[The Editors' Verdict] Opening of Bucheon Art Center... Hoping to Lay the Foundation to Overcome the "Competition Powerhouse" Stigma

Equipped with a Dedicated Classical Concert Hall
Hoping to Broaden the Base of Classical Music

On November 29 last year, KBS's investigative program Sisa Planning Chang took a look at Korean classical music. The broadcast begins with pianist Cho Seong-jin's victory at the 2015 Chopin Competition. It is followed by scenes of pianist Lim Yoon-chan winning the Van Cliburn Competition (June 2022), violinist Yang In-mo winning the Sibelius Competition (May 2022), cellist Choi Ha-young winning the Queen Elisabeth Competition (June 2022), and pianist Lee Hyuk winning the Long-Thibaud Competition (November 2022). It is truly a highlight reel that condenses the brightest moments of Korean classical music. However, the title of the broadcast is ironic: "There is no K-Classic."

Since May last year, for about six months, news of Korean performers winning prestigious international music competitions has been pouring in, popularizing the term "K-Classic." It is an expression of pride in Korea as a classical music powerhouse.

However, there was also a sober assessment that competition victories are individual achievements of performers who overcame Korea's unique intense competitive structure, and interpreting them as the overall achievement of the Korean classical music scene is illogical. In other words, Korea is a powerhouse in competitions, but considering the insufficient infrastructure and base, it is not a classical music powerhouse.

In this regard, the official opening of Bucheon Art Center, equipped with a dedicated classical music performance hall, on the 19th is noteworthy. Bucheon Art Center is evaluated to have the highest quality acoustic facilities, which are most important for classical performances. There is also praise that the rare pipe organ it houses domestically shows confidence in its acoustics.

Song Jae-young, head of Vincero, a classical concert planning company, had about five minutes to listen to the acoustics of Bucheon Art Center and said the sound was very good. He explained that the harmonious sound, reminiscent of a perfect blend of the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall and Lotte Concert Hall, the country's representative classical music venues, was impressive.

Bucheon Art Center Concert Hall [Photo by Bucheon Art Center]

The opening of a dedicated classical music performance hall with high-quality acoustic facilities itself becomes a factor in expanding the classical music base. The future activities of the Bucheon Philharmonic, which has secured an excellent rehearsal space as a resident orchestra, are also anticipated.

Bucheon Art Center is the result of Bucheon City's efforts over 28 years since the first basic plan was established in 1995. The city bore almost all of the construction cost of 114.8 billion won (with 4 billion won from the provincial government). This shows Bucheon City's dedication to classical music.

The opening of Bucheon Art Center could also serve as a driving force for the ongoing construction of a dedicated classical music performance hall at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Since the 15th, Seoul City has been accepting applications for an international design competition for the construction of the tentatively named Second Sejong Center in Yeouido Park. Seoul plans to remodel the current Sejong Center in Gwanghwamun and actively pursue the long-awaited project of building a dedicated classical music performance hall, using the construction of the Second Sejong Center as an opportunity.

While Korea's status as a competition powerhouse shows the remarkable achievements of Korean classical music, it also carries a self-deprecating undertone that there is little else to boast about besides competitions, making it a kind of stigma. It is hoped that the opening of Bucheon Art Center will be an opportunity to wash away that stigma.

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