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F or the past 70 years, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has played a central role in enriching the cultural lives of Korea’s citizens. In 2005, under the leadership of Maestro Myung-whun Chung, the orchestra was reborn, setting a new standard for orchestral music in Korea. Te SPO presents a wide range of repertoire from Mozart to Messiaen and continues to break box ofce records by playing for largely sold out audiences. With distinguished guest conductors and soloists, the SPO con- tinues to take the initiative in shaping the Korea classical music scene. Te SPO has extended its scope to an international scale starting in 2007 with Tailand, China, Japan, then to Carnegie Hall in New York and the United Nations Headquarter as an active cultural diplomatic envoy. Since 2010, the SPO has been on international tour to Europe and North America. In 2012, the orchestra won acclaim for its North American tour, including the world renowned Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Ange- les. Tis followed the orchestra’s European festival tour in 2011 including the world-famous Edinburgh International Festival and its European tour to nine cities in 2010 which included Berlin, Bologna, St. Petersburg and Prague, with major reviews hailing the SPO as a “world-class orchestra,” and “an irresistible maelstrom.” In 2013, the SPO performed a meaningful concert at the National Cen- ter for the Performing Arts in Beijing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Seoul-Beijing sister city relationship. As the representative orchestra in Korea, the SPO plays a leading role in bringing the most challenging contemporary works to the Seoul public seouL pHIL HaRM