CMK Ensemble scholarship students pose for a group photo during the 2026 CMK Ensemble Global Program in Verbier, Switzerland. Back row, from left: Yoo Si-heon, Kim Seo-won, Kim Han-seong, Park Dae-ho, Yoo Min-ho, Yoo Je-bin, and supervising professor Samuel Yoon. Front row, from left: Song Eun-chae, Gu Da-eun, Yoon Ye-young, Yoo Hye-rim, Park Esther, Baek Do-young, Kim Seung-min. [Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation]
CMK Ensemble scholarship students pose for a group photo during the 2026 CMK Ensemble Global Program in Verbier, Switzerland. Back row, from left: Yoo Si-heon, Kim Seo-won, Kim Han-seong, Park Dae-ho, Yoo Min-ho, Yoo Je-bin, and supervising professor Samuel Yoon. Front row, from left: Song Eun-chae, Gu Da-eun, Yoon Ye-young, Yoo Hye-rim, Park Esther, Baek Do-young, Kim Seung-min. [Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation]

Classical music scholarship students of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation made their European debut as next-generation K-classical performers, completing an education program in Berlin before holding a standalone showcase at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.

The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation announced Monday that its CMK Ensemble — composed of scholarship students majoring in classical music — had completed the 2026 CMK Ensemble Global Program, held in Berlin and Verbier from July 10 to 24.

Thirteen scholarship students and fellows specializing in violin, cello, double bass, piano, vocal performance, flute, bassoon, trumpet and viola took part in the program. Samuel Yoon, a world-renowned bass-baritone and professor at Seoul National University's vocal performance department, served as supervising professor.

The CMK Ensemble Global Program is a cultural arts education initiative the foundation has run for three consecutive years, following programs in Switzerland in 2024 and the United States last year. The foundation runs the program by combining education, performance and networking opportunities, aiming to help scholarship students build direct connections with the international music community rather than limiting themselves to domestic stages.

The students first carried out their educational schedule in Berlin from July 11 to 13. They participated in a masterclass held in partnership with the Opern Studio of the Staatsoper Berlin — one of Germany's three major opera houses — and met with the theater's director to learn about how the opera house operates and how its audition process works.

The students also received lessons at the Hanns Eisler School of Music and Pierre Boulez Saal. Through sessions with local faculty, they gained firsthand experience not only in performance technique but also in European approaches to music education and stage preparation.

After wrapping up their Berlin schedule, the students traveled to Verbier, Switzerland, on Sunday, July 17. The Verbier Festival is a classical music festival that began in 1993 and is held each summer in the Swiss Alps, known for bringing together world-class performers and young musicians on the same stage. This year's festival runs from July 16 through Aug. 2.

The students also took part Friday in a Verbier Festival Academy workshop titled "Express with Sincerity," where they learned techniques for conveying a performer's intent and message to an audience more clearly on stage.

The centerpiece of the program was the CMK Ensemble Showcase held Monday, July 21, at the Verbier Cinema. The roughly 70-minute standalone performance drew about 100 attendees, including Verbier Festival audiences and local music professionals.

The concert opened with the aria "What Power Art Thou" from Henry Purcell's opera "King Arthur" — also known as the "Cold Song" — with Professor Yoon himself taking the stage to perform alongside the scholarship students.

The program then featured Johann Nepomuk Hummel's Piano Quintet, Op. 87; Jean Françaix's "Divertimento for Bassoon and String Quintet"; and Jim Stephenson's "Croatian Trio." The concert closed with a set of six songs from Gustav Mahler's song cycle.

Beyond the performance, the students took in local cultural and arts programming. In Verbier, they attended a production of "Così fan tutte" and sat in on masterclasses by internationally acclaimed musicians including Steven Isserlis, Richard Goode, Kirill Gerstein and Timothy Ridout.

In Berlin, the students attended a performance of "Samson and Delilah" and joined a backstage tour of the Staatsoper Berlin.

The foundation plans to provide follow-up support to ensure the program does not remain a one-time overseas experience. It intends to offer tailored assistance to students who go on to pursue study abroad, enter international competitions, or seek positions with overseas orchestras and opera companies.

The CMK Ensemble is a classical music scholarship student development program of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation, established in 2014. Previously operated under the name "On Dream Ensemble," it offers participants a range of performance opportunities — including ensemble training with supervising professors, the Gyechon Classic Festival, On-So Stage and CMK Concerts.

Through masterclasses, mentoring and music camps, the foundation helps scholarship students build connections with fellow musicians and develop into professional performers. The European program was carried out as part of a talent development model aimed at connecting next-generation Korean classical musicians with the international music community.


kwater@heraldcorp.com