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second "Grand Music Festival of Five Thousand<br />
People" in 1989 and 1990, demonstrating the<br />
uprising power of choral music in Korea.<br />
The Christian churches were at the center of<br />
choral movement based on amateurs. Noel<br />
Choir in Busan(1980), Seoul Oratorio Singers(1991),<br />
and Korea Male Chorus(1958),<br />
known for the longest history of male choir in<br />
Korea, are still active as witnesses of 50-years<br />
tradition of amateur choirs in Korea. Even in<br />
the times of Korean War, Jeong-hun Band was<br />
formed in Korean Navy, making it obvious that<br />
musical spirits continued to prosper themselves<br />
in spite of the great confusion brought<br />
to the whole society.<br />
The choral music of Korea, as a member of<br />
IFCM (International Federation of Choral Music),<br />
started to open a sluice gate of musical<br />
stream toward the globalization of music. At<br />
the same time, introducing one of the great<br />
choral <strong>com</strong>petitions such as the World Choir<br />
Championships with a firm capacity, we get<br />
to ac<strong>com</strong>plish creative works of musical arts,<br />
and its solid specialization, along with its revitalization<br />
of choral music. World Vision Korea<br />
Children‘s Choir, as national artistic delegates<br />
led by Yoon Hak-Won, has enhanced its national<br />
prestige abroad thus our choral music is<br />
taking off for further developing phase as the<br />
professional conductors across from vocational<br />
choirs has increased recently. We are taking<br />
great prides in our capability to have the appreciative<br />
perspective for the art of music and<br />
lots of awarding opportunities for the Grand<br />
Prix by exposing ourselves to internationally<br />
well-known <strong>com</strong>petition such as Xiamen choral<br />
music festival held in China.<br />
The character of choirs has became diverse,<br />
like Seoul Motet Choir, based on the non-governmental<br />
organization for 20 years, "Music<br />
Community" Choir based on creative works of<br />
music, Fathers‘ Choir for social volunteering,<br />
choir for couple, and female choir based on<br />
district office in cities, and local amateur choirs<br />
having a deep root grounded in the movement,<br />
and thus came to the ripening stage of choral<br />
music in Korea.<br />
For KFCM to have all-en<strong>com</strong>passing administration,<br />
including holding annual seminars, it<br />
provides also a springboard for professional<br />
process of creative works of music like the<br />
Creative Music Festival of Korea.<br />
Korean Federation of Choir Conductors being<br />
founded in 1999, it gets actively involved in<br />
choral seminars, international exchanges, choral<br />
works discovery <strong>com</strong>posed by Korean <strong>com</strong>posers,<br />
along with educational training on new,<br />
fledgling conductors as well as advancement<br />
of their qualities. Also educational seminars<br />
for choir music are quite developing around<br />
churches.<br />
Korean choral music has a responsibility to explore<br />
a new territory of global markets through<br />
the development of a variety of good repertories.<br />
Frequent visits to Korea by internationally<br />
well-known choirs show a rich reputation for<br />
our status.<br />
Now, we are in solid partnerships with international<br />
choral music through the World Choir<br />
Championships event and it will bring the world<br />
a deep, subtle voice of music within the world‘s<br />
souls and hearts. I believe that the World Choir<br />
Championships would be the milestone for<br />
that.<br />
Tak, Gye-seok, music critic<br />
75<br />
세계로 뻗어가는 한국의 합창 · Choral music of Korea goes out to the world
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