‘Classic New World Journey’ ... The 3rd Pohang Music Festival Concludes Successfully

Cultural City Pohang's Rich and Enchanting Classical Program, Promising Next Year's Music Festival

Top Lineup Including Jeong Kyung-hwa, Son Min-su, and Casals Quartet, Moving Music Lovers

The ‘2023 Pohang Music Festival’ hosted by the Pohang Cultural Foundation concluded with seven days of events from the 3rd to the 9th, leaving the audience moved by the theme of ‘A New World of Classical Music’ at the Pohang Culture and Arts Center and various locations throughout the city.

Closing performance of the 2023 Pohang Music Festival.
[Image source: Pohang City]

The Pohang Cultural Foundation organizes the music festival with support from Pohang City, local businesses, and Gyeongbuk Province to expand Pohang?a city where mountains, sea, nature, and industry harmonize?into a cultural city.

Now in its third year, the Pohang Music Festival was held under the theme ‘A NEW WORLD? THE NEW WORLD!’ attracting many prominent figures in the music world nationwide. The festival was praised for its excellent program, moving performances, and smooth proceedings, achieving a higher level of completion compared to previous years.

The festival opened with a standing ovation for pianist Son Minsu’s collaboration and the Festival Orchestra, composed of world-class performers. Music lovers visited Pohang to attend recitals by the world-renowned string quartet, the Casals Quartet, and violinist Jeong Kyung-hwa, captivating audiences’ eyes and ears.

The passionate performance of Jung Kyung-hwa and Kim Tae-hyung. [Image source=City of Pohang]

The lineup of performers was also impressive. The first festival featured pianist Baek Geon-woo, Lim Yunchan, cellist Yang Sung-won, the Novus Quartet, and soprano Seo Sun-young. The second festival included the Belcea Quartet, pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, baritone Kim Ki-hoon, and violinist Benjamin Beilman, among other world-class artists.

Jazz-classical performances created through the harmony of strings, keyboard, and wind instruments by Son Minsu, Cho Seong-hyun, Tobias Feldmann, and Kim Hong-bak, rarely performed Mahler piano quartets, and works by Respighi and Schubert combining string ensembles and soprano (Park Hye-sang) elevated the festival’s prestige.

The Casals Quartet’s mystical ensemble, a program consisting solely of Schubert’s works, and the sold-out recital by violinist Jeong Kyung-hwa were highlights. The final performance on the 9th featured Mendelssohn and Bargiel string octets created together with dancer Choi Su-jin and others, presenting a distinctive closing unlike typical festivals.

Additionally, the festival expanded the pure arts base of ‘Cultural City Pohang’ through the ‘Focus Stage’ featuring special performances by artists, ‘Visiting Concerts’ held at libraries, art museums, and the Changeup Ground lobby, ‘Artist Pohang’ introducing musicians from Pohang, and masterclasses.

Music director Park Yoo-shin stated, “For a newly established music festival, the quality of performance and program level are crucial, so we invited top performers. Pohang is known as the ‘City of Steel,’ and since steel is an important material for string instruments, we aim to consistently present specialized programs centered on string instruments that distinguish us from other festivals and symbolize the city.”

Music critic Shin Ye-seul evaluated, “The Pohang Music Festival faithfully provided what is most important in a classical festival: a ‘dense musical experience.’ The presence of performers who are hard to see together in one place and their deeply immersive performances were overwhelming.”