Jaap van Zweden Named Music Director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

The Dutch conductor will step down from his current positions with the New York Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic in 2024

The 61-year-old Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden was named the new Music Director of Korea's Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), following a 2021 announcement that he would step down from his post at the New York Philharmonic. At the SPO, van Zweden will succeed Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä.

Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant reported that the pandemic had been a catalyst for van Zweden to reconsider his work-life balance, which ultimately led to the decision to step down from his position in New York. Van Zweden affirmed that the SPO job would still allow him to spend time with his family, and stated that he would not work at Christmas or during the summer months.

Since 2012, van Zweden has been Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, although of late, his appearances there have been sporadic on account of Hong Kong's strict COVID-19 policies. Van Zweden's contract with the orchestra will come to an end in 2024, at which point he will assume the title of Conductor Laureate.

“Seoul is one of the three best orchestras in the Far East, along with Hong Kong and NHK in Tokyo,” van Zweden said. “They are incredibly ambitious, they want to be the best. I have spoken to many people, including in the government, and they all wanted me to come.”

"In Korea, K-culture, such as K-pop, movies, and dramas are already leading the world, and K-classical music is also attracting attention as the birthplace of many promising world-class artists," said Sohn Eun-kyung, the CEO of the SPO.

"We hope that Seoul Philharmonic will be able to establish itself as a world-class orchestra."