Tongyeong International Music Festival 2023 to Celebrate “Beyond Borders” Theme

Tongyeong International Music Festival (TIMF) 2023 is scheduled from 31 March to 9 April at the Tongyeong Concert Hall. As a UNESCO Creative City of Music, Tongyeong is the perfect location for the TIMF, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and has drawn music enthusiasts from around the world. This year’s festival will continue the tradition of the successful Korean classical music festival under the theme “Beyond Borders.” 

Image Courtesy of Tongyeong Concert Hall

The festival’s artist-in-residence programme will feature renowned violinist Leonidas Kavakos, pianist Sunwook Kim, and composer-in-residence Ondřej Adámek, along with a talented lineup of fearless and versatile artists, including Sergey Malov, Wu Wei, Giovanni Antonini, Heemoon Lee, Matthias Goerne, Sergei Babayan, Jaemin Han, Kangmin Justin Kim, Inmo Yang, Hayang Park, and others. Ensembles such as Ensemble Modern, Il Giardino Armonico, the PARTCH Ensemble, Esmé Quartet, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia will also grace the festival with their performances. The festival will showcase works by composers such as György Ligeti and Sergei Rachmaninoff, commemorating the anniversaries of their birth.

Image Courtesy of Tongyeong Concert Hall

This year’s programme challenges borders between genres, epochs, different musical worlds, and East and West. Highlights include Michel van der Aa‘s multimedia work The Book of Water for actor and string quartet, co-commissioned and co-produced by TIMF, which reflects on the impact of climate change on human civilisation; Le Dîner by Ondřej Adámek, which combines video art and painting with contemporary music, and Plectra and Percussion Dances by Harry Partch, which uses unique instruments invented by the composer himself. The festival will also feature several world premieres, including a commission by TIMF to composers Ondřej Adámek and Hyun-Joon Choi, a joint commissioned by TIMF and Busan Philharmonic Orchestra to Donghoon Shin, and another by TIMF and Ensemble Modern to Johannes Schöllhorn and Chris Paul Harman. 

Image Courtesy of Tongyeong Concert Hall

Image Courtesy of Tongyeong Concert Hall

 
The festival’s schedule includes various performances, with concerts from Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, Korean National Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Il Giardino Armonico, and more. The festival’s final performance on 9 April will feature the Asian premiere of Unsuk Chin’s 2nd Violin Concerto Scherben der Stille (Shards of Silence), performed by violinist Leonidas Kavakos and Tongyeong Festival Orchestra conducted by David Robertson. 

 
“We are thrilled to present such an exciting lineup for the Tongyeong International Music Festival 2023,” said the festival’s Artistic Director, Unsuk Chin. “This year’s program explores the boundaries of music, pushing the limits of what is possible and celebrating innovation and creativity. We look forward to welcoming music enthusiasts from around the world to Tongyeong for ten unforgettable days of music.”

Detailed information can be found from the Festival Web site: www.timf.org. 

VIDEO: https://www.dropbox.com/s/8o5aso2itgvygrg/2023_%EC%9D%8C%EC%95%85%EC%A0%9C.mp4

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE  

31 March 2023 

HARRY PARTCH: PLECTRA AND PERCUSSION DANCES I 

5:00 PM BLACK BOX 

TONGYEONG FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA I 

7:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

1 April 2023 

JAEMIN HAN RECITAL 

11:00 AM CONCERT HALL 

 
KOREAN NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH MATTHIAS GOERNE 

3:00 PM CONCERT HALL  

HARRY PARTCH: PLECTRA AND PERCUSSION DANCES  

5:00 PM BLACK BOX 

 
TONGYEONG FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA II 

7:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

 
2 April 2023 

HARRY PARTCH: PLECTRA AND PERCUSSION DANCES  

11:00 AM BLACK BOX 

  
ESMÉ QUARTET 

3:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

 
SERGEI BABAYAN RECITAL 

5:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

 
LEE HEEMOON PROJECT ‘NAL'[陧] 

9:00 PM BLACK BOX 

 
3 April 2023 

ENSEMBLE MODERN WITH WU WEI 

7:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

 
LEONIDAS KAVAKOS & FRIENDS 

9:30 PM CONCERT HALL  

4 April 2023 

ROYAL NORTHERN SINFONIA 

7:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

 
MICHEL VAN DER AA: THE BOOK OF WATER 

9:30 PM BLACK BOX 

 
5 April 2023 

BUSAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 

7:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

 
MICHEL VAN DER AA: THE BOOK OF WATER 

9:30 PM BLACK BOX 

 
6 April 2023 

ENSEMBLE MODERN WITH SUNWOOK KIM 

7:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

SERGEY MALOV RECITAL 

9:30 PM CONCERT HALL  

7 April 2023 

LEONIDAS KAVAKOS & SUNWOOK KIM 

7:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

 
IL GIARDINO ARMONICO I 

9:30 PM CONCERT HALL 

 
8 April 2023 

IL GIARDINO ARMONICO II 

3:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

 
LE DINER BY ONDŘEJ ADÁMEK 

5:00 PM BLACK BOX 

 
MATTHIAS GOERNE & SERGEI BABAYAN 

7:00 PM CONCERT HALL 

LE DINER BY ONDŘEJ ADÁMEK 

11:00 AM BLACK BOX 

 
TONGYEONG FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA III 

3:00 PM CONCERT HALL