[YeitSuda] K-Classic, There Are Prodigies but No Stage

Korean Musicians Sweeping Global Competitions
Desperately Short of Stages, Policy Support Needed

Baritone Kim Tae-han won first place in the vocal category of the Queen Elizabeth Competition on the 3rd, becoming the first Asian male to do so. This victory has drawn attention to Korea, which has produced the winner of this competition for two consecutive years, while reaffirming the elevated status of K-Classic in the global music scene. The question of whether it is possible to rank art remains an unsolved challenge, but if we look only at classical performers who swept major international competitions last year?violinist Yang In-mo (27, Sibelius Competition), cellist Choi Ha-young (24, Queen Elizabeth Competition), pianist Lim Yoon-chan (18, Van Cliburn Competition), flutist Kim Yu-bin (25, ARD Competition), and pianist Lee Hyuk (22, Long-Thibaud Competition)?Korea is achieving top-tier results.

Baritone Kim Tae-han won first place in the vocal category of the Queen Elizabeth Competition on the 3rd, becoming the first Asian male to do so.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

K-Classic, as the next leading force in K-Culture following K-Pop, films, and dramas, has recently achieved even more valuable and meaningful accomplishments. Some view Korea as having transitioned from the periphery to the mainstream in classical music and now emerging as a classical powerhouse. However, when looking beyond the continuous good news, the market situation tells a different story. Although there are many performers and vocalists who have won or placed in prestigious international competitions, there are far too few stages for them to perform on. While star performers and famous orchestra concerts repeatedly sell out amid fierce ticket competition, the actual classical music consumer base has not grown proportionally with the interest. According to the Arts Management Support Center’s “2022 Performance Market Trend Summary Report,” there were a total of 6,894 classical performances in Korea last year, accounting for 48% of the entire performance market. However, ticket sales numbered about 2.44 million, and ticket revenue was approximately 64.8 billion KRW, representing only 18% and 12% of the total performance market, respectively.

The stages lost worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic have demanded a higher level of ‘self-affirmation’ from artists. In the past, winning a prestigious competition naturally led to various performance opportunities, but the situation has changed. Violinist Yang In-mo, who won the Sibelius International Violin Competition last year as the first Korean to do so, had already made a name for himself worldwide by winning the 54th Premio Paganini International Violin Competition in 2015. Finnish local media gave significant coverage to his advancement to the finals, highlighting his impressive career. In an interview with the media afterward, he explained, “Competitions are not essential for performers, but with performance opportunities disappearing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I repeatedly reflected on my music and decided to participate in competitions.” As it became necessary to continuously prove and publicize their skills through competitions to secure performance opportunities and contracts with renowned concert agencies, the structure where most performers, both instrumentalists and vocalists, focus solely on competitions has become more entrenched. Experts commonly agree that Korea is not a classical powerhouse but rather a competition powerhouse.

On the 12th, Park Bo-gyun, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated at a meeting with classical music experts, “Now that the status of K-Culture has risen higher than ever, the importance of policy support to back the achievements of K-Classic on the global stage and nurture the talent to lead it has become even clearer.” Policies that appear and disappear with each change of administration do not greatly help expand the classical market. Beyond support for individual performers such as gifted education and instrument provision, a culture must be established that monitors and sponsors the growth of professionals and companies planning performances over a long period. Only then can stages and cultures be created where talents produced through competitions can actively perform.

Editor's Note“Yeitsuda” (藝It Suda) is an abbreviation for “talk about art,” a column covering issues and trends across the arts, including music, fine arts, and performances.

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