I’m in South Korea for the 20th WASBE Conference in Gwangju-Gyeonggi, just on the fringes of the Seoul metro area. I’m thrilled to be presenting on Friday morning, but I’m just as excited to be seeing bands and connecting with people from all around the world (including many from back home!).

The first thing that was obvious upon arrival is that this city got DECKED OUT for WASBE. We’re talking official conference banners everywhere, music-themed decorations on street lights and bridges, an actual bronze WASBE plaque in the main public square, and of course a lot of public spaces given over to WASBE events, especially a massive concert venue put up outside city hall. There are also volunteers everywhere! There also seems to be extensive media coverage: local people are running around with cameras and microphones and lights, and I’m fairly certain I’ve already gotten in their way at least once. I should emphasize, too, that Gwangju is a “small” city of “only” about 400,000 people in the suburbs of Seoul. Population-wise, that puts it about the same size as Minneapolis or Tampa (and bigger than Cleveland) in the USA. It is incredible the amount of public resources and attention they are devoting to us.

This was all on display at the opening ceremony on Monday night, which I sadly missed. I heard the words “Disney” and “Olympics” a lot in descriptions of it. But don’t take my second-hand word for it: see for yourself!

The main portion of the conference got underway on Tuesday afternoon with a series of performances at the Namhansanseong Art Hall, just across a busy intersection from the site of the opening ceremony. We began with two very different Korean bands:

The 2024 Gwangju WASBE Festival Orchestra, conducted by Frank Ticheli

Silver Fanfare – Peter Boyer

Over the Moon – Frank Ticheli

Deciduous – Viet Cuong

A New Era – Soo-Hyun Park

Angels in the Architecture – Frank Ticheli

This group was essentially an honor band from around South Korea, mostly Seoul. This was a consistently impressive performance: I learned later that they had only had 4.5 hours together with Frank Ticheli, and only one rehearsal before that! So they came together extremely well. I got chills in several spots, particularly the climax of Angels.

Next was the Jeju Seogwipo Wind Orchestra, led by Dong-Ho Lee

Korean Folk Song from Jeju Island – Frank Ticheli

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43 – Sergey Rachmaninoff, arr. Christian Janssen

Symphony no. 3 “The Great Spirit” – Ferrer Ferrán

This is a home-grown adult group from Jeju Island off the southwestern coast of South Korea, which also hosts a regular band festival/competition. The Ticheli piece that opened the program featured three of their folk songs, and it is absolutely worth a look for anyone seeking Korean music for band beyond the usual John Barnes Chance. The Rachmaninoff featured a stunning (though unnamed) soloist, and outstanding performances from the band, although I found that it was difficult for the band to always achieve the transparency necessary to really support the soloist. The Ferrán symphony was massive and Mahler-y, and the performance was a testament to the talent and dedication of these players.

There was also a robust Fringe Festival going on, staged at local landmarks. I was able to see two short performances in the main town square, the same venue that hosted the opening ceremony, from two Korean bands.

The Korea National University of the Arts Wind Orchestra, led by Seok-jun Lee

Hymn of the Highlands – Philip Sparke

Symphonic Overture – James Barnes

Romeo and Juliet – Sergei Prokofiev, arr. Johan de Meij

This impressive university group played their hearts out to a nearly rained-out audience (free purple ponchos may have saved the day). The Barnes was particularly effective.

Much to my surprise, the next group was a marching band! The Yumkwang High School band, featuring about 50 marching musicians, played a Sound of Music show very much in the American drum corps tradition, complete with obvious band parents in the audience.

The evening had us back in the Art Hall seeing the Adelaide Wind Orchestra from Australia, led by Bryan Griffiths. Their program of all Australian composers included:

Splinter – Holly Harrison

Stephen – David John Lang

Like the Very Heaven for Clearness: Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble – Martin Cheney, featuring soloist Lloyd Van’t Hoff

Sunburst – Anne Cawrse

Symphony for Wind Orchestra – Connor Fogarty

They were accomplished players, and the music showed an Australian band music scene in full flower. I’d especially like to hear the concerto and the symphony again, in part because, at the end of an intense conference day, I was losing my fight with jet lag during this performance. Sorry, mates – you were all stunning!!

Much more excitement to come tomorrow, including the first of the clinics. Stay tuned!