Korean Symphony Orchestra to hold first international conducting contest in Seoul

Conductor Kim Yu-won conducting the Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) / Courtesy of KSO

By Park Ji-won

Poster for the KSO International Conducting Competition / Courtesy of KSO

The Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) will hold its first international conducting competition in Korea from Nov. 10 to 14, aiming to cultivate and foster young talent from all over the world.

Candidates who were born between Nov. 10, 1998 and Nov. 11, 1986 can apply for the competition. They will conduct pieces from a set repertoire that includes one piece composed by a Korean composer and one concerto work, which will be announced after the first round of the competition. The official languages of the competition are Korean and English, with a basic English proficiency requirement for all contestants.

The application deadline for “The 1st KSO International Conducting Competition” is July 17. The competition entrants need to pass two qualifying rounds and the semi-final round to enter the finals, which will be held in November.

The first prize winner will receive 50 million won ($44,583) while the second and third place prize winners will receive 20 million and 10 million won, respectively. The first prize winner will take a position as the associate conductor of the KSO from 2022 to 2023, while being given the opportunity to conduct concerts at the Seoul Arts Center and various other places around the country.

The jury will be led by Chung Chi-yong, artistic director and chief conductor of the KSO and professor at Korea National University of Arts. Its members include Christian Ehwald, a professor at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin; David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Florian Riem, secretary general of the World Federation of International Music Competitions.

Founded in 1985, the KSO has been aiming to develop young conductors and provide opportunities to lead the orchestra by running a program called “Next Stage,” since 2018. Through the program, three conductors, Cha Woong, Kim Yu-won and Park Seung-you, have been selected to conduct the KSO at the Seoul Arts Center. The competition is to be held every three years.