Busan Concert Hall Begins Installation of the 'King of Instruments,' the Pipe Organ

The Second Vineyard-Style Classical Concert Hall in Korea, 'Busan Concert Hall,' Completed

Full-Scale Installation of Pipe Organ in Busan Concert Hall to Begin in October, Scheduled for Completion in February Next Year

Since completing the construction of 'Busan Concert Hall,' the second vineyard-style classical music venue in Korea, last August, Busan City is now officially beginning the installation of a pipe organ.

Busan Concert Hall.

To install the pipe organ at Busan Concert Hall, the city signed a contract in October 2022 through a Public Procurement Service foreign purchase bid with the German company Freiburger.

The organ consists of ▲4,406 pipes ▲62 stops ▲4 manuals.

The pipe organ, shipped from Germany last August, is scheduled to arrive at Busan Port on the 27th. The city plans to complete the installation at Busan Concert Hall by February next year and, after the voicing process, unveil it to Busan citizens through an opening performance. Voicing refers to the fine-tuning process of the instrument’s sound.

Since the design was selected in January 2023, the pipe organ has been assembled and tested in Germany in February, then partially disassembled and packed for shipment, arriving at Busan Port on the 27th.

After customs clearance and about four months of manufacturing and voicing, the installation will be completed, marking the end of a 28-month journey from design to production and installation.

With the installation of the pipe organ at Busan Concert Hall?the first in a non-capital region performance venue?Busan Concert Hall will secure its status as a world-class classical music venue, enabling high-quality classical performances. This is expected to help reduce regional cultural disparities, expand opportunities for artists, and establish a foundation for citizens’ cultural enjoyment rights.

Known as the "King of Instruments," the pipe organ stands 9 meters tall and 16 meters wide and will be installed on the wall behind the choir loft.

Pipe organ.

Previous installations of pipe organs in domestic performance venues include Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (1978), Lotte Concert Hall (2016), and Bucheon Art Center (2023).

To commemorate the launch of 'Classic Busan' and the completion of Busan Concert Hall, the city held an 'Opera Film Gala Concert' on the 26th at 5 p.m. on a special stage in front of the main entrance of Busan Concert Hall, enhancing citizens’ access to classical music and promoting the venue to the public.