Gyeonggi Province will establish an orchestra for people with disabilities this December.
Gyeonggi Province announced on the 4th that it will officially launch the "Gyeonggi Province Disabled Orchestra" (tentative name) on December 3rd, World Disability Day, to nurture the dreams of disabled musicians by training around 40 disabled performers over two years.
The Gyeonggi Province Disabled Orchestra is a project initiated after Governor Kim Dong-yeon promptly accepted Assemblyman Jang Han-byeol's proposal to establish the orchestra during a provincial government inquiry at the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly in November last year.
Governor Kim Dong-yeon expressed his support for the orchestra's establishment, saying, "When I was questioned (at the Assembly), I felt deeply moved," and added, "I want to try creating it. I want to be the first in Gyeonggi Province to do this."
The operation of the disabled orchestra will be managed by the Gyeonggi Arts Center, which leads Gyeonggi Province's arts groups such as the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra. It will be run for registered disabled persons aged 19 and older in the province, with about 40 members per cohort over two years.
This differs from other public institutions' disabled orchestras, which operate with salaried regular members.
During the two-year activity period, Gyeonggi Province will provide intensive education and various performance experiences to support disabled individuals in growing as artists.
Members will receive monthly practice allowances, including rehearsal and transportation fees, and separate performance fees during concerts throughout the two-year period. To enhance their musical skills, they will receive focused instruction twice a week from professional instructors. Various collaborations with groups such as the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra will also be pursued.
Gyeonggi Province is recruiting donors from the public, as well as volunteers and supporters who can contribute talents such as composition, arrangement, ensemble participation, photography, and videography, to help the orchestra grow into the nation's first talent-development-type disabled orchestra that the public can support and enjoy together.
To this end, on the 9th, Gyeonggi Arts Center will hold a launch plan announcement ceremony attended by Governor Kim Dong-yeon, representatives from private disabled orchestras, and disability welfare officials, where detailed recruitment schedules, methods, and orchestra operation plans will be disclosed.
A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "Recruitment will begin on September 9th, followed by auditions, with members selected by the end of November, and the inauguration ceremony planned for December 3rd to commemorate World Disability Day."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
