The artistic director of the Seoul International Music Festival is Jeajoon Ryu, a Korean composer who studied under Krzysztof Penderecki, awarded by the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage with the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis for his commitment to promoting Polish culture in Korea.
The KBS Symphony Orchestra is one of the most famous symphony orchestras in South Korea. It was founded in 1956 as the radio orchestra of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS). From 1969 it operated under the name of the National Symphony Orchestra of Korea, before returning to its original name in 1981. The orchestra has performed all over the world, including the United States, Japan, China and Europe. In October 1995 it performed at the UN General Assembly in New York.
The opening concert of the Seoul International Music Festival as well as the concerts of Sinfonietta Cracovia are part of an extensive programme of cultural events organised in 2019 by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute to celebrate the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Poland and the Republic of Korea. The events will be accompanied by the world premiere of the album Möbius containing works by Krzysztof Penderecki, Jeajoon Ryu and Geonyong Lee, performed by piano virtuoso Mackenzie Melemed and the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra under the baton of Ralf Gothoni and Grzegorz Nowak.
St. Luke’s Passion: Korean Premiere
Date: 26th October 2019
Venue: Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall
Composer: Krzysztof Penderecki
Soloists: Iwona Hossa (sporano), Thomas Bauer (tenor), Tomasz Konieczny (bass)
Narrator: Sławomir Holland, Ju-Young Baek (violin), Sangjin Kim (viola)
Choir: Inchon City Choir, Bucheon City Choir, Goyang City Choir, Gwacheon Metropolitan City Boys & Girls Choir
Orchestra: KBS Symphony Orchestra (Residence Orchestra for the Seoul International Music Festival)
Seoul International Music Festival’s official website: simf.kr
Source: promotional materials, originally written in Polish by EC, 10 Oct 2019, translated by AW, 18 Oct 2019