, as participation is voluntary. When we called, about 80 percent of the applicants said they would. The performance will be held on a weekend afternoon and the residents’ expectations for the event are high, so we predict most of the applicants who said ‘yes’ will come,” she said.
Other singing and dance events will be held during the festival, especially on the 3.1-kilometer section from Geumcheon Office Station to Gasan Digital Complex Station where 639 cherry blossom trees line both sides.
“We have prepared a program which residents can actively organize and participate in. We hope many will come and enjoy themselves,” the official said.
Kim Gyeong-jong, 75, one of the players, told a local daily that he has been practicing for weeks for the performance. “It’s a bit difficult to keep the beat. But I’m really happy with the thought that I can do something even at this age.”