The Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in
Bucheon
Bucheon (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul.
Bucheon is the second most densely populated city in South Korea after Seo ...
, South Korea. The orchestra is resident at the Bucheon Arts Centre (BAC) Concert Hall.
History
The orchestra was founded in 1988, with Seo Hoon as the founding principal conductor. Im Hun-Jeong became principal conductor in 1988. During Im's tenure, the orchestra performed the first complete cycle of the symphonies of
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...
in Korea, between 1999 and 2003. Im stood down as principal conductor in 2014 and now has the title of laureate conductor of the orchestra.
Park Young-Min succeeded Im as principal conductor, from 2015 to 2020. Chang Yun-Seong subsequently served as principal conductor from 2021 to 2023. On 1 April 2025, Adrien Perruchon became the orchestra's principal conductor, the first non-Korean conductor to take up the post.
The orchestra won the
Ho-Am Prize in the Arts
The Ho-Am Prize was established in 1990 by Lee Kun-hee, Kun-Hee Lee, the Chairman of Samsung, with a vision to create a new corporate culture that continues the noble spirit of public service espoused by the late Chairman Byung-chull Lee, founder ...
in 2005, becoming the first musical organisation to do so. The Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra was the only Korean orchestra invited to the 2016
La Folle Journée
La Folle Journée is a French annual classical music festival held in Nantes. It is the largest classical music festival in France. The festival's name refers to the Pierre Beaumarchais play ''The Marriage of Figaro'', whose alternative title i ...
, the largest classical music festival in France.
Principal conductors
* Seo Hoon (1988)
* Im Hun-Jeong (1988–2014)
* Park Young-Min (2015–2020)
* Chang Yun-Seong (2021–2023)
* Adrien Perruchon (2025–present)
References
External links
Official English-language homepage of the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra
1988 establishments in South Korea
Musical groups established in 1988
South Korean orchestras
Culture in Bucheon
Recipients of the Ho-Am Prize in the Arts
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