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Sunday, Jun. 15, 2008

SLO orchestra to play envoy in N. Korea

Forty musicians will get to practice their sing-song diplomacy during an August tour

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A group of 40 local musicians will do its part toward warming icy relations between the United States and North Korea this summer.

The San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra will perform in the isolated Communist-ruled nation in August as part of a 10- day musical tour of the Korean peninsula.

“This is a very unusual invitation,” said William Johnson, the orchestra’s principal conductor. “As far as we know, we’re the first group to play in North Korea since the historic concert by the New York Philharmonic in February. That was very emotional. The people there loved it.”

The August trip is being organized by Chungsam Doh, a guest conductor with the San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra and a former band conductor with the South Korean navy.

Doh, a South Korean native, resides in Morro Bay; he has lived in the United States since 1974.

The orchestra also will per-form three times at the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival in South Korea. They’ll also play in the capital, Seoul.

Seven local musicians—all young adults or Cal Poly students — are seeking donations for the trip. Expenses are about $2,000 per person.

The rest of the performers

are mostly working professionals who play music in their spare time and some full-time musicians.

“All of our expenses while we’re in Korea are being paid for by festival organizers,” Doh said. “So all we need is the money to get there.”

North Korea and the United States don’t have formal diplomatic relations. And tensions have been particularly strained since President Bush declared North Korea part of the “axis of evil” in a speech in 2002.

Regardless of the political divide, the local musicians are looking forward to the journey.

“Our countries have different political systems, but music is an international language,” said Johnson, who’s also a Cal Poly music professor. “It will be a very amazing experience.”

During its two days on North Korea’s scenic Diamond Mountain, the orchestra will have a chance to interact with one of the country’s orchestras and sight-see.

The San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra has never traveled outside the country since it was founded in 2000.

The festival on the southern island of Jeju—a popular vacation spot—has been a celebrated international event for years.

The groups in this year’s festival are from countries such as Germany, France, Hungary and Japan. The San Luis Obispo musicians are the only Americans invited.