Location(s) PyeongChang, Korea Founded by Hyo Kang | Years active 2004-present | |
Genre Classical music, chamber music | ||
Great Mountains Music Festival & School (한국어:대관령국제음악제, Abbr.: GMMFS) is one of the Asia's top chamber music oriented classical music festivals held annually in PyeongChang, Korea, the site of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Launched by Professor Hyo Kang of the Juilliard School in 2004 and currently led by the famed sister, cellist Myung-wha Chung and violinist Kyung-wha Chung, the festival brings in globally acclaimed musicians, music professors, artistically talented students, and classical music enthusiasts from home and abroad every summer.
Contents
Programs
Music School
The participants of Great Mountains Music Festival & School learn from a body of artist-faculty from Europe, Asia, and North America through individual instruction, chamber coachings, master classes, and special lectures. Since its inception, many music professors including Toby Appel, Ik-Hwan Bae, Myung-Wha Chung, Lluís Claret, Roberto Díaz, Lawrence Dutton, David Geringas, Koichiro Harada, Frans Helmerson, Nobuko Imai, Hyo Kang, Nam Yun Kim, Robert McDonald, Nobuo Okada, Igor Ozim, Aldo Parisot, Joel Smirnoff, Jian Wang, and Krzysztof Wegrzyn have taught and performed at the Great Mountains Music Festival & School. Its alumni include violinists Clara-Jumi Kang, Zia Hyunsoo Shin, Paul Huang, Dami Kim, Soobin Lee and pianist Sungjin Cho, the third prize winner of International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Venues
The main venues for the performances are Alpensia Concert Hall and Alpensia Music Tent, both located in the Alpensia Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province of Korea. Alpensia Concert Hall was built in 2010 and seats nearly 600 people, which makes it more suitable for chamber music performances. The 1300-seat Music Tent was completed in 2012. Master classes and Student Recitals are carried out in Pyeongchang Hall, located within the first floor of Alpensia Convention Center.
Artistic Directors
Themes
The festival is carefully programmed each year according to its theme.
World Premieres
The programs of Great Mountains Music Festival & School often feature the World and Asian premieres of pieces by major composers from Korea and abroad.