Jung-Ho Pak (born February 4, 1962 in
Burlingame, California
Burlingame () is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame and is known for its numerous eucalyp ...
) is an American
symphony conductor. He was Artistic Director of the
San Diego Symphony
The San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in San Diego, California. The orchestra is resident at Copley Symphony Hall. The orchestra also serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera.
History
On December 6th 1910, the ...
and of the
New Haven Symphony Orchestra
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in New Haven, Connecticut. The New Haven Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert in 1895 and is the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States. Today, the orchestra is ...
, of which he is now Conductor Emeritus. He was Music Director of the Diablo Ballet and the NEXT Generation Chamber Orchestra. He was the artistic director of the now-defunct
Orchestra Nova San Diego. Pak has guest conducted internationally. He is the Director of the
Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, and is a former musical director of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra and the director of orchestras at the
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Center for the Arts is a non-profit corporation which operates arts education institutions and performance venues in northwest Michigan. It is situated on a campus in Interlochen, Michigan, roughly southwest of Traverse City.
In ...
.
Education
Pak began studying the piano at age 6. Three years later, he was awarded a scholarship to the
San Francisco Conservatory
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students.
History
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodg ...
and enrolled in a college music theory class. He began studying clarinet at age 11, and played in multiple bands and orchestras into college.
*Graduated Lynbrook High School, San Jose, (1980)
*B. A., Music, University of California, Santa Cruz, (1980-2)
*Assoc. of California Symphony Orch. Conducting Seminar, Franz Allers (1982)
*San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Michael Senturia, Jahja Ling (1982-4)
*Tanglewood Conducting Seminar, (1983)
*M.M. University of Southern California, Daniel Lewis (1984-6)
*Herbert Blomstedt Conducting Institute, Master Class (1985)
*Redlands Symphony Conducting Institute (1986-7)
*American Conductors Guild Seminar, Harold Farberman, Dan Lewis (1987)
*
Music Academy of the West
The Music Academy is a classical music training program in Montecito in Santa Barbara County, California.
Overview
The academy hosts an annual eight-week summer music festival, highlighted by concerts and workshops directed by famous composer ...
, (1989)
Career
Early in his career, Pak was a conductor and professor at several schools including the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
and
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...
,
Idyllwild Arts Academy
Idyllwild Arts Academy is a private school located in Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains and San Bernardino National Forest, within western Riverside County, California. The school was founded in 1946. It was previously known as Idyllwild Sc ...
, and
Lehigh University
Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epis ...
. In 1988, he won a national conducting competition with the
Young Musicians Foundation's Debut Orchestra.
In 1997, Pak was appointed music director the
San Diego Symphony
The San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in San Diego, California. The orchestra is resident at Copley Symphony Hall. The orchestra also serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera.
History
On December 6th 1910, the ...
to lead it out of bankruptcy, which eventually became an artistic and financial success, receiving one of the largest endowment pledges in American orchestral history (over $110 million). In 1998, Pak succeeded
Daniel Lewis Daniel, Dan or Danny Lewis may refer to:
* Dan Lewis (rugby league), rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s for Wales, Welsh League XIII, and Merthyr Tydfil
* Dan Lewis (footballer) (1902–1965), Welsh football goalkeeper
* Dan ...
as music director of the
University of Southern California Symphony and was also named music director at the
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra. In 1999, he additionally became music director of the
New Haven Symphony Orchestra
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in New Haven, Connecticut. The New Haven Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert in 1895 and is the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States. Today, the orchestra is ...
, with which he was named Music Director Emeritus in 2007.
Since 2003, Pak has been director of orchestras and music director of the
World Youth Symphony Orchestra at the
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Center for the Arts is a non-profit corporation which operates arts education institutions and performance venues in northwest Michigan. It is situated on a campus in Interlochen, Michigan, roughly southwest of Traverse City.
In ...
, one of the largest and oldest arts camps in the country. In 2006, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra appointed Pak as artistic director and conductor; in 2009 the ensemble changed their name to
Orchestra Nova San Diego to reflect their aspirations under Pak's leadership. The ensemble filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2012 due to an impasse between Pak and the Musician's Union, with Pak stating that he would prefer to choose members in his ensembles.
In 2007, Pak began his tenure as artistic director and conductor of the
Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, one of the largest orchestras in Massachusetts. In 2008, Pak was a guest conductor for the 2008
ASTA
The General Students' Committee (German: Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss) or AStA, is the acting executive board and the external representing agency of the (constituted) student body at universities in most German states. It is therefore consid ...
National High School Honors Orchestra. In 2015, Pak was the conductor for the 2015
NAfME
The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is an organization of American music educators dedicated to advancing and preserving music education as part of the core curriculum of schools in the United States. Founded in 1907 as the Mus ...
All-National Honors Symphony Orchestra.
References
External links
Biography of Jung-Ho Pak Orchestra Orchestra homepage Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra homepage World Youth Symphony Orchestra homepage and audio sample
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pak, Jung-Ho
Interlochen summer faculty
American male conductors (music)
American classical musicians of Korean descent
Living people
Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area
1962 births
People from Burlingame, California
Classical musicians from California
21st-century American conductors (music)
21st-century American male musicians
Music Academy of the West alumni