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[Herald Economy = Reporter Kim Young-sang] On the cusp of early summer in Seoul, May brings a choral resonance that spreads like clear ripples across water. Korea Singers will present their 20th regular concert, Flow of Music, at Yeongsan Art Hall on May 30. The program is more than a single performance; it represents 28 years of accumulated musical depth and a relentless commitment to artistic excellence.
Korea Singers was founded in 1998 by alumni of Korea University’s choir who sought deeper musical expression. Calling them merely an amateur ensemble understates their identity. Although members pursue separate professional careers, they apply unusually rigorous standards to their music-making. Over 28 years they have pursued intense rehearsals to shape fresh interpretations and sounds, probed musical detail with persistent curiosity, and continually asked how to achieve better choral work.
Their broad repertoire — from Renaissance polyphony and early Baroque to Classical and Romantic works, contemporary choral pieces and popular music — reflects not just accumulated experience but a profound understanding and disciplined execution. Korea Singers have pushed past the limits of amateurism, steadily training toward a level of polish that can stand alongside professional groups.
The concert’s theme, Flow, is threaded simply and clearly throughout the program.
In the first half, the choir opens with works by Renaissance and early Baroque composers such as Pierre Passereau, John Dowland and Claudio Monteverdi, moves through pieces by Anton Bruckner and Georg Philipp Telemann, and presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Regina Coeli. The second half expands to include Korean contemporary compositions and modern choral works, reaches into popular repertoire by Vince Clarke and Harold Arlen, and features Moses Hogan’s spirituals to introduce contrasting rhythms and energy.
Conductor Lee Jun has been central to elevating Korea Singers’ artistic standard. He studied composition at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and Westminster Choir College, then pursued advanced choral conducting at Florida State University and the University of Connecticut. He combines a composer’s structural insight with a conductor’s interpretive clarity. His work with professional ensembles, including the National Chorus, gave him firsthand experience of pro-level sound and organizational systems, which he has effectively adapted for Korea Singers.
Musicians describe Lee’s approach as less about simple beat-keeping and more about design. He analyzes structure and text, then reshapes them into a single musical flow that brings out each singer’s strengths. His detail-focused rehearsals and systematic training have helped lift Korea Singers beyond the conventional boundaries of amateur performance.
Organizers say, “Korea Singers sets a new standard for itself with every concert and strives to exceed it. For these singers, choral music is not a hobby but a discipline, and the music that emerges from that process carries deep persuasive power.” Although the ensemble remains amateur in status, organizers add that its attitude toward artistic finish rivals that of many professional groups.
This performance is further enriched by sponsorship from BRIJWOONG International. The support goes beyond underwriting a concert; it marks a meaningful starting point for cultural exchange through the arts.
Ryu Ji-woong, co-CEO of BRIJWOONG International and leader of Korea Singers’ bass section, said, “Business links structures; music links hearts. Choir singing—different people creating a single sound—resembles international cooperation.” He added, “I hope the connections that begin through music will grow into a broader flow connecting culture, industry and people.”
Above all, the concert seeks completion with its audience. Organizers said, “The ‘Flow of Music’ in this program is not just sound; it is the product of 28 years, relentless effort and an obsessive passion for excellence. That flow does not end on the stage—on May 30, its resonance will seep into each listener’s heart and continue as another story.”
ysk@heraldcorp.com
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