On October 28th, at Jeong-dong, Seoul, Park Yushin, the artistic director of the Pohang International Music Festival (right), explained the direction of the festival. On the left is conductor Yoon Hanyeol, who will lead the opening performance. The festival, scheduled from November 1-8, 2024, will be held at Pohang Arts Center and other venues, focusing on rich chamber music performances featuring promising young musicians.
The opening concert on November 1st will feature the Pohang Festival Orchestra conducted by Yoon Hanyeol and flutist Kim Yubin. They will perform Mendelssohn’s “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage” and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade.” The festival will also highlight chamber music, with performances from participants such as Kim Yubin, Kim Dasol, Kim Hongbak, and Park Yushin. The French male string quartet, Arod Quartet, has a recital prepared featuring Debussy’s string quartet. Additionally, there will be recitals by pianist Paik Hye-sun, and a collaboration stage with pianist Seonwoo Ye-kwon and the Pohang City Symphony Orchestra. The closing concert on November 8th will feature a string octet and the a cappella group Maytree. Each concert is themed to reflect the coastal city feel, with titles like “Song of the Sea,” “Tricks of the Waves,” “Sea Fog,” and “Sailing,” accompanied by relevant repertoire.
The Pohang Music Festival, which began in 2021, is now renamed and held as the Pohang International Music Festival with support from Gyeongsangbuk-do. The organizers are eager to host a high-quality cultural event in Pohang, known for its industrial image. During a recent press conference, cellist and artistic director Park Yushin stated, “This is the time to culturally introduce Pohang to the world. The festival duration has increased this year, and there’s been more interest from international artists and agencies. While I believe the essence of classical music is in chamber music, we aim to offer a diverse musical experience by not limiting ourselves to the chamber format and including orchestral stages.”
Yoon Hanyeol is a conductor who gained attention by being the first Korean recipient of the Karajan Young Conductors Award. As part of his prize, he conducted the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and made his debut at the Salzburg Festival. He said, “Unlike traditional symphony orchestras, forming a new festival orchestra allows us to collaboratively create music and explore various attempts, which is exciting.”
Supplementary events will also be held outside of concert halls at places like the Pohang City Museum of Art, the Po-eun Central Library, and the Yeonorang Seonyeo Theme Park, where they will include explanations to engage the citizens more closely.