Seoul’s KBS Symphony Orchestra has welcomed the South Korean conductor Myung-whun Chung as its next Music Director. Chung, 72, will lead the orchestra for the next three years as it marks its 70th anniversary.
Appointed after an 18-month search, Chung was also announced this May as the next Artistic Director of Teatro alla Scala in Milan from 2027, making him the first Asian conductor to lead the famous opera house in its centuries-long history.
He also serves as Music Director of Classic Busan, where he oversees the development of the city’s concert hall and opera house, which is scheduled to open in 2027.
In his new role with the KBS Symphony, Chung is also marking a return to ensemble after he left his position as principal conductor in 1998. At that time, he was four months into a three-year contract until he faced internal disagreements.
Relations between him and the orchestra have since been rebuilt, with the orchestra naming Chung as their first Honorary Laureate Conductor in 2022.
His first concert as Music Director of KBS will be held on January 15, 2026, at the opening of the Hwaseong Arts Centre in works by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven with violin soloist Leonidas Kavakos. Chung is set to move to Seoul the following day.