The '2025 Gyeongju International Music Festival,' hosted by Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Gyeongju City, and organized by the Gyeongju Cultural Foundation, successfully concluded its three-day run from June 13th to 15th at the Hwarang Hall of the Gyeongju Arts Center. This year's festival held added significance by commemorating the '2025 APEC Summit,' set to take place in Gyeongju this November. With an even richer program, it served as an important platform to showcase Gyeongju's emergence as a global cultural city. The Gyeongju International Music Festival has established itself as a leading performing arts event, inviting top domestic and international artists each year to broaden cultural and artistic opportunities for citizens and enhance Gyeongju's cultural status. This year's festival, in particular, was lauded as a venue for global harmony and exchange through culture and art.
Day 1: A Meeting of Masters, Chung Myung-whun and Sunwoo Yekwon's Beethoven
On the first day of the festival, Friday, June 13th, the KBS Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestro Chung Myung-whun, a living legend of the Korean classical music scene and a world-renowned conductor, brilliantly opened the festival. Launched in 1956 as the exclusive orchestra of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), the KBS Symphony Orchestra has been a leading orchestra in the Korean classical music scene. World-renowned maestri such as Im Won-sik (the first conductor), Chung Myung-whun, Dmitri Kitayenko, and Yoel Levi have served as its principal conductors. Currently, Pietari Inkinen is the 9th music director, and the orchestra has elevated the status of Korean classical music through prestigious overseas tours and performances at the UN General Assembly, among other international activities. Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, the winner of the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, performed as a collaborative artist in this concert, deeply moving the audience. Born in 1989, Sunwoo Yekwon gained global attention as the first Korean to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He earned the nickname "Competition Tycoon" for his outstanding achievements in numerous international competitions, including the William Kapell International Piano Competition (2012), Sendai International Music Competition (2013), Swiss Verbier Festival Piano Award (2014), and International German Piano Award (2015). His performances are praised for their delicate touch, profound musicality, and sincere expressiveness. The concert featured Beethoven's immortal masterpieces, Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor' and Symphony No. 5 'Fate.' The 1,053-seat Gyeongju Arts Center Concert Hall was filled to capacity with spectators. The 'Emperor' is Beethoven's last completed piano concerto, captivating with its grand narrative, as its three movements are organically linked like a single piece. With enthusiastic applause from the audience, Chung Myung-whun and Sunwoo Yekwon appeared on stage and immediately began the first movement as they took their places at the podium and piano, respectively. Sunwoo Yekwon's nimble fingers floated high notes like chirping birds, instantly immersing the audience in the performance. Sunwoo Yekwon and the orchestra, like dancers exchanging steps, perfectly preserved the rhythm and volume passed between them, smoothly continuing the flow of the piece. Occasionally, when the piano seemed to want to accelerate, Chung Myung-whun's disciplined conducting acted like a marathon pacemaker, steadying the tempo. What immediately stood out about Sunwoo Yekwon was his left hand, which asserted its presence even as his right hand continued its light touch. His left hand felt less like an accompanying rhythm and more like an independent, organic entity conversing with his right hand to unfold the music. As the excitement created by both hands blended with the formal beauty of the orchestra, the piano sound provided a sense of stability to the audience. This encounter, a fusion of the historical depth of Gyeongju, where Hwarang warriors pursued their dreams, and sophisticated classical music, served as an opportunity to further elevate the status of Korean culture on the international stage.
