Hanwha Group holds music camp for youth orchestra program

Hanwha Group held a music camp for its Hanwha Youth Orchestra program, which provides classical music education to youth from low-income families.

The group announced Wednesday that the event took place Monday and Tuesday at the Hanwha Life Campus in Suanbo-myeon, Chungju.

The Hanwha Youth Orchestra is a corporate social responsibility program that offers classical music education to young people in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, and Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, who have limited access to classical music.

Modeled on El Sistema, the Venezuelan social program that uses music education to support marginalized youth, the initiative goes beyond teaching technical skills. Its goal is to help disadvantaged young people build self-esteem and a sense of community through learning instruments and playing together, nurturing them into active participants in their own lives.

Members from Cheonan focus on string instruments such as violin and cello, while those from Cheongju play wind instruments including flute, clarinet and horn. Under the guidance of professional instructors, about 60 members receive training each year. Since the program launched in 2014, it has produced about 800 members in total.

This year's camp emphasized blending individual sounds into a unified performance rather than isolated solo practice. Moving from sectional rehearsals to full ensemble, members learned to understand their own roles and play in sync with one another.

Beyond instrument training, members attended a musical and watched an ensemble performance by professional instructors, gaining foundational skills expected of orchestra members — including stage presence and how to connect with an audience.

Chae Seung-han, a student at Anseo Elementary School in Cheonan, said it felt awkward at first to play alongside unfamiliar peers, but that listening to one another and building a unified sound gave him confidence and a sense of community among the members.

The members are scheduled to hold their regular concert in Cheongju in November.

A Hanwha Group official said the company would continue to support young people in the region so they can learn the value of cooperation through classical music and look forward to a healthy future.