Honorary Music Director
Myung-Whun Chung

©VIVACE

Born in Seoul in 1953. Myung-Whun Chung won the silver medal at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in 1974. After completing conducting studies at the Juilliard School in 1978, he served as assistant and subsequently associate conductor to Carlo Maria Giulini at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Since his appointment as Music Director of the Paris Opera (L’Opéra Bastille) in 1989, Maestro Chung has conducted many prominent orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and la Filarmonica della Scala. He served as the Music Director of l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (2000-2015) and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (2006-2015). Currently Maestro Chung is Music Director of the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra, which he founded in 1997. For the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Maestro Chung was Special Artistic Advisor from 2001 to 2009/10 season, and its Honorary Conductor Laureate from 2010/11 season to August 2016. Starting September 2016, he is appointed as its Honorary Music Director. In Germany, he became Principal Guest Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden at the beginning of the 2012/13 season, the first conductor to hold the post in the history of the orchestra. Maestro Chung is one of Japan's favorite classical artists. He is active in education for the younger generations and in promotion of peace especially in Asia through a variety of musical activities and serving as Unicef Ambassador.