will take the assignment for a period of three years from January 2026
The Korean National Symphony Orchestra (Knso) has announced that the Italian conductor Roberto Abbado will be his new musical director. The Master, who has already collaborated with this orchestra on several occasions – in 2023 for the standard work and in 2025 for the REQUIEM of Verdi – will take on the assignment for a period of three years starting from January 2026.
Acclaimed for “the meticulous care in the seasonal programming, the interpretative maturity and an extremely vast repertoire”, Roberto Abbado was awarded the Abbiati prize for cultural merit by the National Association of Musical Critics (Anchm). He is currently the main director of the Philharmonic of the Teatro Comunale of Bologna and, in the past, he has held other important positions, such as that of Music Director of Münchner Rundfunkacorchester, of the Verdi Festival of Parma and the Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofía of Valencia. It also boasts a consolidated international presence, having directed important orchestras such as the Gewandhausorchester of Leipzig, the Wiener Symphoniker, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Staatskapelle of Dresden and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
It is widely renowned for its directorial approach capable of guiding renewal. In 1992 he was appointed musical director of Münchner Rundfunkorchester, who had remained for three years without stable director: during his seven years of mandate, Abbado conducted the ensemble towards new artistic goals, expanding the repertoire with works such as Harmonie der Welt of Hindmith and the Scaramouche Suite of Darius Milhaud.
His record production is also wide, created in collaboration with the RCA Records, for a total of 14 recordings.
Abbado has already collaborated with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra in 2023, for the opera version of usually and, more recently, in March of this year, for the 255th subscription concert in which he performed the REQUIEM of Verdi. His refined technique and his charismatic direction, capable of grasping and returning the essence of each score with depth and clarity, have left a significant impact on the Korean public. His appointment represents a crucial moment for the artistic evolution of the orchestra.
Particularly noteworthy is its vast experience not only to the lead of symphonic orchestras, but also in the field of opera production and the direction of festivals. Given his profound competence in the symphonic, opera and choreutic repertoire, his artistic vision as the new musical director of Knso is arousing great interest and expectation.
At the forefront also in the spread of contemporary music, Abbado also directed works by living composers such as Charles Wuorinen (1938 -), Pascal Dusapin (1955 -), Luca Francesconi (1956 -) and Silvia Colasanti (1975 -), thus contributing to expand the artistic horizon of this repertoire.
In changing the strengths of Knso, Roberto Abbado described the orchestra as endowed with “innovative spirit and versatility”, adding that: “His musical qualities and curiosity in exploring new paths are his most precious resources. I await with great enthusiasm the music we will create together.” Knso said: “Together with Maestro Abbado, who directed some of the most prestigious orchestras in the world, we intend to bring the legacy that Knso has built over the past 40 years even higher. As a national orchestra of Korea, we will continue to offer shows that reflect the prestige and excellence of a large national artistic institution.”
