Myungwhun Chung Appointed as 10th Music Director of KBS Symphony Orchestra

To Lead the KBS Symphony Orchestra for Three Years Starting January Next Year

The KBS Symphony Orchestra announced on December 23 that it has appointed conductor Myungwhun Chung (72) as its 10th music director.

The term of Myungwhun Chung as the new music director will begin in January next year, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the KBS Symphony Orchestra’s founding, and will last for three years. As music director, he will oversee the orchestra’s artistic operations, establish mid- and long-term artistic strategies, and lead the orchestra’s artistic vision.

The KBS Symphony Orchestra stated, "This will be an important milestone that connects the orchestra’s 70-year history with the upcoming 100-year history of Korean symphony orchestras."

Myungwhun Chung
Photo by KBS Symphony Orchestra, (c) Takafumi Ueno

This marks Myungwhun Chung’s return to the KBS Symphony Orchestra as a conductor after 28 years. He previously served as the orchestra’s fifth principal conductor in 1998, leading the ensemble for a brief period.

In 1995, Myungwhun Chung conducted a special concert with the KBS Symphony Orchestra at the United Nations General Assembly Hall, which became the first performance in Korea to be broadcast live simultaneously on both television and FM radio. In 2021, he was appointed the orchestra’s first honorary conductor, continuing his longstanding relationship with the KBS Symphony Orchestra. Together with the orchestra, he has performed major works of German and Romantic repertoire, including Beethoven, Brahms, and Mahler. In 2024, he expanded the orchestra’s expressive range by conducting large-scale choral works such as the Requiem and Stabat Mater. This year, he garnered attention by presenting a complete cycle of Brahms symphonies.

Myungwhun Chung has served as music director for the Saarbr?cken Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Paris Bastille Opera, the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. He is currently honorary music director of the Tokyo Philharmonic, principal guest conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, and honorary conductor of the La Scala Philharmonic. Notably, he has distinguished himself in opera with profound interpretations and dramatic excellence, building international trust by conducting numerous productions at major opera houses such as the Paris Bastille Opera. In May of this year, he drew global attention when he became the first Asian to be appointed music director of Teatro alla Scala, Italy’s premier opera house. Starting in 2027, Myungwhun Chung will succeed Riccardo Chailly as music director of La Scala.