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| Conductor Chung Myung-whun, left, receives Grand Officer of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic from Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, June 2. Courtesy of the KBS Symphony Orchestra |
By Kim Rahn
Conductor Chung Myung-whun has received the second-most prestigious order of merit from the Italian government, becoming the first Korean to receive the honor, the KBS Symphony Orchestra said, Tuesday.
The maestro received the Grande Ufficiale dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Grand Officer of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) from Italian President Sergio Mattarella, June 2, at the Quirinal Palace before a concert commemorating the 76th anniversary of the country's declaration as a republic.
The order is awarded to Italian or foreign nationals who contributed to promoting the national prestige of Italy or its relations with other countries in the fields of literature, arts, the economy, social and humanitarian activities. The recipients in the music fields include conductor Herbert von Karajan in 1960 and tenor Andrea Bocelli in 2006, according to the orchestra.
Chung has conducted famous orchestras in Italy such as La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, and the Orchestra of La Fenice Opera House. In 2017, he was honored with the third-most prestigious Commendatore Ordine della Stella d'Italia (Commander Order of the Stars of Italy). He is the honorary conductor of the KBS Symphony Orchestra.
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