![Conductor Jin Sol [Provided by Plazig]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/06/news-p.v1.20260806.9768f74fb16f4ad39c21d8012b6f565e_P1.jpeg)
Conductor Jin Sol, 39, will take the podium at Palermo Classica, a leading music festival in Sicily, Italy, for the next three years.
The festival announced Thursday that Jin has been appointed resident music director for a three-year term running from 2026 to 2028.
The festival cited his "deep understanding of large-scale symphonic repertoire and his ability to combine it with contemporary, pluralistic artistic projects" as the basis for the appointment.
In his first year, Jin will perform multiple times across Sicily, based in Palermo and extending to major heritage sites including Taormina, Selinunte and Agrigento.
His debut opens Saturday with "Beyond the Stars" at the Steri Concert Hall in Palermo. Joined by pianist Sofia Vasheruk and the Palermo Classica Symphony Orchestra, the program places piano concertos by R. Addinsell and J. Lessard in the first half, then bridges classical tradition and popular culture in the second with a suite of film scores from Hollywood epics including "Interstellar," "Star Trek" and "E.T."
In early September, Jin will present "Dance of Fire," a tour taking in the ancient theater of Taormina, Palermo and the Selinunte Archaeological Park. The program fills the ancient ruins with works of sweeping energy and lyricism — Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances" from "West Side Story," Ravel's "Bolero" and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.
The season finale, "Rock Symphony: The Show," running Sept. 17–19, is a bold production that pairs a full classical orchestra with a rock band and choir. Iconic songs by Queen, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, U2 and Muse will be reimagined as grand symphonic arrangements.
The finale will also feature a strong Korean contingent, assembled at Jin's recommendation. Yoon Se-na, known as "Singer No. 13" on JTBC's "Singeragain 2," will take the microphone, while composer Kang Taek-gu will co-arrange the program alongside Italian composer Giuseppe Bassafolli, completing a joint Korean-Italian production.
Founded in 2011 and now in its 16th edition, Palermo Classica has built its reputation by boldly embracing rock, jazz and film music alongside classical masterworks and placing established masters and emerging artists on the same stage — lowering the barriers to classical music in the process.
Jin studied at the Korea National University of Arts and the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim in Germany. He has steadily expanded his conducting work across choral, symphonic and video game music, and has been running the "Mahler Project" since 2016. He also serves as chief executive of Plazig, a production company specializing in game and animation music, where he has led efforts to bring subculture music to the orchestral stage.
shee@heraldcorp.com