Day 2: An Ensemble Embodying the APEC Spirit, Conductor Yoon Kook Lee and Diverse Soloists
On the second day of the festival, Saturday, June 14th, a special performance was presented by the APEC Ensemble Orchestra, comprised of principal soloists representing the 21 APEC member economies, led by conductor Yoon Kook Lee. Yoon Kook Lee is a Korean-Austrian conductor and composer. Born in Korea in 1953, he deepened his musical understanding by studying under masters such as Sandor Vegh, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and Herbert von Karajan at Williams College and the Salzburg Mozarteum University. In 1992, he founded the Salzburg Chamber Philharmonic, comprised of young musicians, and took office as its music director, earning critical acclaim for his innovative and regularly scheduled concerts. He has built an international reputation by conducting leading orchestras in Korea, such as the KBS Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as renowned orchestras worldwide. This stage, where artists from diverse cultural backgrounds across the Asia-Pacific region became one through music, created a meaningful time, artistically embodying APEC's spirit of 'connectivity' and 'cooperation.' Soprano Im Sunhae and violinist Kim Seo-hyun collaborated in this performance. Soprano Im Sunhae is a globally recognized Korean vocal specialist in early music. After graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in vocal music, she studied abroad at the Karlsruhe University of Music in Germany, laying the foundation for her career as a vocalist. Showing exceptional talent in interpreting Baroque and classical music, she gained international fame after being discovered by conductor René Jacobs, performing with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and London Philharmonic. Her voice is clear and pure, yet rich in color, allowing her to perfectly perform everything from dramatic arias to lyrical recitatives. Violinist Kim Seo-hyun, born in 2008, is a promising young classical musician gaining attention on the world stage despite her young age. In particular, at just 14 years old in 2023, she won the prestigious Tibor Varga International Competition in Switzerland, becoming its youngest-ever winner and earning international acclaim. She has also won numerous other international competitions, including the Ysaÿe International Music Competition, Leonid Kogan International Violin Competition, and Thomas & Yvonne Cooper International Competition, proving her exceptional talent. Her skill was so recognized that Jaap van Zweden, the Music Director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, personally selected her as a collaborative artist after watching her online performance video. The concert featured a diverse program showcasing cultural diversity, including Vivaldi's 'Sonata for Strings,' as well as medleys of Asian and Pacific folk songs. Conductor Yoon Kook Lee led the APEC Ensemble Orchestra on stage. This orchestra, composed of principal soloists representing the 21 APEC member economies, raised expectations simply by its name. The APEC Ensemble Orchestra specifically performed folk songs from various countries, and the performers from those countries wore traditional costumes and came down into the audience to deliver splendid performances, receiving enthusiastic applause.
Final Day: A Meeting of World-Class Soprano Sumi Jo and the Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra
On the final day of the festival, Sunday, June 15th, the Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra performed alongside international chamber ensembles. Established in 1990, the Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra is a representative orchestral ensemble of Ulsan Metropolitan City, contributing to the development of Ulsan's culture and arts and the rich cultural life of its citizens. It has been invited to major music festivals in Korea, showcasing its outstanding performance skills, and has gained international recognition through overseas tours, including performances at the Portland Rose Festival in the United States in 2012, Vancouver, Canada, and Carnegie Hall in New York in 2015. Notably, in 2015, they performed with soprano Sumi Jo at Carnegie Hall, receiving great acclaim. The conducting was led by world-renowned conductor Sascha Goetzel, who is active on major stages worldwide, including with the Vienna Symphony and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Japan. Sascha Goetzel, a maestro born in Vienna, Austria, in 1970, assumed the role of the 10th Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra on January 15, 2025, and will lead the orchestra for two years. He is known as a "conductor with charming persuasiveness, outstanding musicality, and exceptional dedication to music," characterized by his broad repertoire encompassing Viennese tradition to operatic music and his dramatic conducting style. Notably, this concert featured Sumi Jo, a globally acclaimed soprano representing Korea and a Grammy Award winner, who delivered a moving performance. Sumi Jo is one of the world's top sopranos, a beloved vocalist not only in Korea but across the globe. Since her debut as Gilda in the opera 'Rigoletto' at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Italy, in 1986, she has gained fame performing lead roles on prestigious opera stages worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, and La Scala in Milan. Her exceptional virtuosity as a coloratura soprano and her delicate expressiveness have earned her praise from critics and the public alike. Sascha Goetzel's sensitive and dynamic conducting, the Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra's solid performance, and Sumi Jo's overwhelming vocal artistry combined to deliver an unforgettable musical experience to the audience. The final day's concert, featuring easy-to-listen yet splendid pieces such as the overture to Johann Strauss II's operetta 'Die Fledermaus,' provided an enjoyable and high-quality classical music experience, bringing the festival to a grand finale.
The '2025 Gyeongju International Music Festival' provided an opportunity for both domestic classical music lovers and local residents and tourists to reconfirm Gyeongju's brand as a city of dignified culture. Top domestic and international artists participated, showcasing high-quality performances, and it held significant meaning, especially in commemorating the APEC Summit by creating a platform for global harmony and exchange through culture and art. The Gyeongju International Music Festival is expected to continue to establish itself as a leading performing arts event that enhances Gyeongju's cultural status and expands opportunities for cultural and artistic enjoyment.
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