Myungwhun Chung to Succeed Riccardo Chailly
as Music Director in 2027
Conductor Myungwhun Chung (72) has been appointed as the next music director of Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, a venue that represents the home of opera.
On May 12 (local time), Teatro alla Scala announced on its official website that Myungwhun Chung will succeed Riccardo Chailly as music director starting in 2027. Chung's term as the next music director will run until 2030.
Teatro alla Scala is regarded as one of the world's top three opera houses, alongside the Paris Opera and the Vienna State Opera. It opened in 1778, and Myungwhun Chung is the first Asian to be appointed as music director in the theater's 247-year history. Until now, legendary conductors such as Arturo Toscanini, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, and Daniel Barenboim have served as music directors at Teatro alla Scala.
Many masterpieces, including Giuseppe Verdi's "Nabucco" (1842) and "Otello" (1887), as well as Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" (1904), premiered at Teatro alla Scala.
According to the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica, General Manager Fortunato Ortombina officially proposed Chung's appointment as music director to the board of directors, and the board unanimously approved the decision.
Myungwhun Chung first gained recognition as a pianist by winning joint second prize at the Tchaikovsky International Competition in 1974. In 1978, he was appointed associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, marking the start of his conducting career. In the 1980s, he advanced to Europe, serving as music director of the Saarbr?cken Radio Symphony Orchestra in Germany and the Op?ra Bastille in France.
Chung has also maintained a long-standing relationship with Teatro alla Scala. Since 1989, he has led nine opera productions, conducting 84 performances and 141 concerts. Excluding those who have served as music director, this is the highest number of appearances by a conductor at the theater. In March 2023, he was named the first honorary conductor of the La Scala Philharmonic, the resident orchestra of Teatro alla Scala.
Myungwhun Chung is also actively engaged as principal guest conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, honorary music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and conductor laureate of the KBS Symphony Orchestra, among other roles both in Korea and internationally.
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