The Cheongju Korean Music Orchestra is an art community operated by Cheongju City in order to cultivate the emotions of Cheongju citizens and enrich local culture. Originally founded in August 1985 with a non-permanent system, the orchestra was reformed in May 1995, this time under a permanent system. Beginning with the first conductor Seo Han-beom, a total of 10 permanent conductors, including Lee Gang-deok, Lee Gyeong-hui, Lee Chang-sin, Kim Cheol-ho, Han Seok, Kim Seong-jin, and Han Jin served in the Cheongju Korean Music Orchestra before Jo Jeong-su, who is currently serving as the 11th art director and permanent conductor since taking up the post in March 2016. With his considerable repertoire, ability to harmonize sounds, and diverse stage presentations, Jo Jeong-su is expected by Cheongju citizens and Korean music aficionados alike to bring about new winds in the field of Korean music. The conductor has held 100 regular concerts as well as holding visiting concerts under themes such as ‘venue of harmony among the people’ and ‘sharing warmth with neighbors’, which has allowed him to act as a vanguard in leading neighbors, residents, and citizens alike to a venue of harmony where they can unite as one. Additionally, he has sublimated the opportunity for Cheongju citizens to enjoy culture by performing outstanding domestic pieces while inviting outstanding performers through planned performances, and is helping Cheongju find its own sound through exchanged concerts with orchestras from other regions to facilitate musical communion. This has led to the Cheongju Korean Music Orchestra receiving invitations from countries such as Japan, Mongolia, and Taiwan to raise Korea’s national prestige and make known the excellence of Korean music as a cultural delegation from Choengju City.

Where Our Sounds Becomes Better _ Visiting Concert

The Cheongju Korean Music Orchestra is holding visiting concerts as parts of its efforts to draw closer to the people of Cheongju, giving them more opportunities to enjoy the performing arts and become familiar with Korean music. The orchestra will continue to endeavor in pioneering new performance culture with its visiting concerts in order to create a new cultural map for Cheongju.

Valuable Sounds in Search of Tradition _ Regular and Occasional Concerts

The regular concerts of the Cheongju Korean Music Orchestra symbolizes the orchestra’s ideal of preserving Korea’s unique traditional arts while at the same time developing them creatively. As such, they maximize the potential of the orchestra members to plan and present audiences with high-class musical pieces. Meanwhile, occasional concerts are customized for audiences by taking into consideration by shifting into the viewer’s position, and feature a broad repertoire that factors in genres (orchestral music, instrumental sanjo, pansori, folk music, etc.), generations (music concerts for youths), and spaces (temple concerts).

Sounds Overcoming Barriers to Become One _ Overseas and International Event Performances

The Cheongju Korean Music Orchestra participated and played a leading role in the “Shan-Shan Festival” cultural exchange in Tottori, Japan in 2004, the Hsinchu County Folk Drum Festival in Taiwan in 2004, the parade and tourism commerce exhibition opening performance for the Shenyang International Tourism Fair in China in 2005, the congratulatory joint performance with Japanese New Age pianist Ryo Kunihiko for the 1st UNESCO/Jikji Memory of the World Prize, and the congratulatory performance for the Cheongju Craft Biennale. Such appearances have helped the orchestra to enhance Korean culture and contribute to the promotion of Cheongju’s culture & art and international cultural exchange. Additionally, the orchestra is helping foreign visitors to Cheongju become acquainted with Korean emotions and traditional culture through the Korean hanmadang “The Sounds of Korea”, which is being planned all year round.