Five Minutes with Yong-min Lee
AAPPAC recently welcomed two new members into our Executive Council (EXCO) following the conclusion of our 2021 By-election. We caught up with one of our newest EXCO members, Yong-min Lee, CEO of Tongyeong Concert Hall, to get to know him a little better!
Find out more about the latest EXCO appointments here.
Tell us a bit more about yourself and how you decided to dedicate your career to the arts.
Yong-min: I studied music education at university and became a music teacher at middle and high schools. I was also a conductor of several choirs in Tongyeong, and this gave me opportunities to collaborate with the city government. In 1998, I gained an MA for the study of Isang Yun which led me to work for Tongyeong International Music Festival from its beginning in 2002. It was not an easy decision for me to give up my stable job as a schoolteacher and join the start-up business of music festivals during the days when there was no infrastructure except the fact that Tongyeong was the hometown of Isang Yun. I had convinced myself that the job commemorating the great composer Yun will be meaningful, and it turned out to be right: 20 years of the festival has made the small city of Tongyeong to be one of the best music cities in Korea.
At the after party of “Dear Luna”, one of the great performing arts in 2021 Tongyeong International Music Festival, with Prima Ballerina Joo Won Kim and Yeri Han, Star of the Stunning Film “Minari”
The pandemic has certainly disrupted the plans and goals of many performing arts centres around the world. What is your biggest takeaway so far from the experience of leading your centre through this global crisis?
Yong-min: Uncertainty is what makes it the most difficult during this pandemic period: it’s indeed a disaster for the music business which needs long-term plans and government subsidies. When we planned for the festival this year and solicited the Mayor for support and attempted to shape public opinion – what was most important was self-confidence and belief that what I do is very valuable for many people including myself.
What is the current role of a network like AAPPAC to your centre and how do you foresee this role changing/growing over time?
Yong-min: Since we share similar content and concerns within the relatively homogeneous region of the Asia-Pacific area, I think we need a strong solidarity with practical responsiveness that can maximise each other’s strengths, complement each other’s weaknesses, and exert influence on the cultural policies and support of each government.
We are thrilled to have you both onboard our EXCO! What do you look forward to the most in being a part of the AAPPAC EXCO?
Yong-min: I hope that I can learn a lot from Chairman Douglas Gautier and other members; and play a practical role in cultural exchange and development in the Asia-Pacific region.
Tell us about your favourite pastime/hobby!
Yong-min: Despite my age, I still spend my spare time fantasising a lot. I also like to drive. And since the pandemic, growing flowers at home became my new hobby.
Perfect amateur barista!
We are all itching to travel freely again once the pandemic is behind us! What is the first country you would fly to once the borders reopen and why?
Yong-min: Tbilisi, the Republic of Georgia. I visited the city in 2008 for the WFIMC annual assembly. Although the situation was unstable during the assembly due to economic difficulties and tensions with Russia, the cultural potential and kind people in the grey city impressed me. Recently, this city was vividly unfolded in the last part of the movie ‘Fast and Furious’. I was so happy that I wanted to jump into the screen!
Sunrise or Sunset? (tell us why!)
Yong-min: Sunset. The sunset from my office is so beautiful and it makes me late to leave every evening!
The mood is very subdued 2 hours before the big storm coming last year, with no hint of any boats in the ocean at the front of my house. It feels like the same tension at the very moment just before a big concert starts.