Maestros Chung Myung-whun, Yoel Levi meet with rising stars, including Kim Se-hyun, pianist brothers Lee Hyuk, Lee Hyo
The KBS Symphony Orchestra’s 2026 season unfolds as a celebration of its 70-year musical journey, bringing together world-renowned maestros with a powerful lineup of international guests and rising Korean talent.
With maestros' offerings ranging from Mahler and Shostakovich to Bruckner, and Sibelius, the season runs under the theme of "70 years of Melody, an Everlasting Resonance."
Kicking off the new season is Chung Myung-whun, one of Korea’s most revered conductors and the orchestra's first "honorary laureate" conductor. On Jan. 16, 2026, the 72-year-old conductor will present Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with violinist Leonidas Kavakos and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 “Eroica.”
The Korean maestro continues his Mahler cycle this year with Symphonies No. 5 on March 13 and No. 4 on Oct. 3. Following last year’s performances of Mahler’s First and Second Symphonies, Chung will pair the Austrian composer’s songs and symphonies in a single program, joined by soprano Christiane Karg and baritone Matthias Goerne.
Chung, who has been appointed as the next music director of Teatro alla Scala in Milan, will lead a concert version of Bizet’s "Carmen" on April 18. This marks the orchestra’s third independently produced concert opera project, following Puccini’s "Tosca" in 2017 and "La Boheme" in 2019.
The maestro will also join forces with one a rising Korean talent. On Aug. 27, Chung will take the stage with 17-year-old Kim Se-hyun, winner of the 2025 Long-Thibaud International Competition, for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
Meanwhile, former KBS music director Pietari Inkinen returns with Sibelius’ Symphonies No. 6 and No. 7 on Sept. 10.
On May 28, Yoel Levi, the orchestra’s music director from 2014 to 2019, reconnects with the ensemble through Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, a work he was widely praised for during his tenure. Under the baton of Levi, pianist brothers Lee Hyuk and Lee Hyo, finalists of the 2025 Chopin Competition, will perform Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos.
German maestro Marek Janowski leads Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 on March 31. The concert will also feature clarinetist Kim Han, performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto to bring the artistry that made him the Paris Opera’s first Asian “super-soliste.”
Bruce Liu, winner of the 2021 Chopin Competition, performs Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 on June 18. Conductor Antony Hermus leads a program featuring Wagner’s “Cyrano de Bergerac Overture" on July 7, featuring violinist Nemanja Radulovic. Pianist Boris Giltburg, violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann and cellist Steven Isserlis also join the roster throughout the celebratory season.
The season finale spotlights conductor and cellist Chang Han-na, who leads Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 “Choral" on Dec. 30.
The orchestra is also preparing a special 70th-anniversary concert on July 22, though the program has not yet been disclosed.
The 2026 season will take place at either the Seoul Arts Center or Lotte Concert Hall, two leading concert venues in Seoul.
The KBS Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1956 as the first broadcast orchestra in Korea.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
