Active in domestic and international exchange and volunteer performances since its founding in 2008

Youth-composed piece 'Mulbit Garden' conveys the meaning of environmental recovery

Concertmaster Shim Min-ju receives Seongnam City commendation for contributions to environment and music service

The Bundang Youth Orchestra performs at a festival under the baton of Oh Mi-ju, director and conductor. [Korea Music Society]
The Bundang Youth Orchestra performs at a festival under the baton of Oh Mi-ju, director and conductor. [Korea Music Society]

The Bundang Youth Orchestra, long dedicated to nurturing young musicians and giving back to the community, has expanded its mission beyond classical performance to promote environmental awareness through cultural activities.

Founded in 2008, the orchestra is a youth ensemble affiliated with the Korea Music Society. Under Director and Conductor Oh Mi-ju, the group has maintained a steady schedule of domestic and international exchange performances while also taking part in volunteer concerts at facilities including Somang Rehabilitation Center and Somang Prison.

The orchestra has also turned its attention to staging original works composed by its young members and using music to express local change and environmental concerns. The emphasis is not simply on building performance skills, but on channeling the creativity and leadership of young people into meaningful community engagement.

A prime example is "Mulbit Garden," a piece composed by orchestra member Bang Seo-jun, a second-grader at Bopyeong Elementary School. The work was inspired by Seongnam's Mulbit Garden, a cultural space for residents transformed from a former sewage treatment site.

The composition traces the journey of a space long used for wastewater treatment as it is reborn as a cultural venue. It interprets the themes of environmental recovery and urban regeneration through a young person's perspective, bringing that story to audiences through orchestral performance.

From left: Bang Seo-jun (second grade, Bopyeong Elementary School, composer of "Mulbit Garden"), Oh Mi-ju (director and conductor, Bundang Youth Orchestra), and Shim Min-ju (12th grade, BIS Christian Education, violin). [Korea Music Society]
From left: Bang Seo-jun (second grade, Bopyeong Elementary School, composer of "Mulbit Garden"), Oh Mi-ju (director and conductor, Bundang Youth Orchestra), and Shim Min-ju (12th grade, BIS Christian Education, violin). [Korea Music Society]

The Bundang Youth Orchestra also performed the piece at the 2026 Seongnam Youth Symphony Festival on Aug. 29. Under Oh's baton, the ensemble played Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance March," a Studio Ghibli animation medley arranged by Joe Hisaishi, and "Thunder and Lightning Polka" by Johann Strauss II.

The program wove together classical masterworks and familiar film music with the youth-composed original. The performance of "Mulbit Garden" in particular gave audiences a chance to reflect on the significance of environmental change and recovery in their own community.

The orchestra's young members have also been active beyond the stage. Shim Min-ju, a 12th-grader at BIS Christian Education who serves as concertmaster for both the Bundang Youth Orchestra and the BIS Orchestra, took part in the festival's closing joint concert.

Shim previously won the Econow Award at the UN Youth Environment Assembly last year for proposing an environmental policy. She also led the closing performance there as ensemble leader of "Mulbit Garden," exemplifying her work at the intersection of environmental advocacy and music.

On April 14, she received a commendation from Seongnam City in recognition of her contributions to environmental sustainability projects and community music service.

Through performance, original composition and volunteer activities, the Bundang Youth Orchestra continues to broaden opportunities for young musicians to develop their artistry while engaging with the community around them.


pooh@heraldcorp.com