Honorary Music Director
Myung-Whun Chung

　Myung-Whun Chung’s long and distinguished musical career is marked by his recent appointment as Music Director Designate of Teatro alla Scala, effective from 2027.
　Born in Seoul, Myung-Whun Chung won the silver medal at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in 1974. After completing his conducting studies at the Juilliard School, he served as assistant and subsequently associate conductor to Carlo Maria Giulini at the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
　He has served as Music Director of the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra (1984–1989), the Paris Opera (l’Opéra Bastille) (1989–1994), l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (2000–2015), the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (2006–2015), the KBS Symphony Orchestra (from 2026), and the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra, which he founded in 1997. Since 2023, he has also served as Artistic Director of Classic Busan. In addition, he has held positions as Principal Conductor of the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome (1997–2005), Principal Guest Conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Firenze (1987–1992) and the Staatskapelle Dresden (from 2012), and was named the inaugural Direttore Emeritus of the Filarmonica della Scala in Milan in 2023.
　He has also conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. As a recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon many of his numerous recordings have won international prizes and awards.
　Maestro Chung received the Arturo Toscanini Prize in 1989 and was awarded the Premio della Critica Musicale “Franco Abbiati” by the Italian Music Critics’ Association twice, in 1988 and 2015. He also received the Una Vita nella Musica Award from Teatro La Fenice in recognition of his contribution to cultural development in Venice, and was granted honorary citizenship of Venice, receiving the Key of the City. He gained international attention for conducting the Filarmonica della Scala at the special concert held for the G7 Summit in Taormina, Sicily, on May 26, 2017. His numerous honors include the rank of Commandeur of the Légion d’Honneur (France), Commendatore of the Order of the Star of Italy, and the Keumkwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest cultural award bestowed by the Korean government.
　With the Tokyo Philharmonic, Maestro Chung served as Special Artistic Advisor from 2001 to 2010 and as Honorary Conductor Laureate from 2010 to 2016. In September 2016, he was appointed Honorary Music Director. He has led the orchestra on numerous overseas tours, most recently achieving landmark success with their European tour in autumn 2025.
　Deeply committed to education and the promotion of peace—particularly in Asia—Maestro Chung has engaged in a wide range of musical and cultural initiatives. In 2008, he was appointed the first conductor to serve as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra embarks on Tour in Europe October-November 2025

(Curriculum Vitae as of Jan 2026)