10th World Symposium on Choral Music

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So K-pop is still going strong. We can see that... but today our Yim Yoonhee joins us with something a little different,... a look at the choral music of Korea.

Good afternoon.

One of the biggest choral music events of the year has opened here in Seoul.
Tell us more.

That's right. Choral music is actually quite popular here in Korea, with plenty of groups all over the nation,... and some are very successful in the global choral music community.
The International Federation for Choral Music was founded in 1982 with the intent of creating a platform where choral musicians around the world can communicate and network with one another.
From there, the World Symposium on Choral Music was created, and this year, Seoul has the honor of hosting the global event.
Take a look.



A dozen or so voices,... whimsical harmonization on stage, that'll get any foot tapping,... it's a choir, but this group has much to offer than just their voices

"We are here to show an honorable and great image of Africa"

The International Federation for Choral Music has put together the World Symposium on Choral Music, held every three years, where they aim to use the universitality of choral music to mend gaps between nations.
The location of the symposium changes every time, in order to include the many participants,... and this year's has touched down in Seoul,... each country bringing with it works composed under the theme of "healing and youth."






"We asked each choir to prepare a program to talk about healing and youth in different ways, so many choirs created works about world peace or healing the world through music."

The National Theater of Korea is now the stage for 19 different countries,... which means a flurry of differences in culture and tradition.
And while the goal of the Symposium is to create harmony in the world, the diversity is very much welcomed, as it gives people a chance to share their heritage and customs through the songs of their people.


"Norway has a small population and is a small country with many mountains and valleys so there are many different traditions that have developed. You can go to one mountain, and then see a completely different type of treasure in the next valley. I'm happy to share these diverse and rich traditions."

As the host nation, Korea also has a great deal to offer to the symposium.
There's strong support for choral music in Korea, and as a result, the art has flourished, with hundreds of choral groups found across the nation.
And this year's theme of "healing and youth" comes at a much needed time, when Korea is still in mourning from the Sewol-ho Ferry Tragedy,... where most of the victims were still in their youth.

"We've prepared "Requiem." This is a plea for hope, for comfort, for the people who have been lost in great tragedies at sea, such as the one facing Korea now. There is a universal meaning behind singing together. There's a hope in music, with it bringing healing to the delegates and the people of Korea."



We've seen some of the performances. What else does this symposium include?

It's a very unique event that this year attracted over one-thousand musicians, so they take full advantage of the gathering.
On top of the beautiful performances, the schedule is composed of seminars and lectures by some of the world's top choral musicians.

I noticed that this year's symposium is coming to a close this week. What's still to be done?

Well there are six more performances through Wednesday, including a performance by the World Vision Children's Choir.
The final concert will be held at the Seoul Arts Center on Wednesday night,... but I really recommend catching at least one of the performances, because these aren't your neighborhood choirs, but world class choral musicians from around the world.
And it's only held every three years, so all the more reason to attend. The next symposium will be all the way in Barcelona, Spain.

Thank you for that report.

Always a pleasure.