Isang Yun Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Isang Yun Orchestra is only one chamber orchestra of Western style in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

.

History

The IYO established in December 1990 under well-known conductor Il-Jin Kim
Il-Jin Kim
Kim Il-Jin is a North Korean conductor.He was born in Manpo, a city of Jagang Province, but he grew up mainly in Wonsan. He studied cello in Pyongyang University of Music and Dance....

. He gathered 42 effective young performers all over the country and named after famous composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 Isang Yun
Isang Yun
Isang Yun was a Korean-German composer originally from Korea. According to his official publisher's Boosey & Hawkes biography of him, he was granted political asylum by West Germany, eventually becoming a naturalised German citizen, following his abduction and torture in 1967 by the South Korean...

. And they attached to an orchestra of Isang Yun Music Institute in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...

.

In December 1992, a new chamber music hall named after Isang Yun (Isang Yun Music Hall) opened in Pyongyang and they became orchestra-in-residence of this hall.

IYO's principal conductor is Ryong-Ung Kang and concertmaster
Concertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...

 is Cheol-Ryong Kim. They also playing under Byeong-Hwa Kim, Ho-Yun Kim, Il-Jin Kim
Il-Jin Kim
Kim Il-Jin is a North Korean conductor.He was born in Manpo, a city of Jagang Province, but he grew up mainly in Wonsan. He studied cello in Pyongyang University of Music and Dance....

, Hong-Jae Kim
Hong-Jae Kim
Kim Hong-Jae is a Zainichi Korean conductor.-Early life:The first experience of music at his early age was an upright piano at his mother's maiden home. In 1967, he entered Amagasaki Korean Middle School and studied clarinet in school band. He also studied improved Korean folk instruments sent...

 and other conductors from abroad.

Repertoires & Members

IYO performs very wide and diverse domestic & foreign works from Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...

 to Isang Yun. Some members hold an additional posts of State Symphony Orchestra of DPRK and Merited Female Instrumental Ensemble of the Mansudae Art Troupe
Mansudae Art Troupe
The Mansudae Art Troupe is a North Korean troupe of musicians that create operas and music, as well as dance pieces.It is the successor to the Central Art Troupe that was formed on September 27, 1969...

. Unlike SSO, they organize male & female performers equally.

Performs to overseas & Recordings

In 1999 and 2004, they toured China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 as a temporary chamber ensemble named 'Isang Yun Ensemble Pyongyang'. And they recorded five chamber works of Isang Yun for German recording company WERGO
WERGO
WERGO is a German record label focusing on contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1962 by the art historian Werner Goldschmidt and the musicologist Helmut Kirchmayer and is currently based in Mainz, Germany....

during 1999 tour. It was released same company and imported to South Korea a few years later.

And in 2005, South Korean recording company Synnara Music released four CDs which contains North Korean orchestral works performed by SSO, IYO and other music troupes of North Korea.
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