Pohang Municipal Symphony Orchestra and Municipal Theater Company Appoint New Faces

Appointing Cha Woong as Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and Park Jang-ryeol as Resident Director of the Theater Company

Expecting a Cultural City Pohang with Elegant and Diverse Performances Together with Citizens

Pohang City conducted an open recruitment for a conductor and director to lead the municipal arts groups, appointing Cha Woong (age 39) as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Pohang City Symphony Orchestra, and Park Jang-ryeol (age 58) as the new Artistic Director and Principal Director of the Pohang City Theater Company on the 28th.

On the 28th, Mayor Lee Kang-deok presented appointment certificates to Cha Woong, the new conductor of the Pohang City Symphony Orchestra (right), and Park Jang-ryeol, the new director of the Pohang City Theater Company (left).

Cha Woong, the new conductor of the Pohang City Symphony Orchestra, is a promising next-generation conductor who graduated with a master's degree and the highest performance diploma from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria with unanimous top scores from the jury.

He also holds the distinction of being the only East Asian and the first Korean to win (second place with no first place awarded) the Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition, one of the world's most prestigious conducting contests.

Following his victory, Cha Woong made headlines as the only Korean finalist at the 11th Antonio Pedrotti International Conducting Competition held in Trento, Italy. Domestically, he has conducted various national and public orchestras including the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Gyeonggi Philharmonic, and Pohang Symphony Orchestra.

Additionally, he conducted music commemorating the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Movement and the establishment of the Korean Provisional Government, which was released as a recording, and led the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and Seoul Metropolitan Chorus in recording the official Korean national anthem for the first time in 23 years.

Conductor Cha Woong expressed his ambition ahead of his inaugural concert as principal conductor on the 28th of next month, stating, “I will actively strive to create a Pohang City Symphony Orchestra that engages with the citizens of Pohang.”

Park Jang-ryeol, appointed as the principal director of the Pohang City Theater Company, is a director who has worked for over 30 years to advance theater and is a member of the third generation of the ‘Theater Laboratory Hyehwa-dong 1st Street.’ He has served as president of the Seoul Theater Association and as the inaugural artistic director of the Gyeongnam Provincial Theater Company.

His major directed works include Toji I, Toji II, King Lear, Leaving Home, and Les Mis?rables, and he has written numerous plays such as 72 Hours, Leaving Home, Tree Fish, and One-Man Show.

He has also received several awards including the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service’s Artist of the Year Award in 2004, the Seoul City Culture Award for Theater in 2017, and the Republic of Korea Cultural Arts Development Merit Award (Theater category) in 2021.

New director Park Jang-ryeol plans to present his first performance in May on a theme that resonates with citizens, drawing on his extensive experience in writing, directing, and producing theater.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, “The role of Pohang’s municipal arts groups is more important than ever for regional cultural development,” and urged, “Please strive to host high-quality and diverse performances for citizens to illuminate Pohang as a cultural city and become the best arts groups that engage with the community.”

The newly appointed conductor and director will lead the municipal symphony orchestra and theater company, respectively, for the next two years starting March 1.

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