Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation artists to perform at 'CMK Artist Series'

The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation announced Wednesday that it will hold the "2026 CMK Artist Series" — a recital program featuring the foundation's arts and culture talent — across three performances on Aug. 25, Aug. 26 and Sept. 1 at Inchun Art Hall inside Seoul Arts Center.

This year's lineup features soprano Yang Su-bin, trombonist Seo Ju-hyeon and bassist Yoo Si-heon, each presenting a program that reflects their individual artistry and distinctive interpretive voice.

Launched in 2022 as the "Ondream Artist Series," the program is a recital series for classical musicians nurtured by the foundation, giving them a stage to share with domestic audiences the experience and achievements they have built on the international circuit. Past participants have included pianists Sun Yul and Kim Song-hyeon, among other young musicians from the foundation's alumni who have showcased their own musical worlds. The series has become one of the foundation's signature performance events, offering audiences a chance to encounter artists who have grown into world-class performers.

Soprano Yang Su-bin was selected as a Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation arts and culture talent in 2018. A graduate of Seoul National University and the Royal Academy of Music in London, she has drawn international attention with her 2026 win in the vocal division of the Royal Overseas League Competition and her selection as a Renée Fleming Artist at the Aspen Music Festival. In her recital, she will draw on songs by Strauss, Liszt and Mendelssohn, opera arias by Handel and Douglas Moore, and Korean art songs to explore themes of encounter, parting and memory shaped by her years of study and performance abroad.

Trombonist Seo Ju-hyeon was selected as a foundation arts and culture talent in 2019 while attending Sunhwa Arts High School. He earned the runner-up prize in the trombone division of the Prague Spring International Music Competition in 2023 and is currently studying at the Berlin University of the Arts. His recital will center on works by European and South American composers, showcasing the trombone's brilliant technique and lyrical depth.

Bassist Yoo Si-heon was named a Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation scholarship recipient in 2024 while enrolled at Seoul National University. He has since established himself as a next-generation double bassist to watch, winning the Giovanni Bottesini International Competition in 2024, the ISB Double Bass Competition in 2025 and placing at the Matthias Sperger Competition this year. His recital, themed "Music Told by Time," will span works from Schumann and Brahms to Bottesini's virtuoso repertoire, exploring the expressive range and possibilities of the double bass.

Jeong Mu-seong, chairman of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation, said the CMK Artist Series is "a stage where we share with audiences the stories of the arts and culture talents the foundation has supported," adding that the foundation will "continue to provide unwavering support so that our arts and culture talents can keep growing as they move between stages at home and abroad."

Meanwhile, the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation recently held a "Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Scholarship Achievement and Strategy Presentation" at Ondream Society in Myeong-dong, Seoul, sharing the results of its 15-year scholarship program and announcing its future direction for talent development and new operational strategies.