Chief Conductor
Previous Permanent Conductor
KBS Symphony Orchestra
10th chief conductor (2026 ~ )
Myung-Whun Chung
Myung-Whun Chung was appointed Music Director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra in 2026. Widely regarded as one of the most respected conductors of his generation, he has built an international career across the world’s leading opera houses and symphonic stages. He has served as Principal Conductor of the Saarbr?cken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Op?ra Bastille in Paris, Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, among other distinguished posts.
In 2023, Chung was named Honorary Conductor of the Filarmonica della Scala?the first in the orchestra’s history?and from 2027, he is scheduled to assume the position of Music Director of Teatro alla Scala, becoming the first Asian musician to hold the post in the theatre’s 247-year history.
Chung signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon in 1990. His extensive discography includes Messiaen’s Turangal?la-Symphonie with the Op?ra Bastille, as well as Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, among more than forty recordings released on major international labels.
Beyond his musical achievements, Chung has been active in humanitarian and cultural diplomacy. Appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2008, he visited Pyongyang in 2011 in support of cultural exchange and peace on the Korean Peninsula. In 2017, he conducted the Filarmonica della Scala at a commemorative concert for the G7 Summit attended by heads of state from the United States, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada, reflecting his ongoing commitment to music as a force for humanitarian values.
In recognition of his contributions to classical music, Chung received Korea’s highest cultural honor, the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, in 1995, becoming its youngest-ever recipient. He was awarded the rank of Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2011, and in 2022 became the first Korean to receive the Officer’s rank of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. His honors also include the French Critics’ Association’s Musician of the Year Award (1991), the Lifetime Achievement Award from Teatro La Fenice (2013), and the Franco Abbiati Prize from the Italian Music Critics Association, awarded in 1988 and again in 2015.
In 2023, Chung was named Honorary Conductor of the Filarmonica della Scala?the first in the orchestra’s history?and from 2027, he is scheduled to assume the position of Music Director of Teatro alla Scala, becoming the first Asian musician to hold the post in the theatre’s 247-year history.
Chung signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon in 1990. His extensive discography includes Messiaen’s Turangal?la-Symphonie with the Op?ra Bastille, as well as Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, among more than forty recordings released on major international labels.
Beyond his musical achievements, Chung has been active in humanitarian and cultural diplomacy. Appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2008, he visited Pyongyang in 2011 in support of cultural exchange and peace on the Korean Peninsula. In 2017, he conducted the Filarmonica della Scala at a commemorative concert for the G7 Summit attended by heads of state from the United States, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada, reflecting his ongoing commitment to music as a force for humanitarian values.
In recognition of his contributions to classical music, Chung received Korea’s highest cultural honor, the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, in 1995, becoming its youngest-ever recipient. He was awarded the rank of Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2011, and in 2022 became the first Korean to receive the Officer’s rank of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. His honors also include the French Critics’ Association’s Musician of the Year Award (1991), the Lifetime Achievement Award from Teatro La Fenice (2013), and the Franco Abbiati Prize from the Italian Music Critics Association, awarded in 1988 and again in 2015.