Yap Pan Tsubeden Appointed Music Director of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

Term Begins in January 2024

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government awarded the appointment letter to Yaap Van Zweden (born 1960, Netherlands), the next music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, on the 12th. Yaap Van Zweden will lead the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra for five years starting January 2024.

The music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is responsible for conducting and overseeing all performances of the orchestra. The director is appointed by the Mayor of Seoul upon recommendation from the Music Director Recommendation Committee.

Yaap Van Zweden, who will take the helm of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, is renowned as an "orchestra trainer" who elevates the performance capabilities of musicians to the highest level in a short period. He has demonstrated strong charisma in his previous roles as music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

Additionally, Yaap Van Zweden currently serves as the music director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and participated in the reopening of the David Geffen Hall, a representative classical concert hall in New York. Based on that experience, he is expected to actively contribute from design to construction of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s dedicated concert hall, which is under development with a target completion in 2028.

Yaap Van Zweden expressed his ambition to develop the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s dedicated concert hall, scheduled for completion in 2028, into a world-class venue surpassing Paris’s Philharmonie de Paris and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall.

At the appointment ceremony, Yaap Van Zweden said, “After rehearsing with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra for the past three days, I have gained confidence that the orchestra can become one of the world’s best. To build an excellent orchestra, it is most important to improve the quality of the musicians. With the active support of Seoul, we will select outstanding musicians through the new member audition scheduled for April this year and foster strong bonds among the members internally to help the orchestra develop into a world-class ensemble.”

He also stated, “I sympathize with Seoul’s administrative philosophy of ‘walking with the vulnerable.’ Performances for socially disadvantaged groups are important for the development of culture and arts. When I return to Seoul in April, I plan to invite people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups to hold public performances.”

Furthermore, Yaap Van Zweden said, “As a longtime friend of Guus Hiddink, I am well aware of Hiddink’s love for Seoul and his status in Korea. Like Hiddink, I will serve as a cultural ambassador for Seoul on the global stage. I look forward to receiving much support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.”

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “I am moved by Yaap Van Zweden’s affection and commitment to Seoul and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. I am especially grateful that he shares Seoul’s top administrative priority of ‘walking with the vulnerable.’ I expect that under his leadership, the classical music of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will reach more Seoul citizens and that the orchestra will flourish as a world-class ensemble performing on the global stage.”

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