Musicians from all walks of life shine at Great Music Festival

The six teams that performed Tuesday were a Nanta percussion band, two chamber music trios, a string quartet, a ten-person clarinet ensemble and a chamber orchestra with 23 musicians.

The Falasol Clarinet Ensemble takes first place at the Great Music Festival, an annual festival showcasing musicians with developmental disabilities, for their performance of Libertango by Astor Piazzolla at Konkuk University's New Millenium Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Tuesday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Loud cheers and a massive applause filled the auditorium at Konkuk University in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, as musicians at the Great Music Festival, an annual event showcasing musicians with developmental disabilities, finished an immaculate performance Tuesday.

“I came to think of the saying that patience makes a better tomorrow,” Kim Hyoung-hee, director of the Korea Disability Arts and Culture Center and one of the four experts judging the performances at the festival, said at the university's New Millennium Hall.

“I am aware that it is very difficult for those with developmental disabilities to come and play together, but the performance today was great. I enjoyed listening to it.”

The festival, which has been held annually since 2017, is organized by Heart to Heart Foundation and supported by SK Innovation, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and SM Entertainment.

Hundreds of teams and individuals compete to perform at the Great Music Festival, but only six finalists get the chance to perform at the festival every year.

Over the last seven years, over 2,000 contestants and a total of 191 teams across the country have performed in the contest.

This year, a total of 30 teams consisting of 285 musicians took part in the auditions.

The six teams that performed Tuesday were a Nanta percussion band, two chamber music trios, a string quartet, a ten-person clarinet ensemble and a chamber orchestra with 23 musicians.

“Our performers each have their own unique identity, which sometimes makes it difficult for them to come together as they can each be in their own minds,” violinist Koo Ji-eun, who instructed and played Dvorak’s String Quartet No. 12 in F major as part of the string quartet from Daegu for Tuesday’s contest, said in a recorded interview played ahead of the quartet's performance.

“But they all come together when they grab their instruments and start playing.”

The first prize went to Falasol Clarinet Ensemble, which consists of ten male clarinetists including the instructor.

“At first, there were some who had low self-esteem, but I was able to see that they have all gained confidence through consistent practice,” Ko Dae-in, the instructor of the ensemble, said after winning the contest.

“We plan to play more diverse music in the future and host regular concerts.”

The winning group was awarded 10 million won ($7,300) to split and a special prize from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The second prize went to the nepes rua Orchestra, who played a musical piece from the popular film "Pirates of the Caribbean."

They were awarded a 5-million-won cash prize and a trophy.

The teams were judged based on the musicians' skills and stage performance, as well as their track record for how many months or years the members have been consistently practicing together and whether the teams were managed in ways conducive to the growth of the musicians.

“Musicians live entirely for the audience,” Lee Seok-jun, an instrumental professor at Korea National University of Arts and another judge at the festival, said.

“The performances delivered by the six teams today have successfully touched the audience emotionally, and I believe every team deserves to win the contest today.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]