Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's new CEO sets sights on raising its international status

This article is by Shin Min-hee and read by an artificial voice.

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has a new CEO. Although he will only take over for the next three years, he has set an ambitious goal for the 10 years going forward: to elevate the orchestra's status to one that rivals the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic.
It's a meaningful year for the orchestra, according to CEO Jung Jae-wal, as it's the 80th anniversary since its establishment.
"Looking back over the past three decades, I never imagined that Hallyu would be this monumental," Jung said during a press conference on Monday. "Now that the fine arts are being spotlighted as well, including classical music, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is encouraged to work harder."
Jung may not be a classical music expert, but he has years of experience in arts management. Before being appointed as CEO of the orchestra, he was previously the vice president of Seoul Cyber University. He has worked in managerial positions at the LG Arts Center, Seoul Performing Arts Company, Korea Arts Management Service and Goyang Cultural Foundation. He was also a culture reporter for the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.
Jung emphasized that collaborations would be in store for not just the upcoming year, but for 2026 and 2027.
Such performances will feature violinist Lim Ji-young in July, pianist Park Jae-hong in September, conductor Yoon Han-kyeol in September and violinist Kim Bomsori in October. Jung Jae-il, the composer and music director behind the soundtracks for Netflix's hit show "Squid Game" (2021-) and Oscar-winning film "Parasite" (2019), will showcase his latest music on stage with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in September.

The orchestra is also set to perform in the United States for multiple concerts, the most notable being at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Oct. 27. There will also be shows in Michigan and Oklahoma in late October and early November.
Toward the end of the year, the orchestra will debut its first collaborative performance with the Korea National Opera for "Tristan und Isolde" (1865), a music drama by German composer Richard Wagner, at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul from Dec. 4 to 7.
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will continue its Mahler recordings, following the late Austro Bohemian Romantic composer's "Symphony No. 1," or "Titan," released on the Apple Music Classical app in October last year. This year, Mahler's "Resurrection" (No. 2) and "Song of the Night" (No. 7) symphonies will be released toward the latter part of the year.
"The most important person in forming the orchestra's identity is not me, but the music director," CEO Jung said. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's music director is Jaap van Zweden, a Dutch conductor and violinist.
"For that role I trust Zweden 100 percent. In the short time we've yet worked together I've realized how passionate and trustworthy he is, and we have good work compatibility. I'm confident that his musical styles will therefore bring prosperity to the orchestra."