'Montreal Symphony' Returns to Korea After 14 Years... Sunwoo Yekwon and Hilary Hahn Collaborate

July 5-8: Four Performances in Seoul, Daegu, and Tongyeong
‘Young Maestro’ Rafael Payare, Former El Sistema Conductor, Leads

Rafael Payare, Artistic Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM). Photo by InArts Production

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] As overseas orchestras' visits to Korea, which were uncertain after the endemic phase of infectious diseases, are gradually resuming, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, representing Canada, is visiting Korea for the first time in 14 years.

According to the concert planning company InArts Production on the 17th, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) will hold concerts in Seoul, Daegu, and Tongyeong from July 5 to 8. Korea's leading pianist Sunwoo Yekwon (33) and violin diva Hilary Hahn (43) will appear as soloists.

This concert is attracting attention with music director Rafael Payare (42), who began his active role after being appointed in 2021, conducting. In particular, the program features no repeated pieces, and with pianist Sunwoo Yekwon and violinist Hilary Hahn as soloists, it broadens the choices for music fans.

OSM left its mark with the Korean premiere of Stravinsky's "The Firebird" during its 1989 visit to Korea, and in 1997, it attracted attention with collaborations with Sumi Jo and Sarah Chang. In 2008, it visited Korea as part of the overseas prestigious orchestra invitation series organized by the Kumho Cultural Foundation.

OSM has established itself as a leading orchestra not only in Canada but also in North America. Since its founding in 1934 as the Montreal Symphony Concert Society, the lineup of artistic directors who have passed through here confirms its presence. The world-renowned Indian conductor Zubin Mehta, Spanish maestro Rafael Fr?hbeck de Burgos, and Charles Dutoit, who built OSM's unique musical style, served as the longest-tenured music directors.

After Kent Nagano's retirement, Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare was appointed artistic director. He first encountered classical music through Venezuela's music education system "El Sistema" and began his musical path as a horn player. As principal horn of the Sim?n Bol?var Symphony Orchestra, he toured with world-class conductors including Giuseppe Sinopoli, Claudio Abbado, Simon Rattle, and Lorin Maazel.

Especially, Artistic Director Payare has rapidly built his reputation in the music world by conducting leading European and American orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and Boston Symphony after winning the 2012 Malko Conducting Competition in Denmark.

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon. Photo by InArts Production

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, who appears as a soloist, solidified his position by winning the 2017 Van Cliburn Competition. He gained recognition by winning first place as the first Korean at the 2015 International German Piano Award and the 2014 Vendome Prize. Holding eight international competition awards, the highest number for a Korean pianist, Sunwoo Yekwon also raised the public awareness of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 by choosing it for his collaboration with the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Valery Gergiev in 2018. InArts Production explained that he personally visited Montreal to conduct local rehearsals to create a perfect collaborative stage.

In the Seoul concerts on July 5 and 6, Sunwoo Yekwon and Hilary Hahn will appear as soloists, respectively. The July 5 program begins with Ravel's "La Valse," followed by Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 in the first half, and in the second half, Bart?k's "Chinese Folk Dance" suite and Debussy's "La Mer" will be performed. The July 6 program will feature Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 in the first half and Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in the second half.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.