The festival continues until April 6, closing with Britten’s 'War Requiem.'
The Tongyeong International Music Festival opened with a performance by its Festival Orchestra, comprising both domestic and international musicians, under the baton of French conductor Fabien Gabel. The concert began with Overture (1973/74) by Isang Yun -- the composer in whose honor the festival was founded in 2002.
The orchestra took the stage twice with the same opening program Friday — once in front of about 1,000 elementary, middle and high school students in Tongyeong in the morning and the official opening stage at 7 p.m.
With performers in casual attire, the school concert aimed to expose students to performances by world-class musicians, nurturing the cultural and artistic sensibilities of local youth.
Among the audience were former president Moon Jae-in and former first lady Kim Jung-sook, who reside in Yangsan, about 80 kilometers from Tongyeong. They returned to the festival after a two-year absence, having last attended in 2023.
As the concert began, around 130 ticketless attendees gathered in the hall’s lobby, where the performance was being broadcast.
Following Yun’s overture, pianist Lim Yunchan took the stage to perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18.
Lim’s involvement was more limited than that of the previous artist-in-residence, yet it significantly raised the profile of the festival, which takes place in a remote coastal city. This year’s festival features only two performances by Lim — the opening concert and his recital on Sunday — both of which quickly sold out.
In fact, the Tongyeong International Music Foundation stopped accepting new members for its sponsorship program as early as October, due to the overwhelming interest following the announcement that Lim would be the next artist-in-residence.
Annual membership fees range from 300,000 ($204) to 1 million won. Members receive benefits such as discounted tickets, invitations to the TIMF’s opening reception and sponsor event, priority booking for the festival and foundation-produced performances and exclusive opportunities to meet performers.
“The number of current sponsors has exceeded the foundation's capacity,” the foundation had announced in October.
For the encore, Lim performed F. Liszt’s Sonetto 104 del Petrarca from Annees de pelerinage: Deuxieme Annee (Italie), S. 161 No. 5.
In the second half, Gabel returned to lead Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36, which drew a standing ovation.
Gabel is a French conductor known for his expressive style and broad repertoire. Born in Paris in 1975 to a musical family, he started as a trumpeter and trained at top conservatories in France and Germany. He gained attention after winning the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in 2004 and became assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He later led the Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec (2012–2021) and Orchestre Francais des Jeunes. He is the newly appointed music director designate of the Tonkunstler-Orchester Niederosterreich.
On Saturday, Gabel returned to the Tongyeong Concert Hall to lead the festival orchestra's second performance, featuring Ravel’s Une Barque sur l’Océan from Miroirs, Henri Dutilleux’s Tout un monde lointain… for cello and orchestra (1967–70), with cellist Pablo Ferrández, and Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40.
The late composer Isang Yun, who passed away 30 years ago, was honored in a subsequent concert titled "Hommage à Isang Yun." Weiwuying Comtemporary Muisic Ensemble, conducted by Yang Su-han, featured two of Yun’s works - Piece concertante for ensemble and Teile dich Nacht for soprano and ensemble (1980) - alongside compositions by his former students: Toshio Hosokawa, Pan Hwang-long, and Paik Byung-dong.
The Tongyeong International Music Festival, led by Artistic Director Chin Un-suk, continues through April 6, closing with Britten’s 'War Requiem.'
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